School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions Research Articles

Associations among educators' beliefs, intervention fidelity, and student outcomes in school-wide positive behavior interventions, and supports: A school-level moderated mediation analysis.

Existing literature has established the effectiveness of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS) for improving school-level student behavioral and academic outcomes. Implementation of SWPBIS in uncontrolled settings is often suboptimal, leading to lackluster outcomes. Researchers have developed and validated several implementation strategies to improve individual-level implementation determinants (e.g., educators' supportive beliefs) to promote the successful delivery of universal programs (e.g., SWPBIS). However, empirical studies are needed to explore the mechanisms of change through which school-level educators' beliefs influence their delivery of SWPBIS. This school-level quasi-experimental study tested a mediational mechanism of change where changes in educators' beliefs work through their intervention fidelity of SWPBIS to influence student outcomes. We delivered the Supportive Belief Intervention (a school-wide implementation strategy used before training to promote educators' supportive beliefs about SWPBIS) and then Tier 1 SWPBIS training to 81 elementary schools serving diverse student populations. At the start of the academic year, school-level educators' beliefs were assessed before the Supportive Belief Intervention. At the end of the academic year, educators' beliefs, intervention fidelity, and rates of student reading proficiency and suspension were assessed. Conditional process analyses with nonparametric bootstrapping (mediational and first stage moderated mediational models) revealed that, at the school level, a larger increase in educators' supportive beliefs was associated with enhanced SWPBIS fidelity and better corollary student outcomes (increased reading proficiency and reduced suspension), while student socioeconomic status moderated the size of the mediation effect. Implications for research and practices about the implementation of SWPBIS and school context were discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Effectiveness of School Violence Prevention Programs in Elementary Schools in the United States: A Systematic Review

School violence remains a major concern for scholars, policymakers, and the public in the United States. Despite the implementation of various school violence prevention programs, information regarding their effectiveness in the United States is outdated and limited. This systematic review identified current elementary school programs that effectively reduce school violence in the United States and determined the types of elementary school violence prevention programs implemented, their effectiveness, and the types of tools used to enhance such programs. A qualitative methodological approach was employed, and four databases were searched. English articles published between 2012 and 2023 were selected. Furthermore, data involving elementary school education, school personnel, teachers, and children (5–12-year-old) in the United States were included in the thematic analysis. Results confirmed that the school-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports program effectively decreases violence, suspensions, office referrals, and disruptive behaviors, whereas positive action effectively reduces negative violent behaviors. Social–emotional learning (SEL) implementation also reduced behavioral issues. The findings of this study are relevant for guiding teachers, school administrators, policymakers, teacher education preparation programs, and health professionals in constructing evidence-based violence prevention programs with an added SEL component for elementary schools.

Supplemental Material for Associations Among Educators’ Beliefs, Intervention Fidelity, and Student Outcomes in School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions, and Supports: A School-Level Moderated Mediation Analysis

Supplemental Material for Associations Among Educators’ Beliefs, Intervention Fidelity, and Student Outcomes in School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions, and Supports: A School-Level Moderated Mediation Analysis

A Systematic Review of the Evaluation of Social Validity in Experimental Examinations of Tier 2 Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions

Positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) is a three-tiered framework shown to improve student behavioral outcomes. There has been considerable investment in scaling up Tier 1 PBIS but less focus on scaling Tier 2 supports. Having greater insight into teachers,’ students,’ and families’ perceptions regarding the social validity of Tier 2 interventions may further facilitate the scale-up of this more resource-intensive level of the multitiered model. The primary objective of this systematic literature review was to evaluate the social validity of Tier 2 interventions in 48 experimental studies, 65% of which systematically assessed social validity. Almost all studies reporting social validity data surveyed student participants and teachers (94%). Results indicated teachers and students primarily reported positive perceptions regarding Tier 2 interventions, although some teachers expressed concerns with effectiveness of the outcomes. Findings provide insights that can help promote the scale-up and broader dissemination of Tier 2 supports.

A Comparison of Single-Case Effect Measures Using Check-In Check-Out Data.

There are numerous effect measures researchers can select when conducting a meta-analysis of single-case experimental design research. These effect measures model different characteristics of the data, so it is possible that a researcher's choice of an effect measure could lead to different conclusions about the same intervention. The current study investigated the impact of effect measure selection on conclusions about the effectiveness of check-in check-out (CICO), a commonly used intervention within School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. Using a multilevel meta-analysis of seven different effect measures across 95 cases in 22 studies, findings suggested that all effect measures indicated statistically significant results of CICO in improving student behavior. However, the magnitude of the effects varied when comparing the results to interpretive guidelines, suggesting that the selection of effect measures may impact conclusions regarding the extent to which an intervention is effective. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Initial Exploration and Implementation Efforts of SWPBIS Tier 1 in Cyprus: Results from Two Model Demonstration Sites

ABSTRACT Student behavioral problems are a concern among educators in Cyprus. Policy and practice measures implemented in Cyprus have primarily focused on addressing problem behaviors at the individual level. Recently, behavior support implementations have occurred at a schoolwide level. This mixed methods study presents the results of two model demonstration sites of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) implemented in two elementary schools in Cyprus. Exploration and initial implementation efforts focused on adapting and contextually fitting the SWPBIS primary prevention’s four core features (outcomes, data, practices, systems) to meet the values and needs of Cypriot schools. Intervention components included defining and teaching expected classroom behaviors, acknowledging and reinforcing social expectations, re-directing and correcting social errors, and collecting data to make informed decisions. Treatment fidelity was measured three times throughout the study. Outcome measures included disruptive behavioral incidents and the staff’s social acceptability of intervention components. Results are discussed, and implications for practice in implementing SWPBIS are suggested within the centralized educational context of Cyprus.

Effects of Tiered SWPBIS Fidelity on Exclusionary Discipline Outcomes for Students With Disabilities: A Conceptual Replication

School-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) is a tiered framework that supports the academic, social, and behavioral needs of students. In this study, we conducted a conceptual replication of Grasley-Boy et al. (2022a) and used a series of two-level linear multilevel analyses to examine the impact of SWPBIS fidelity on 10 exclusionary discipline outcomes for students with disabilities (SWD). Specifically, we compared schools that implemented multiple SWPBIS tiers with fidelity to schools that only implemented Tier 1 with fidelity from a sample of 558 schools in 113 districts in California. Findings indicate a statistically significant decrease in multiple out-of-school suspension categories as well as referrals to law enforcement for SWD in schools that implemented all tiers with fidelity. We provide recommendations for using findings to inform school efforts to reduce exclusionary discipline for SWD.

Can School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) improve adolescents' perceptions of school climate?

As school climate plays a key role in adolescents' academic and socio-emotional outcomes, interventions that can enhance this climate are of major interest. In considering research on practices linked to a positive school climate, School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) is a promising approach. To date, most SWPBIS studies have been conducted in English-speaking countries and have been based primarily on adults' perceptions or reports (e.g., suspension rates, office discipline referrals). There is a dearth of research on the effectiveness of SWPBIS among adolescents in different cultural contexts. Moreover, little is known about its propensity to influence adolescents' perceptions of school climate dimensions. The present study examined the effects of SWPBIS on different dimensions of school climate as perceived by French adolescents enrolled in Grades 6–9. An experimental effectiveness study was conducted among 84 grades from 21 middle schools. Multilevel analyses were conducted on data from a sample of 6765 adolescents (Mage = 12.3 years, SD = 1.23; 51% girls) from 40 control and 44 intervention grades, controlling for grade-level school climate dimensions at baseline. The results suggest that SWPBIS had a positive effect on educational, safety, and teacher-student school climate dimensions. No effects were found on belonging, fairness, and between-students school climate dimensions. The findings suggest that SWPBIS had a positive effect on adolescents' perceptions of three school climate dimensions regardless of their initial perception levels. These results may provide future directions for school teams, researchers, and policymakers interested in ways to improve school climate.

Re-Examining the Reliability and Validity of the SWPBIS Tiered Fidelity Inventory

School-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) is widely implemented across the United States. Evidence suggests that SWPBIS, when implemented with fidelity, has a significant and positive impact on schools, including lower suspensions and higher reading and mathematics achievement. A critical component of this research is measuring fidelity of SWPBIS implementation in schools. In this study, we re-evaluated the reliability and validity of a widely used fidelity tool, the Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI), within a single-state sample. Using data from 693 schools in the U.S. state of California, we found a hierarchical factor structure based on subscales and tiers fit the data best when controlling for the multilevel nature of the data; however, there was no relation between the latent fidelity variables and changes in suspensions. Implications of these results are discussed, including different approaches to scoring and conceptualizing fidelity of implementation for SWPBIS, along with considerations for future research using the TFI.

Teachers’ Perspectives and Knowledge of Students With Complex Support Needs and Practices Associated With SWPBIS

In this study, we examined the extent to which educators believe students with complex support needs (CSN) participate in and benefit from practices associated with school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS). We conducted a survey of 622 teachers in the United States and analyzed responses according to the implementation or absence of SWPBIS at the respondent’s school. Our findings show (a) teachers working in SWPBIS schools have more knowledge of how to handle challenging behavior among students with CSN, (b) students with CSN who are taught in SWPBIS schools are more involved in SWPBIS-associated practices and the general education classroom, and (c) teachers believe students with CSN should be involved in SWPBIS-associated practices. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Implementation of Check-In/Check-Out to Improve Classroom Behavior of At-Risk Elementary School Students.

The multi-tiered school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports offers a comprehensive model for the prevention of behavioral and academic problems in schools. This study evaluated Check-in/Check-out (CICO), a Tier 2 intervention, with three elementary school students from a high-need population, whose problem behavior was hypothesized to be maintained by teacher attention. The study employed a concurrent multiple baseline design across participants, a single case experimental design to examine the effects of CICO on student academic engagement and problem behavior during instruction. Results indicated that implementation of CICO with fidelity by the CICO coordinator, classroom teachers, and parents lead to increased academic engagement and reduced problem behavior in all three students. Tau-U Effect sizes were medium to large for academic engagement and small to medium for problem behavior across students. Data on two students indicate that systematically fading the number of times teachers utilize the daily report card has the potential for promoting maintenance effects. For one student, fading of the coordinator was successful. Social validity assessment indicated high levels of satisfaction with the CICO intervention by the participating students, teachers, and one parent.

Classified Staff and the Implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports: A Case Study

Guided by normalization process theory, our qualitative case study explored classified staff members’ perceptions of their role in the implementation of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in schools within a large urban US school district. The authors’ analysis reveals that classified staff members’ gleaned knowledge of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) and their role in implementation haphazardly through the trickle-down of secondhand, informal information from certified staff (administrators and teachers). This practice limited staff members’ understanding of roles, tasks, and responsibilities in implementation (individual specification) and the shared understanding of PBIS (communal specification). To the extent that classified staff members were internalizing PBIS practices (e.g., positive reinforcement for meeting behavior expectations), informants described their use as commonsensical but not due to any formal training opportunities provided to them. District and school leaders triangulated this finding, describing classified staff members as integral to PBIS implementation but providing no explicit, purposeful, and consistent plans to include them. In terms of policy and practice implications, we recommend that schools and districts implementing PBIS or any other school- or district-wide initiative be inclusive and strategic, involving classified staff in their exploration of possible initiatives, decision-making, planning, training, and evaluation. Educational leaders who opt to exclude classified staff members formally in their districts and schools’ collective efforts to implement school-wide initiatives do not fully leverage valuable human resources.

Instructing the neoliberal student on the conduct of school: A case study of a schoolwide positive behavior system in kindergarten

Schoolwide positive behavior interventions and supports continue to be employed in elementary school settings that children attend across the globe. Such neoliberal systems of conduct teach children how to portray themselves as students so that they are ready to succeed in school and the larger society. For the most part, these systems are framed as successful behavior interventions. As a result, how such programs impact school personnel and students’ own conceptions of what it means to be a student is rarely troubled. Thus, through examining a case study of schoolwide positive behavior interventions and supports in a kindergarten classroom in the United States, we investigated this issue. Specifically, we employed Foucault’s conceptions of neoliberalism and biopolitics to examine how a sample of school personnel and kindergarteners made sense of their schoolwide positive behavior system. Doing so provided us with the opportunity to rethink and challenge these neoliberal systems of control.

보편적 행동지원 실행충실도 평가도구 고찰

The purpose of this study is to review the fidelity measures in school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports; SWPBIS) with an emphasis on their instrumental characteristics and contents. A total of eight instruments, both domestically and internationally developed, were chosen and reviewed in terms of the purpose, the methods of assessment, the criterion scores on adequacy, the composition, and the accessibility. Also, through the in-depth investigation of the item contents (from 258 items), core and sub-elements were identified, and all relevant items within a specific core element were reviewed according to three dimensions including exposure of the intervention, quality of the intervention providers, and responsiveness of the intervention recipients. As a result, the fidelity measures in the universal behavioral supports are used in a school or research and provide multiple functions (e.g. school teams’ use for the regular implementation monitoring, survey of school faculty and staff’s perception) with varied assessment methods. To enhance the user’s understanding, most measures serve different types of information (e.g., measurement, scoring, utilization methods) and materials (e.g., data collection form, action plan form) in addition to the rating scales and are open to the public at no cost through relevant websites or research publications. Also, the review of the item contents found 10 core elements(e.g., defining and teaching the expected behaviors) and 60 sub-elements (e.g., defining the expectations and rules in a clear and positive manner), and those elements were measured evenly in all three dimensions. In the end, the study provided several implications regarding the further development and utilization of fidelity measures in universal behavioral supports.

Classroom Management Systems to Address Student Disruptive Behavior

Classroom management systems (CMS) are class-wide strategies that teachers use to keep students on task, attentive, and academically engaged. This review provides teachers an overview of eight effective and socially valid CMSs that are aligned with school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS). The goal is to provide teachers with a guide whereby they can easily implement any of these CMSs in their classrooms. Figures are provided to describe the training procedures, implementation steps, materials needed, data collection, progress monitoring, treatment integrity, variations to the original procedures, and existing supportive research.

Teacher Perceptions of Implementation Climate Related to Feasibility of Implementing Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports and Interventions

For Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) to be effective, educators must use the practices as intended. Whether a teacher uses a practice as intended can depend, in part, on how feasible the practice is perceived to be. Identifying malleable factors associated with teachers’ perceptions of SWPBIS feasibility can help schools identify targeted supports to improve feasibility. Implementation climate, or the shared perception among implementers that their school supports implementation efforts, is known to promote high quality implementation. However, little is known about how individuals’ perceptions of their school’s implementation climate may influence their perceptions of feasibility. The lack of empirical evidence points to a need to explore whether educators’ shared and individual perceptions of implementation climate influence feasibility of implementing SWPBIS. Therefore, this study examines the link between teachers’ individual and shared perceptions of implementation climate related to the feasibility of implementing SWPBIS in a sample of 348 K-5 general education teachers across 39 elementary schools in the pacific northwestern United States. Results indicate that teachers who experience their schools’ implementation climate as positive are more likely to report SWPBIS as feasible, controlling for teachers’ shared perceptions of implementation climate. Implications for schools aiming to improve their implementation of SWPBIS, including the development of individualized implementation supports (e.g., tailoring implementation strategies to support each and every teacher), are discussed.

Cultural Fit and the Effects of School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports in High-Need Schools: A Quasi-Experimental Study

School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports is a framework that aims to improve school culture and climate, students’ behavior and attendance. As the program is largely spreading, comparative studies showing its efficacy on students’ outside the United States are needed. In addition, there is a need for studies examining SWPBIS effects on school climate from all the stakeholders’ point of view, especially students and parents. Moreover, few researches used comprehensive questionnaires including the three main components of school climate: engagement, safety and environment. The purpose of this study is twofold: investigate the SWPBIS implementation feasibility in a French speaking European country and measure implementation effects on school climate and absenteeism. Using a quasi-experimental design, the current study investigates the impact of SWPBIS implementation in elementary and secondary high-need schools (n intervention schools = 4, n control schools = 5). Findings show positive effects for all stakeholders on different components of school climate. Effects on absenteeism are mixed. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Cultural Fit and the Effects of School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports in High-Need Schools: A Quasi-Experimental Study

School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports is a framework that aims to improve school culture and climate, students’ behavior and attendance. As the program is largely spreading, comparative studies showing its efficacy on students’ outside the United States are needed. In addition, there is a need for studies examining SWPBIS effects on school climate from all the stakeholders’ point of view, especially students and parents. Moreover, few researches used comprehensive questionnaires including the three main components of school climate: engagement, safety and environment. The purpose of this study is twofold: investigate the SWPBIS implementation feasibility in a French speaking European country and measure implementation effects on school climate and absenteeism. Using a quasi-experimental design, the current study investigates the impact of SWPBIS implementation in elementary and secondary high-need schools (n intervention schools = 4, n control schools = 5). Findings show positive effects for all stakeholders on different components of school climate. Effects on absenteeism are mixed. Implications and limitations are discussed.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SCHOOL-WIDE POSITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORTS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD SETTINGS: A MIXED MODEL RESEARCH

It is important to support children’s appropriate behaviors and social skills to extinguish problem behaviors at an early stage as much as possible. Therefore, researchers are in search of effective evidence-based interventions to deal with the problem behaviors of young children. The “Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Approach” seems to be the most widespread approach since the 2000s. PBIS aims to increase the quality of life of the child by making positive changes in the environment of the child. The study explores the effectiveness of the School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Turkish education model (SWPIBS-TR) on problem behaviors and social skills within the early childhood settings. The intervention was carried out in four main stages and 14 steps. The study was conducted with the school managers, teachers, school staff, primary caregivers, and all children with and without disabilities in a preschool/kindergarten in Turkey. The research is mixed-method research and the "parallel convergent research" model has been adopted. The findings indicated significant decreases in the problem behaviors of children and increases in the social skills level. So, researchers, policymakers, and teachers should put the SWPBIS-TR approaches in their curriculum in Turkey.

Study protocol for a cluster-randomized trial of a bundle of implementation support strategies to improve the fidelity of implementation of schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in rural schools

BackgroundImproving the implementation of evidence-based interventions is important for population-level impacts. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is effective for improving school climate and students’ behavioral outcomes, but rural schools often lag behind urban and suburban schools in implementing such initiatives. Methods/DesignThis paper describes a Type 3 hybrid implementation-effectiveness trial of Rural School Support Strategies (RS3), a bundle of implementation support strategies selected to improve implementation outcomes in rural schools. In this two-arm parallel group trial, 40 rural public schools are randomized to receive: 1) a series of trainings about PBIS; or 2) an enhanced condition with training plus RS3. The trial was planned for two years, but due to the pandemic has been extended another year. RS3 draws from the Interactive Systems Framework, with a university-based team (support system) that works with a team at each school (school-based delivery system), increasing engagement through strategies such as: providing technical assistance, facilitating school team functioning, and educating implementers. The primary organizational-level outcome is fidelity of implementation, with additional implementation outcomes of feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness, and cost. Staff-level outcomes include perceived climate and self-reported adoption of PBIS core components. Student-level outcomes include disciplinary referrals, academic achievement, and perceived climate. Mediators being evaluated include organizational readiness, school team functioning, and psychological safety. DiscussionThe study tests implementation strategies, with strengths including a theory-based design, mixed methods data collection, and consideration of mediational mechanisms. Results will yield knowledge about how to improve implementation of universal prevention initiatives in rural schools.