Career and Technical Education Teachers' Perceptions of the Impact of School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports on Their Professional Growth and Self-Efficacy for Classroom Management
Open Access
- Author:
- O'Dellick, Michael
- Graduate Program:
- Educational Leadership (DED)
- Degree:
- Doctor of Education
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 09, 2024
- Committee Members:
- Kevin Kinser, Program Head/Chair
Anil Kumar Chaudhary, Outside Unit Member
Joey Fleck, Outside Field Member
Marsha Modeste, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Mark Threeton, Outside Field Member - Keywords:
- self-efficacy
school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports
career and technical education
classroom management
students with disabilities
post-high school transitions - Abstract:
- This study explained how Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers perceived the impact of School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (SWPBIS) on their self-efficacy for classroom management in part-time career and technical centers. In addition, CTE teachers identified and explained the impact of SWPBIS on Students With Disabilities (SWD) and student preparation for the workforce. A mixed methods sequential explanatory study was designed to compare quantitative CTE teacher self-efficacy scores between teachers in schools implementing SWPBIS with fidelity and schools not implementing SWPBIS. Tschannen-Moran and Wolfolk Hoy’s 2001 teacher self-efficacy survey instrument was used to measure teacher self-efficacy scores and independent samples t-tests were calculated to measure statistical significance. In the quantitative phase of the study, CTE teachers identified their perceived impact of SWPBIS on their classroom management, the inclusion of SWD and student preparation for the workforce. Priority was given to the second qualitative phase of the study, in which a case study methodology was utilized. Teacher focus groups, school counselors, and administrative interviews provided rich qualitative data to explain and further expand upon the teacher-identified impact of SWPBIS in the CTE setting. CTE teachers in career and technical centers that were implementing SWPBIS with fidelity recorded higher overall self-efficacy scores, including the subscale scores of self-efficacy for student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management. Teachers explained that SWPBIS provided four primary classroom management tools that positively impacted their self-efficacy for classroom management. Those tools included school-wide expectations, a behavior management system, positive reinforcement, and student-teacher rapport and relationships. Teachers also explained that SWPBIS benefited SWD by providing a universal support system that fostered positive and productive learning experiences. Moreover, teachers shared how SWPBIS can be a natural fit in the CTE setting if the framework is leveraged to teach and reinforce employability soft skills, as indicated in the findings of the phase two qualitative case study. The practical implications of the study's results are clear: part-time career and technical centers should strongly consider implementing SWPBIS. This intervention can help address the classroom management needs of CTE teachers, support SWD, and embed employability soft skill training and development for CTE students. While SWPBIS implementation at the high school level can be challenging, the implications section in chapter five presents several strategies for successful implementation and sustainment of SWPBIS that provides a roadmap for part-time career and technical centers to follow.