Developing a Research Manuscript for Publication -School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS) 

Developing a Research Manuscript for Publication -School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS) 

School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS) is a research-based model that was developed for the academic, behavioral, and environmental enhancement of schools. Initially introduced in the 1990s, SW-PBIS has become standard practice in many schools across the United States today to address discipline issues in class and as a disciplinary mode at school. However, in this research, it would be of great significance to establish if SW-PBIS has any positive impacts on economically disadvantaged schools and if there are any consequences that come with the implementation of SW-PBIS. SW-PBIS intervention is even more essential because low SES students are likely to experience home and community factors that interfere with their learning as well as social and emotional development. This literature review focuses on the purpose of identifying and discussing the current literature regarding the effectiveness of implementing SW-PBIS in schools that have children from economically deprived backgrounds, focusing on students’ behavior, attitudes within the school, and academic achievements.

Literature Review

Research Problem

Despite the extensive documentation in the existing literature on the overall advantages of School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SW–PBIS) in K- 12 school settings, research is still lacking in systematically studying its effects on economically disadvantaged schools. Low SES students and their families experience adversity, which, when experienced at a young age, negatively affects their learning and psycho-social development (Griffiths et al., 2019). Efficient implementation of SW-PBIS in such schools is essential, although there is a lack of research in this sphere.

Prior research has investigated generic outcomes of SW-PBIS implementation while not effectively considering context-unique features and students in impoverished areas. Also, most of the work done in this field has employed data collected through self-reports from school personnel, which makes the results questionable in terms of validity and applicability (Griffiths et al., 2019). Additionally, there is a clear and pressing need for more methodologically rigorous, multifaceted studies of SW-PBIS implementation and effects in schools serving primarily students from low SES backgrounds.

Additionally, the available literature has not addressed how the infusion of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) in the SW-PBIS framework might have improved its performance in high-poverty school contexts (Bailey & Weiner, 2022). Since children from economically disadvantaged families have more social and emotional learning needs, this multifaceted approach may positively affect students’ behavior, classroom climate, and achievement.

To fill these gaps in the literature, this proposed review will systematically review research studies on the impact of implementing SW-PBIS in economically disadvantaged schools and the factors that make for effective implementation and positive student outcomes. The results will be critical in informing the continued advancement and improvement of empirically supported practices applicable to the identified high-needs school contexts.

Theoretical Framework

As a theoretical framework, this study adopts the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) paradigm. In their work published in 2022, Goodman-Scott et al. opine that PBIS is an evidence-based practice that seeks to enhance student learning and behavior. Essential components of this framework encompass data-based decision-making whereby certain information is utilized in the decision-making process or choice of behavioral support methods or the implementation and evaluation of such techniques. It also includes the successful implementation of a continuum of support that can be done through different facets, among them being Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3. It also uses research-based practices like instructional and behavioral linkages that have been suggested to produce positive outcomes in research that has been done and submitted.

In this literature review, both the SW-PBIS framework and the theory of social-emotional learning will be used. SEL is a Developmental knowledge-based strategy that aims to guarantee that students possess the relevant skills and other attributes that are required in school and other aspects of life (Oberle et al., 2020). SEL can be divided into emotional and social skills that involve perceiving personal and others’ emotions and potential consequences that those emotions may bring. This also includes self-organization, which refers to the capacity of an individual to time, control, and sequence activities in a certain environment.

Additionally, other parts of the SEL theory include Interpersonal competency, which refers to the capacity to comprehend people and how to relate to them. Interpersonal relations are described as the particular characteristics of social interactions that facilitate and maintain interaction with other people (Oberle et al., 2020). The last of them is proper decision-making, which means a proper decision on one’s behavior and actions when interacting with other people with reference to accepted ethical norms, safety precautions, and norms of a society.

This literature review will discuss the integration of the existing SW-PBIS framework with these four core SEL principles to improve student learning and behavior, as well as the cognitive and emotional competencies required for academic achievement and overall well-being. The specific emphasis is on the Whole Person Framework. These syntheses of the theoretical framework will inform the literature review for the use, evaluation, and adaptation of EBPs for economically disadvantaged learners.

Review of Literature

There are few types of research centered on the use and application and use of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) programs utilized by alternative schools. The article by Griffiths et al. (2019) is, therefore, a good example of where the school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program (SW-PBIS) was used in an alternative school in California. The presented research intends to implement SW-PBIS for students in alternative schools and assess the changes in discipline. The research by Griffiths et al. (2019) was in the area of training, resources, implementation, and data gathering phases. The results presented here show no change in the number of incidents from the baseline level; nevertheless, there was an overall improvement in on-task behavior and a decline in defiance-related behavior.

In the present research study, crucial information regarding the effective measurement and assessment of SW-PBIS in the context of the analyzed alternative schools is provided. The study, therefore, allows the examination of the process of adaptation and the outcomes of that process in greater detail (Griffiths et al., 2019). The most significant threat of the research is that it is based on one case, and, therefore, its conclusion may not apply to other schools. Hence, the quality of the research could be enhanced if subsequent studies incorporate larger samples and undertake replicative research in one form or another across different schools of this nature rather than a single school.

In the education sector, this research is significant since it can assist in revealing how effective SW-PBIS could be if implemented in the context of an alternative school. The research evidence shows that adopting SW-PBIS is the correct model to support students attending alternative schools because of the high number of Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions (Griffiths et al., 2019). This means that where there is positive behavioral support and intervention SW-PBIS toward the environment of alternative schooling, better disciplinary practices could be achieved. In this way, discipline can be enhanced to a big extent.

This literature review mainly explores the effects of the SW-PBIS program in underfunded schools. Eiraldi et al. (2019) offered a pilot study of SW-PBIS, a school-wide positive behavior intervention and support as a part of mental health help in underfunded urban schools. The present study was conducted in two K-8 urban schools to assess the implementation of the treatments and the outcomes of Tier 1 and Tier 2. Some of the block 2 therapies at this level were and consisted of manual group cognitive behavior therapy (GCBT) used for treating externalizing anxiety, behaviors, and depression. The data recommended that Tier 1 therapies decreased office discipline referrals, and GCBT student participants rated the severity of mental health diagnoses decreased.

In the study conducted by Eiraldi et al. (2019), the focus is on implementing the SW-PBIS curriculum and mental health services in underfunded urban schools. Through using the Tier 2 therapies via manualized GCBT protocols, it is clear that SW-PBIS has integrated mental health services. Therefore, according to the results of the study, it was found that those students who attended GCBT had a significantly lesser level of diagnostic severity of mental health illnesses than those students who did not attend (Eiraldi et al., 2019). Undeniably, there is little or no help from external sources to support the implementation of the interventions by the school personnel, which is worrying in terms of the sustainability of the program and application of the program in other similar or related institutions that do not have the necessary resources.

The primary emphasis of the study is therefore placed on integrating mental health services in the SW-PBIS framework to meet all the needs of the children. According to the results obtained, it can be stated that Tier 1 therapies can be useful to office disciplinary referrals, and GCBT as a Tier 2 intervention can help to lower the severity of the mental health diagnosis (Eiraldi et al., 2019). These results indicate that there is a possibility of improving the behavior and mental health of children in urban school settings when PBIS interventions are combined with mental health support for children. This paper is helpful for administrators in making correct decisions and creating intervention strategies in schools located in low-income urban areas to make children better and perform well academically.

Therefore, prior to examining the outcomes of the SW-PBIS interventions, one must assess the effects of the preceding intervention and support measures. The research study by Sugai and Horner, published in 2020, analyses the history of PBIS implementation over the last few years. The authors outline the basic features of PBIS as a multi-tiered strategy as well as the method and results of PBIS in more than 26000 schools. Moreover, they display national result statistics on PBIS implementation and discuss potential future strategies, finalizing that momentum and scale are essential.

While highlighting the basic and elemental features of PBIS and its tiers, Sugai and Horner (2020) paint the correct picture of what constitutes factors that support PBIS’s success. Thus, the fact that many schools provide portions of the implementation process and results is justified, enhancing the reliability and exhaustiveness of the articles. The aggregate result statistics collected at the national level of the PBIS deployment provide a point of reference as to what extent this strategy could prove to be useful. Future research should aim to quantify these broader outcomes at a national scale to better understand the utility and far-reaching benefits of PBIS deployment. Additionally, research may be needed to identify sustainable funding models that would enable more widespread adoption of PBIS programs across school districts.

In a general sense, this research work by Sugai and Horner (2020) is important in education because it captures the picture of the possibilities and implications of PBSI. At last, after 25 years of building history and presenting the national result data, there is stiffness in claiming ‘PBIS works for students.’ While envisioning the future prospects of PBIS, it is important to address the questions of sustainability and scalability (Sugai & Horner, 2020). Since this paper familiarizes the current and potential participants in PBIS projects, including teachers, administrators, and policymakers, with the sections, the findings, and the difficulties surrounding PBIS implementation or expansion in various educational settings, this paper shall be useful to students, teachers, administrators and other policymakers who are already implementing or planning to implement PBIS.

In more recent research, the focus has been accorded to the specification of the extent of implementation of the PBIS programs and the relationship to the delivery of the core components of the programs with the change in the behavior of students (Scherer & Ingle, 2020). Another research study has also indicated that schools implementing PBIS with high-fidelity records reduce office disciplinary referral rates, registering lower suspension and expulsion rates and higher performance and attendance records (Scherer & Ingle, 2020). Furthermore, a number of authors have pointed to the fact that the culture and context of the school districts play an important role in regard to PBIS (Gagnon et al., 2020). The PBIS framework can be implemented in school culture in these districts in ways that enhance the relevance of the program for culturally diverse students. For example, incorporating the cultural values, beliefs, and practices of the student population can help make the PBIS program more meaningful and effective.

Additionally, there is an acknowledgment of family as well as community in the proper execution of PBIS (Gagnon et al., 2020). If the families and members of the community support implementation and sustain the PBIS process through communication, participation, and problem-solving decision-making, then the process will be more likely to be sustained and bring positive impacts on the society of the school. Based on the aforementioned considerations of the implementation aspects, the fidelity, cultural adaptation, and community involvement of PBIS in a specific school district, the current study aims to expand the knowledge on the multi-determinants of the effectiveness of PBIS.

Implications of the Research

Implications for School Districts

In light of this research, it could be said that the findings of the study are fairly conclusive in establishing implementation fidelity as influential on the PBIS outcomes. This is why school districts require investing a large portion of resources into augmenting the quality of training, technical support, and monitoring to ensure that all the indicated PBIS components are put into practice with a high level of fidelity in all the schools and classes. Consequently, provided the district follows PBIS to the letter, it is guaranteed that the expected behavioral, academic, and socioemotional outcomes for learners will only be attained. The research also highlights the restraint of district leaders who fail to have proper blueprints that outline the extent of PBIS implementation and schedules, set objectives, particularly professional development to help the staff improve their mastery of PBIS, as well as measures put in place for monitoring and evaluation.

Nonetheless, the current study demonstrated the necessity for school districts to apply the PBIS framework thoughtfully and carefully in light of the student body’s cultural background and community experiences. This can be achieved by integrating the cultural beliefs of the society and the working culture of the society in the program. If the above idea of a cultural relevance approach is considered, the districts can enhance the relevance of PBIS to particular students, especially those hailing from culturally diverse backgrounds. This may involve consultation of parents, members of the community, and other stakeholders on how a locally sensitive PBIS model could be developed.

Implications for Policymakers

The findings of the research could be highly useful for the policymakers to make decisions on the allocation of public and financial resources that would facilitate successful PBIS plan implementation in schools that have faced challenges of resources and low funding in the underfunded schools that are situated in under-resourced neighborhoods with limited access to quality and equally funded education programs. Therefore, when such policymakers stress the importance of implementation and where it is occurring, the relevance of culture, and the engagement of the community, they can ensure the availability and adequate finance and other support for the training and professional development for the delivery of various services required for meeting needs of each school district. These outcomes can be received with reference to the students and their results, the reduction of disciplinary discrepancies, and the strengthening of the school-community bonds.

In addition, the authors of the research note the importance of policymakers to enhance their focus on equitable school-wide implementation of PBIS. This involves establishing relatively impartial and nonhegemonic practices, which can involve eradicating harsh disciplinary processes that affect some learners while excluding others. This study, therefore, helps policymakers formulate non-discriminatory policies, which need culturally appropriate adjustments and genuine involvement of various segments of organizations and communities to ensure equitable provisions for the effective implementation of PBIS programs. When equity is placed as a priority, it allows the policymakers to reverse PBIS into a system that is only good for students with the need for it without prejudice to some of the learners.

Implications for Future Research

Future longitudinal studies will make it possible to find out the efficacy and sustainability of the PBIS in the long run. Thus, researchers may get additional information on factors associated with PBIS program effectiveness, looking at implementation fidelity, students’ achievement, and community-based assessments conducted several years after intervention initiation. Future studies can take implementation concerns beyond the static and positive outcome concerns beyond the fleeting and show changes in the nature of school-community relations. These future studies can provide insights beyond just the immediate, positive outcomes by examining how the PBIS model impacts the nature of school-community relations over time. This could contribute to refining the PBIS framework, informing best practices for ongoing implementation, and guiding resource distribution decisions made by school districts.

In addition, it would be useful to expand this research to include comparison studies between a school or district representing a particular level of PBIS implementation, cultural awareness, and community engagement and another school or district with different levels of these variables. It is possible to conduct a comparative analysis in the study of PBIS in order to find out the factors that have a great influence on the value of the result of the PBIS. Therefore, the nature of the contextual influences on PBIS needs to be determined. Explaining the features and process of individual school populations facilitates the enrichment of the evidence base when discussing the patterns of implementing and improving the PBIS.

Further, there could be studies that look at other aspects of students besides the cognitive to ascertain other impacts made on students and their communities by the program, such as the social and emotional development of learners, their psychological well-being, and the school climate. Taking this more holistic perspective would be beneficial in discerning other possible positive effects of PBIS beyond just improvements in academics and decreased rates of misbehavior. To this end, understanding the areas of the student development model presumed to be impacted by the program and the belongingness and school support perceived by the school community as a result of PBIS shall assist in the understanding of the multiple effects of PBIS as an established evidence-based practice, and therefore the appeal for more support to enhance on the program.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the studies that were conducted in regard to the approach and effectiveness of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program have implications for the various stakeholders. For the districts and practitioners, the findings challenge the overall organization, cultural transplantation, and participation as the aspects that determine the effectiveness of the result. From this study, policymakers can be informed on how and where to provide resources to support fair provisions of PBIS in hard-to-reach communities. They should also strive to put into place policies that address equity issues and ensure that PBIS is not prejudiced against any color. Last, the research ought to evaluate PBIS for stability in its implementation and fiscal impacts in the coming years. The comparative investigations can identify and explain the factors defining successful programs and conditions in which they can operate. Nevertheless, other aspects should be examined in greater detail in order to have more comprehensive insight into the effectiveness of PBIS, such as social-emotional learning and school climate.

References

Bailey, J., & Weiner, R. (2022). Interpreting social-emotional learning: How school leaders make sense of SEL skills for themselves and others. School Leadership Review, 16(2), 4.

Eiraldi, R., McCurdy, B., Schwartz, B., Wolk, C. B., Abraham, M., Jawad, A. F., & Mautone, J. A. (2019). Pilot study for the fidelity, acceptability, and effectiveness of a PBIS program plus mental health supports in under‐resourced urban schools. Psychology in the Schools, 56(8), 1230-1245. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22272

Gagnon, J. C., Barber, B. R., & Soyturk, I. (2020). Policies and practices supporting positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) implementation in high-poverty Florida middle schools. Exceptionality, 28(3), 176-194.

Goodman-Scott, E., McMahon, G., Kalkbrenner, M. T., Smith-Durkin, S., Patel, S., Czack, A., & Weeks, N. (2022). An ex post facto study examining the implementation of positive behavioral interventions and supports across the school and community variables from an inclusive innovation perspective. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 24(4), 255-265. https://doi.org/10.1177/10983007211013784

Griffiths, A. J., Diamond, E. L., Alsip, J., Furlong, M., Morrison, G., & Do, B. (2019). School‐wide implementation of positive behavioral interventions and supports in an alternative school setting: A case study. Journal of Community Psychology, 47(6), 1493-1513. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22203

Oberle, E., Domitrovich, C. E., Meyers, D. C., & Weissberg, R. P. (2020). Establishing systemic social and emotional learning approaches in schools: A framework for schoolwide implementation. In Social and Emotional Learning (pp. 6-26). Routledge.

Scherer, C. A., & Ingle, W. K. (2020). PBIS implementation fidelity and student outcomes in an urban school district. Voices of Reform, 3(2), 97-117.

Sugai, G., & Horner, R. H. (2020). Sustaining and scaling positive behavioral interventions and supports: Implementation drivers, outcomes, and considerations. Exceptional Children, 86(2), 120-136. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402919855331

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Using the research topic of personal interest that you identified in Discussion: Research Topic, develop a complete manuscript for possible submission for publication to the professional journal you selected in the Publication Manuscript: Journal Selection Assignment.

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Your manuscript should follow a literature review or position paper-type approach, demonstrating depth and breadth of topic knowledge and highlighting what is known and not known on the topic. Your writing should be grounded in the research literature with relevant citations. Also, address potential applications of what you have learned to the field (which could include suggestions for future research).

Your manuscript should be a minimum of 2,500 words (not including the title and references pages). You may use your previous work in this course as a foundation for your professional publication manuscript, but this paper should be sufficiently original and reworded so as to avoid self-plagiarism.

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