Date of Award

8-2018

Document Type

Action Research Project

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Education

Department

Education

First Advisor

Jane A. Carroll

Department/School

Education

Abstract

Effective teaching encompasses more than instructional strategies, content knowledge, and assessing; effective teachers must be able to manage their classroom and build relationships with the students they work with in order to foster student growth. This study examined what effect Responsive Classroom and Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) strategies had on reducing negative student behaviors and improving student attitudes towards school. Over a seven-week period Responsive Classroom and PBIS strategies were utilized as the primary classroom management strategies in a suburban first-grade classroom in Minnesota. Student attitudes towards school were surveyed at the beginning and end of the study in addition to daily data collection on Take-A-Breaks (Responsive Classroom), student support center referrals, and a teacher reflection completed every other day. The data showed a correlation between the implemented strategies and improved attitudes towards school as assessed by the student survey. Over the course of the study, the number of breaks taken each day decreased overall as did the number of students that took breaks in a day. The positive results from the study indicate the effectiveness of the strategies used and encourage future use of both programs. Peer to peer relationships was the primary area that did not experience growth or positive results during the programs, so future research or implementation of other programs should be done in order to fill that gap.

Included in

Education Commons

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