Preparing Preservice Teachers to Use Positive Behavior Supports in General Education Classrooms

Recent changes in legislation regarding students with disabilities have increasingly placed these children in general education classrooms, frequently with teachers who have not had adequate training to teach them. Teachers who have received inadequate preparation for this inclusive educational environment often resort to punitive and/or exclusionary practices to address the behavioral issues that arise with these students rather than employing research-based practices and pro-active strategies to teach appropriate behaviors. One key factor that teachers need to consider is the function of the problem behavior. It is essential to identify the function of the behavior in order to recognize what maintains the behavior. This study will assess the effect of providing instruction in developing specific strategies to address problem behaviors for general education pre-service teachers during their student teaching internship. The outcomes suggest (a) an increase in pre-service teacher use of positive behavior supports to help students learn more appropriate classroom behaviors, and (b) a decrease in students' problem behaviors demonstrated within the classroom. Prior to the direct instruction workshops, students who engaged in inappropriate attention -- seeking behaviors were provided attention, which frequently strengthened the inappropriate behaviors. After the intervention workshop, pre-service teachers were focused on ignoring inappropriate behaviors and reinforcing students when they engage in appropriate classroom behaviors, resulting in a decrease in student talk-outs and an increase in the number of students raising hands.

Name thesis:degree_name

EdD

Level thesis:degree_level

Worldwide Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program for Education Leaders (IDPEL)

Year dc:date.available

2006

Author dc:creator

• Auld, Ruth

Contributors dc:contributor

• Phillip J. Belfiore
• Dennis Barrett
• Mary Catherine Scheeler

• classroom management
• Gaskins Case
• general education
• inclusive practices
• positive behavior supports

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/18

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dsc.duq.edu:etd-1017