Education Commons^™

Activity Bursts In The Special Education Classroom: Teachers’ Perceptions Of Student Engagement And Behavior, Jacqueline Mantz

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

An exploratory case study design and a mixed-methods approach was used to discover the impact of the Activity Bursts in the Classroom (ABC) Fitness Program on students in special education classroom settings, elementary and middle school. Both classrooms were comprised of students with the primary disability of emotional disturbance. Special education intervention teachers’ perceptions of their students engagement and behavior were collected before and during the implementation of the ABC for Fitness Program intervention. Special education intervention teachers completed the Teacher Assessment of Student Engagement, participated in an ABC for Fitness training session, a question and answer session, completed daily …

Leading Mindfully In Dynamic Times: Can A Mindfulness-Based Leadership Training And Coaching Program Increase Leadership Effectiveness?, Nina Tan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This research examined the influence of a Mindfulness-based Leadership Training and Coaching Program (MBP), in garnering three aspects of leadership effectiveness; extra employee effort, productive performance and followers’ satisfaction with leadership.

We hypothesized that mindfulness-based leadership training and coaching program can influence leaders’ frequency in adopting authentic, transformational and transactional leadership behaviors to enhance leadership effectiveness.

We tested these predictions separately on two control and intervention groups. Results suggested that the combined training and coaching mindfulness-based intervention program had predictive effects between the practice of mindful attunement of leaders’ behaviors and enhancement in leadership effectiveness, even in a short span …

Impact Of Responsive Classroom And Pbis On Behavior Choices In The Elementary Classroom, Allison Kalkman

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Effective teaching encompasses more than instructional strategies, content knowledge, and assessing; effective teachers must be able to manage their classroom and build relationships with the students they work with in order to foster student growth. This study examined what effect Responsive Classroom and Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) strategies had on reducing negative student behaviors and improving student attitudes towards school. Over a seven-week period Responsive Classroom and PBIS strategies were utilized as the primary classroom management strategies in a suburban first-grade classroom in Minnesota. Student attitudes towards school were surveyed at the beginning and end of the study …

Social-Emotional Learning In Pre-Primary And Primary Education, Jillian R. Larson, Paige A. Larson, Anna Marie C. Wiatros

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Students entering the school setting have a need for explicit instruction to develop their social and emotional competencies. The aim of this research was to study the effects of the Mind+Heart Social Emotional Curriculum as an intervention for pre-primary and primary students. This study consisted of preschool children (age 4) in a daycare setting and kindergarten and second grade students in a public school setting. Over an eight week period various data was collected: pre- and post-conversational dialogues, student journals, student self-assessments, and teacher observation logs of student behavior. The data presented a correlation between implementation and a reduction of …

An Examination Of Pbis Implementation Fidelity And Student Outcomes In An Urban School District., C. Angelique Scherer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) implementation fidelity and student outcomes for secondary schools in a large, urban school district. The state department of education placed the district under corrective action due to disproportionate suspension practices. In response to the corrective action, district administration required 24 schools to participate in PBIS training. This study is an analysis of PBIS implementation fidelity data, office discipline referrals, suspensions, and standardized test scores to determine if there were significant differences after PBIS implementation. I employed the repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) to examine outcomes …

The Effects Of Self-Monitoring Of Behavior On Academic Achievement, Meredith Keller

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines whether implementing a self-monitoring behavior plan will improve student achievement. Four students from a third grade inclusion classroom were taught to self-monitor their behavior for a period of 10 weeks. Each student was also tested weekly on reading comprehension using a standards-based ten-question assessment. During the 10-week period, the classroom teacher noted the number of prompts given to each of the students. A prompt was documented when the student was demonstrating inappropriate behavior. After the intervention was implemented, each of the four students demonstrated an overall decrease in the number of prompts required. Additionally, all four students …

Wild Primates In Documentary Films: Biodiversity, Behavior, And Pedagogical Applications, Crystal Marie Riley Koenig

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The representation of wild primates in the nature documentary genre could have important implications for conservation and education. However, no prior research has looked at the content of this genre or its use in education. To fill this gap, the current research included a content analysis of all available documentaries focused on wild primates (n = 210) and a survey of 219 college-level anthropology instructors, with an emphasis on determining how primate biodiversity was portrayed, whether primate behavior was realistically depicted in documentaries, whether mistakes and inaccuracies were common, and how college instructors use primate documentaries as resources in their …

Functional Behavior Assessments Through The Lenses Of A General Education Clinical Teacher, Marissa Clark

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

The purpose of this study was to look at the experience of a clinical teacher implementing a Functional Behavior Assessment, and what impact the assessment had on decreasing student behavior. Three student participants were selected based on the frequency of disruptive behavior in the classroom. Direct observation was taken over four days in order to develop hypotheses about the function of behavior. Interventions connected to the function were created and implemented over the course of the next four weeks, as behavior continued to be observed. For two students, the intervention consisted of a self-monitoring checklist and for the third student …

Preschool Teachers' Perceptions Of Children Prenatally Exposed To Drugs, Brandie D. Maness

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the incidence of prenatal drug exposure increasing, it is important that preschool teachers are prepared and confident in serving the needs of children affected by this exposure. Teachers need more training and education to prepare them for working with children with prenatal drug exposure.

The purpose of this sequential mixed-methods study was to explore the perceptions, training, and shared experiences of preschool teachers when working with 4- and 5-year-old preschool children who have experienced prenatal drug exposure. The researcher invited 77 preschool teachers in northeast Tennessee working in either Head Start or Tennessee Voluntary Pre-K Initiative programs to complete …

A Case Study Analysis Of Elementary Teachers' Attitudes About Student Discipline And The Implementation Of Restorative Justice, Kaitlyn M. Spore

Education Dissertations

This study examined the attitudes of elementary school teachers regarding student discipline and the implementation of restorative justice practices. The present research was conducted at a public elementary school in the greater Seattle area. All participants were teachers at the public elementary school, and were purposefully selected based on their years of experience, age, gender, and grade level taught. The study utilized qualitative case study methods to analyze the participants’ attitudes regarding discipline, specifically the use of exclusionary discipline, and their views on implementing restorative justice practices as an alternative to exclusion.

Key Words: restorative justice, school discipline, exclusions, suspensions, …

Examining An Asynchronous Group Discussion Board Adaptation Of A Parent-Mediated Behavior Intervention For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Alexis D. Rodgers

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social and communication deficits, as well as restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped behaviors, interests, and activities (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Although important relationships have been shown and described among the issues of challenging behavior, parent stress, and parenting sense of competence for families of children with ASD, there is a shortage of intervention programs appropriately suited for families which target these issues. Some programs have been developed and tested, but none is directly applicable for the target population. This is notable because of the connections drawn in the literature between families …

The Effects Of Poverty Academically And Behaviorally On Students In Urban Communities, William Kyle Holmes

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the biggest travesties that is present globally across all nations is poverty. Despite being the wealthiest country in the world, “in 2015 there were 43.1 million people in poverty.” (Proctor, Bernadette D. 2015). Additionally, millions more struggle just to survive on a monthly basis with and/or without public assistance. Sadly, this large number of Americans includes school aged children that are suffering from the devastation of the poverty. Children are the future of our nation. Thus, it is critical that all children receive a proper education for them to be a positive member of society across the country. …

Teachers' Perceptions Of School Training On Positive Behavior Supports For Behavior Intervention And Discipline, Kyle Gibson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School staff was concerned that disruptive student behaviors at an urban, middle school in central Ohio had continued even with positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) implementation and professional development (PD) for more than 4 years. The purpose of this study was to explore teachers' perspectives of school training on the implementation of the PBIS system. Skinner's reinforcement theory and Bandura's social learning theory served as the conceptual frameworks for this study. Specifically, this study explored the training of teachers using the PBIS framework in diminishing students' negative behaviors. This study used triangulated data from interviews, observations, and document analysis. …

The Inclusion Classroom: Implementing The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program© To Improve The Classroom Environment, Erika Lea Mooney Patterson

Theses and Dissertations

At White Rose Middle School (WRMS), in the lower Piedmont of South Carolina, students with individualized education plans (IEPs), behavioral intervention plans (BIPs), and 504 Plans were placed in the inclusion classroom setting resulting in repeated negative behavior patterns that drew the attention of their peers. Students assigned to the inclusion classroom included regular education students, students identified with a “learning disability,” and students identified as English language learners (ELL). The negative behaviors expressed in the inclusion classroom were categorized as bullying behaviors that disrupted the classroom environment. The purpose of the present action research study was to determine if …

Effectiveness Of Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion Therapy Education In A Clinic Setting, Kimberly Rizzo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes affects an estimated 29.1 million Americans, with approximately another 1/3 of Americans not yet diagnosed. Complications associated with diabetes include heart disease, stroke, hypertension, blindness, kidney disease, neuropathy and death. All of these complications can be prevented with optimal control of blood glucose levels. Advances in technology provide people living with diabetes (PLWD) a multitude of treatment options such as continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy. Unfortunately, sustained improvement in glycated hemoglobin A1c (HgA1c) is not always achieved even with this advanced therapy. The purpose of this doctoral project was to educate nurses on CSII therapy and promote improved …

The Effects Of Picture Activity Schedules On Transition Times In An Inclusive Preschool Classroom, Elizabeth A. Reis

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

This study determined the effectiveness of using picture activity schedules with preschoolers who exhibited disruptive behaviors in an inclusive setting during transition times in a public preschool. The participants in this study were three male and one female student, ages 3 years to 5 years, who were enrolled in an inclusive public preschool. All children are Caucasian. Three of the children had an individualized education plan including goals for speech and social-emotional concerns. One child was typically developing and did not have an individualized education plan. The study method used a single-subject withdrawal design (ABAB). The results confirmed that the …

The Impact Of Being A Member Of A Swim Team On Individuals With Down Syndrome, Erin Fenwick

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper explores the impacts of being a member of a swim team on individuals with Down syndrome through a literal replicated case study on two individuals with Down syndrome. By conducting structured interviews with both individuals, their parents, and coaches, as well as research from written articles, the impacts of participating on a swim team are identified by physical health, behavior, and self-perception. Physical health changes are measured by weight, energy level, and muscle tone. Both positive and negative behavior changes were shared to me by the parents and coaches. Self-perception changes are measured by levels of self-confidence and …