A survey of school psychologists' preparation, participation, and perceptions related to positive behavior interventions and supports

Abstract

Positive behavior interventions and supports are increasingly utilized in school systems throughout the nation, particularly the school-wide multi-tiered support framework. Given such trends, and the basis of these practices in psychological principles and research, it is important to identify how school psychologists are trained to contribute to such efforts, their involvement in intervention activities, and their perceptions of this approach. We surveyed a national sample of 557 school psychologists regarding their training, involvement, and perceptions of positive behavior supports. The results indicate that although most respondents had a variety of training experiences in multiple behavior-related areas, one quarter did not report receiving any training related to school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS). Although 35% of school psychologists reported employment in schools implementing SWPBIS, these schools varied in the SWPBIS elements in place. Implications for school psychology training and practice are addressed. C 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Reducing problem behavior is a key concern for educators across grade levels and settings, with "lack of discipline" consistently identified by professionals and the general public as a considerable school problem (Algozzine & Algozzine, 2010). Although the academic progress of students remains the primary objective of educators, teaching and learning can be hindered substantially by problem behavior, as, for instance, management of inappropriate student behavior has been found to consume as much as 80% of instructional time (Scott, 2001). Unfortunately, traditional methods of school discipline are primarily reactive and punitive, and are regarded ineffective in reducing undesirable student behaviors in schools (Skiba, 2002;Skiba & Peterson, 2000). Researchers suggest that many student behavior problems are the result of unclear expectations, lack of routine, and poor environmental arrangements that can be ameliorated through the application of school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS), a preventative, multi-tiered systemic framework for behavior support and school discipline (Scott, 2001) that incorporates behavioral principals and practices shown to improve behavior. It is now considered best practice for school discipline (Algozzine & Algozzine, 2010) and implemented in more than 9,000 school systems nationwide (Horner, 2009). Because SWPBIS provides a general framework for behavioral intervention, implementation varies across sites, with certain defining core features, as will be discussed below.The focus of this article is on understanding school psychologists' preparation for and involvement in positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS), with an emphasis on SWPBIS. First, we review the SWPBIS framework, with an emphasis on the psychological foundations and basic elements for supporting students' behavioral and academic competence. Next, we discuss the processes and roles within the framework, particularl...

Trends and practices in functional behavior assessments completed by school psychologists

“…However, the multitude of assessment methods available within FBA and the lack of consistent, standard recommendations for the specific tools that should be used for FBA make the relevance of these recommendations difficult to contextualize; are people using instruments with evidence to support them, or using standardized instruments at all? This absence of information may be particularly salient for school psychologists, who are trained in and regularly conduct FBA (M. F. Lewis, Truscott, & Volker, ; Sullivan, Long, & Kucera, ) but for whom the literature provides minimal information regarding the actual practices utilized when engaging in the FBA process.…”

“…Extant research has evaluated the FBA‐related attitudes and behaviors of special education service providers (Couvillon, Bullock, & Gable, ), residential‐ and community‐agency‐based practitioners (Desrochers, Hile, & Williams‐Moseley, ; Roscoe, Phillips, Kelley, Farber, & Dube, ), those involved in behavioral programming for children with developmental disabilities (Ellingson, Miltenberger, & Long, ), behavior specialists (Oliver et al, ), and researchers and trainers (Scott, Meers, & Nelson, ). Information specific to school psychologists generally has been collected within the context of larger surveys, such as those relating to School‐Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS; Sullivan et al, ) and general practices among school psychologists (M. F. Lewis et al, ).…”

“…Finally, Sullivan et al () surveyed school psychologists with NASP memberships on their experiences with positive behavior interventions and supports. At least half of respondents had graduate coursework, supervised fieldwork, and/or had attended workshops or conferences on FBA.…”

“…School psychologists in rural schools were more likely to receive supervised experience related to FBA than those in urban schools, and school psychologists with nondoctoral degrees were more likely to have received in‐service training and supervised experience in FBA. Almost all (82%) of the respondents reported that their site used FBA (Sullivan et al, ).…”

“…School psychologists receive training in FBA (Sullivan et al, ), and conduct a nontrivial number of FBAs each year, which varies widely from professional to professional (M. F. Lewis et al, ). Although the literature contains recommendations on how and with what specific tools to conduct FBAs (e.g., Gable et al, ), methods for improving the rigor of ABC data collection (Mayer & DiGennaro Reed, ), and evidence toward the validity and reliability of data derived from specific instruments (e.g., McIntosh et al, ), no study to date has examined the specific FBA methods of any profession (e.g., specific ABC data collection tool utilized) or details of FBA completion patterns among school psychologists.…”