Graduation Year

2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.S.

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

Degree Granting Department

Child and Family Studies

Major Professor

Kwang-Sun Cho Blair, Ph. D., BCBA-D

Committee Member

Donald Kincaid, Ed. D., BCBA-D

Committee Member

Mario Hernandez, Ph. D

Keywords

teacher training, disparity, classwide intervention, positive behavior support

Abstract

Disparities in academic and social outcomes for ethnically diverse students in educational settings has been identified in the literature as the achievement gap. This study examined the impact of teacher training interventions on establishing equity in teacher implementation of a common positive behavior classroom support strategy, behavior-specific praise in four elementary classrooms. Teacher self-monitoring and written performance feedback were used to facilitate teachers to improve classroom practices by establishing proportionate praise and discipline practices across racially diverse students. A multiple-baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the impact of self-monitoring and written performance feedback with and without equity-focused procedures on teacher delivery of behavior-specific praise and reprimands and their perception of student classroom behavior. Results indicated that the typical self-monitoring and written performance feedback were effective in increasing the participating teachers’ overall rates of delivering behavior-specific praise and reducing reprimands; however, substantial disparities in praise delivery were observed between demographic groups across all four teachers. Additional feedback regarding equity was necessary for reducing disparities in teacher behavior between demographic groups. The results also indicated that teacher perception of student classroom behavior improved, demonstrating decreased levels of disruptive student behavior and increased levels of respect and student engagement across all participants

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