First Advisor
Brewer, Robin
Document Type
Dissertation
Date Created
12-2018
Department
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Special Education, Special Education Student Work
Abstract
Students identified with emotional disabilities (ED) are increasingly being included in the general education academic classrooms. Most general education academic teachers have little training or exposure to the characteristics and interventions associated with students with ED. Behavior-specific praise (BSP) has been shown to be an effective intervention for decreasing problem behaviors in the classroom. Unfortunately, studies have shown that teachers generally provide low rates of praise to secondary students and less so to secondary students with ED. This study used a multiple baseline single-subject design across participants to assess whether the use of within-school consultation intervention which involved regular structured meetings and visual performance feedback influenced the use of BSP, general praise, and reprimands used with students with ED in the general education academic setting. Three general education academic middle school teachers and four observers participated in this study. All teachers were taught to increase their use of BSP through the use of a within-school consultation intervention. Through direct observation, the rates of BSP directed towards the target student with ED were recorded. Results of the study showed that the use of the within-school consultation model increased the rate of BSP towards all three target students with ED. Specific praise rates increased for each general education academic teacher when the within-school consultation intervention was implemented. In addition to BSP rates, the use of general praise increased and the use of reprimands decreased. However, maintenance of the increased rate of BSP was not stable following the termination of the intervention. Implications suggest that one-time training or professional development may not provide enough support to effectively initiate or sustain change in teacher behavior. Results also imply that teachers would rather learn from other teachers. Additionally, results implicated that the use of BSP promotes positive academic and behavioral outcomes.
Extent
197 pages
Local Identifiers
Sundeen_unco_0161D_10705.pdf
Rights Statement
Copyright is held by the author.
Recommended Citation
Sundeen, Darrelanne M., "The Effects of Within-School Consultation on General Education Teachers’ Use of Behavior-Specific Praise with Students with Emotional Disabilities" (2018). Dissertations. 543.
https://digscholarship.unco.edu/dissertations/543