Inclusive Positive Behavior Support in School - the Causal Mechanisms and Interactive Processes. A Study Protocol

Brief Summary

Detailed Description

Aim and Research Questions: Firstly, the aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of the SWPBIS program for students' socio-emotional skills and academic achievement as well as teachers' and students' perceptions of the learning environment, and to explore how school-level factors may moderate or mediate the effect of SWPBIS on the outcomes. Secondly, the aim is to gain a deeper understanding of the social processes and local meanings that emerge and take form among the students, teachers, and other school professionals as they participate in the SW-PBIS program. The aims are specified in four research questions: 1. What are the effects of the SW-PBIS program on students' socio-emotional skills and academic achievement as well as teachers' and students' perceptions of the learning environment? 2. To what extent do school-level factors mediate and moderate the effects of the SW-PBIS program on the study outcomes over time? 3. How are the central contents of the SW-PBIS program made sense of and negotiated in school teams and classrooms at two schools during the course of program implementation? 4. How do specific instances of student-teacher interaction lead to changes in students' behavior and responses to the SW-PBIS program, and what forms of ethical dilemmas evolve in the management of behavior problems in classrooms? Methods: This study utilizes a quasi-experimental non-randomized design, including two waves of participant recruitment. In the first wave of recruitment, intervention and active control groups are used, and outcomes will be measured at three time points. In addition to quantitative data, qualitative observations and interviews are conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the process of implementing SWPIS. In the second wave of data recruitment, intervention and wait-list control groups are used, and outcomes will be measured at two time points (pre- and post). The study will be conducted in compulsory schools and will include classes from grade four to grade nine. Each of the two waves of recruitment in the study will include 80 schools. Data will be collected on school-level measures and individual-level measures. School-level measures encompass: (a) Teacher collective self-efficacy; (b) Problem behavior in the classroom and school. Individual-level measures encompass: (a) Social-emotional skills; (b) Classroom environment; (c) Student achievement in national tests of mathematics and literacy. The intervention is based on the Norwegian manualized program of SW-PBIS, N-PALS (Positiv Atferd, Støttende Læringsmiljø, og Samhandling). The Norwegian model shares its core components with the original SW-PBIS model. The program's core components constitute: (a) Positive behavior support strategies, including positive expectations and classroom rules, which are followed up with positive feedback and encouragement; (b) A system for monitoring student behavior, (c) School-wide corrections using consequences, (d) Instruction in classroom management skills for teachers, and (e) Strategies for collaboration with parents. These components are implemented through activities at the school level and at the classroom level. The implementation at the school level starts with establishing a leadership team, comprised of school leaders, team leaders, and members of the school welfare team. The leadership team assesses the needs and resources at the school and agrees on behavioral expectations and rules. The team monitors student behaviors and provides opportunities for teacher professional development with a focus on classroom management and relationship building. At the classroom level, the teachers incorporate school-wide expected behaviors into their classroom instruction through classroom activities and classroom rules. The teachers also integrate their training in classroom management and relationship building into their teaching practices. The duration of Tier 1 intervention is expected to be three years. The control group in the first wave of data collection is selected in accordance with a quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent control group. The teachers in the control group will, instead of a wait-list intervention, receive a shortened version of SW-PBIS containing only classroom leadership lectures. The schools that are part of the classroom management group also send staff for instructor training (ten training sessions, 25 hours in total, just as much as the SW-PBIS schools). Similar to the SW-PBIS group, the instructors in this group educate and supervise school staff, supported by a team at the school. Both groups have access to a manual and supporting materials. This design does not pose threats to the internal validity of the study, as classroom leadership is one of the principles of the PBIS framework. In this way, it will be possible to explore the specific contribution of schoolwide PBS in contrast to classroom leadership only. The control group in the second wave of data collection constitutes a wait-list control group and will not be engaged in any kind of intervention during the intervention period. Hierarchical regression analyses with a three-level structure will be conducted to explore the effects of SW-PBIS on study outcomes. Hierarchical regression analyses allow for accounting for the nested structure of the data, in which teachers' and students' responses are nested within schools and grade levels. The outcomes at the school and individual levels will be studied as a function of time (three time points for wave 1 and two time points for wave 2) and group belonging (intervention or control group). To take into account the nestedness of the data, a three-level random effect model will be used, varying by school, grade, and the individuals' identification codes. Furthermore, the possible mediators (quality of implementation) and moderators (school characteristics, school-level variables) of the SWPBIS intervention will be analyzed. Missing data will be handled by imputation, provided that the assumption of data missing completely at random is met. In the qualitative study, a longitudinal ethnographic approach will be used in order to obtain detailed contextualized knowledge on interactions in various contexts in two of the intervention schools, recruited in wave 1, over a longer period of time. Through purposeful sampling, three schools with different characteristics regarding size and catchment area will be selected.

Primary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes

• Collective self-efficacy(11 months)
• Problem behavior in classroom and school(11 months)