School Leaders' Perceptions of Students' Antisocial Behaviors PDF
Preview School Leaders' Perceptions of Students' Antisocial Behaviors
Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2015 School Leaders' Perceptions of Students' Antisocial Behaviors Faye Britt Walden University Follow this and additional works at:https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of theEducational Administration and Supervision Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please [email protected]. Walden University COLLEGE OF EDUCATION This is to certify that the doctoral study by Faye Britt has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Joe Ann Hinrichs, Committee Chairperson, Education Faculty Dr. Kathryn Swetnam, Committee Member, Education Faculty Dr. Tom Cavanagh, University Reviewer, Education Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2015 Abstract School Leaders’ Perceptions of Students’ Antisocial Behaviors by Faye Britt MA, City University of Seattle, 2004 BS, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK, 1997 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University February 2015 Abstract There was a problem regarding students’ antisocial behavior in a small rural school district in Washington State. Public data within the district indicated increasing incidents of students’ antisocial behaviors. However, perceptions of school leaders regarding this problem were not known. As a result, there was a need to gain an understanding about school leaders’ perceptions of students’ antisocial behaviors in order to suggest potential solutions to reduce students’ antisocial behaviors, as these perceptions are closely associated with their intent to address the problem. Bandura’s theory of self-regulation provided the conceptual framework for collecting and analyzing data. Using an instrumental case study, the research questions explored school leaders’ experiences in working with students who failed to manage their behavior and who exhibited antisocial behavior. Semi structured interviews were conducted with 13 school leaders in the district, and an iterative, inductive process of data collection, open coding, and thematic analysis was used. The themes that emerged from analysis of the data indicated a gap in the school leaders’ practice regarding participation in ongoing, job-embedded professional development and an absence of a systematic school-wide positive behavior support approach to prevention and intervention. The findings indicated the need for professional development training to address these issues related to school leaders’ practice. The suggested training could create positive social change by reducing students’ antisocial behaviors, thus leading to an improvement in academic achievement. The recommended job-embedded professional development training resulting from exploring school leaders’ perceptions can increase the capacity of the school leaders to manage students’ antisocial behaviors. School Leaders’ Perceptions of Students’ Antisocial Behaviors by Faye Britt MA, City University of Seattle, 2004 BS, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK, 1997 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University February 2015 Dedication This project study is primarily dedicated to my exceptionally supportive husband Mike, who never complained about me staying home instead of going out, but who understood that if I didn’t run, I would go entirely crazy, and who took care of keeping our house and kept our kitchen clean for the last 2 years. Achieving this goal, to finally finish my education would not have been possible without you. Thank you for always being there, for encouraging me to finish the process, and for making me laugh when I needed it most. To my mum, who never let me believe going to college in the first place was anything but an option; thank you for instilling in me a love for education and a passion for learning. I will always appreciate the sacrifices you made so that I could become a teacher. To Ned for always being there when I needed him the most. And finally, to my colleagues; this project would never have come to fruition without your support. Thank you all for believing in me. Acknowledgments The journey to completion of this doctoral project study would not have been possible without the unrelenting support and encouragement from my chair, Dr. Joe Ann Hinrichs. I cannot thank Dr. Hinrichs enough for providing constant support and suggestions for improving my work, and especially for being so available and responsive to my requests, questions, and needs. I would also like to thank Dr. Kathryn Swetnam, my second committee member, for providing the expertise and critical observations to strengthen the quality of this project. Both Dr. Hinrichs and Dr. Swetnam never let me give up and provided the motivation to finish this project. Finally, I owe sincere thanks to Dr. Tom Cavanagh, who not only provided guidance as my University Research Reviewer, but also spear-headed the Fast Track to Graduation Pilot Program; the opportunity to participate in this pilot study made my goal of completing the project study in under two semesters possible. Finally, I would like to sincerely acknowledge and express my appreciation to the individuals in my school district who so willingly participated in this project, supported me to finish the process, and shared their expertise and allowed me to learn so much. I could not work with a group of people more committed to improving student achievement, both academically and social-emotionally. Table of Contents List of Tables .......................................................................................................................v List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi Section 1: The Problem ........................................................................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Definition of the Problem ..............................................................................................1 Rationale ........................................................................................................................7 Evidence of the Problem at the Local Level ........................................................... 7 Evidence of the Problem from the Professional Literature ..................................... 8 Definitions......................................................................................................................9 Significance ..................................................................................................................11 Guiding/Research Question .........................................................................................16 Review of the Literature ..............................................................................................17 Self-Regulation Theory ......................................................................................... 17 Moral Motivation .................................................................................................. 20 Antisocial Behavior .............................................................................................. 20 School Exclusion and Zero Tolerance .................................................................. 30 Interventions for Antisocial Behavior ................................................................... 38 Implications ..................................................................................................................49 Summary ......................................................................................................................53 Section 2: The Methodology ..............................................................................................56 Introduction ..................................................................................................................56 Research Design and Approach ...................................................................................57 i Participants ............................................................................................................ 59 Data Collection ............................................................................................................66 Research Log and Reflective Journal ................................................................... 67 Role of the Researcher .......................................................................................... 67 Data Analysis ...............................................................................................................69 Research Accuracy and Credibility ...................................................................... 71 Discrepant Cases ................................................................................................... 72 Timeline ................................................................................................................ 73 Assumptions, Limitations, Scope, and Delimitations ..................................................73 Assumptions .......................................................................................................... 73 Limitations ............................................................................................................ 73 Scope… ................................................................................................................. 74 Delimitations ......................................................................................................... 74 Data Analysis Results ..................................................................................................75 Findings .......................................................................................................................75 Research Question 1 ............................................................................................. 75 Research Question 2 ............................................................................................. 96 Research Question 3 ........................................................................................... 112 Conclusion .................................................................................................................122 Section 3: The Project ......................................................................................................124 Introduction ................................................................................................................124 Description and Goals ................................................................................................124 Rationale ....................................................................................................................126 ii Review of the Literature ............................................................................................131 Professional Development .................................................................................. 132 Social and Emotional Learning ........................................................................... 138 Systemic Behavior Intervention .......................................................................... 149 Policy Recommendations .................................................................................... 156 Summary of the Review of Literature ................................................................ 156 Implementation ..........................................................................................................158 Potential Resources and Existing Supports ......................................................... 159 Potential Barriers ................................................................................................ 163 Proposal for Implementation and Timetable ....................................................... 167 Roles and Responsibilities of Student and Others .............................................. 169 Project Evaluation ......................................................................................................171 Implications Including Social Change .......................................................................173 Local Community ............................................................................................... 175 Far-Reaching ....................................................................................................... 176 Conclusion .................................................................................................................177 Section 4: Reflections and Conclusions ...........................................................................179 Introduction ................................................................................................................179 Project Strengths ........................................................................................................180 Recommendations for Remediation of Limitations ...................................................183 Scholarship .................................................................................................................186 Project Development and Evaluation .........................................................................187 Leadership and Change ..............................................................................................190 iii
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