Disciplinary Referrals in Response to School-Wide Positive Behavior Plan in a Rural Middle School Setting.

<p>Students who exhibit disruptive and inappropriate behaviors are a challenge for schools, as teachers and administrators are most often held responsible for managing these behaviors. This study was designed to evaluate <em>School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports (SWPBS)</em> when used in a rural middle school setting. Research indicates that using <em>SWPBS</em> in an individual school over a period of time can decrease the amount of disruptive behaviors in the school while also increasing attendance and academic scores. However, little longitudinal research exists concerning the use of <em>SWPBS</em> within middle school settings across a system.</p><p>Through the use of quantitative methods, this study included examining overall effect on office disciplinary referrals (ODRs), suspensions, and expulsions under the 3 categories of schools as well as faculty and student perceptions (current year only) of <em>SWPBS</em>. While there was no significant difference found among ODRs, expulsions, or suspensions among the 3 school categories through ANOVA analysis, the study did highlight the need for further evaluation of how schools implement <em>SWPBS</em>. A one-way, chi-square analysis of faculty perceptions did not show a significance among the three school categories, while student perceptions did show significance and a follow-up pairwise comparison was conducted. The student survey analysis suggests that students in either a school with the <em>SWPBS</em> plan or without a plan are 3 times more likely to have a negative attitude toward the behavioral school policies than schools with a partial <em>SWPBS</em> plan. The analysis on perceptions indicates the need for further faculty and student questioning in future research.</p><p>The primary significance of this study is that it addresses the use of <em>SWPBS</em> in various middle school settings and in various stages of use (full plan, partial plan, or no plan). This study also evaluates data from two years before the <em>SWPBS</em> implementation as opposed to just one year. The study highlights issues related to middle school students and how school systems might better serve those students.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

EdD (Doctor of Education)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation - unrestricted

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Leadership

Year dc:date.issued

2011

Author dc:creator

• Harless, Michelle Diane Rogers

• school-wide interventions
• positive behavior support
• discipline
• Education
• Educational Administration and Supervision

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright by the authors.

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1353

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dc.etsu.edu:etd-2544