The Disruption of the Behavior Escalation/Punishment Cycle in African American Students Identified with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities

• Main Author: Hamilton, Melissa Pereira
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest LLC 2023
• Subjects: African American Students; Behavior Disorders; Behavior Modification; Classroom Techniques; Discipline; Disproportionate Representation; Emotional Disturbances; Learner Engagement; Punishment; Special Education Teachers; Student Behavior; Student Experience; Student Needs; Students with Disabilities; Success; Teaching Methods
• ISBN: 9798379714178

African American students have been overrepresented in school discipline and the criminal justice system for years. The tendency for this overrepresentation increases when the African American student has a disability, particularly emotional or behavioral disabilities. The problem addressed in this study is that African American students identified as Emotionally Behaviorally Disturbed become involved in a cycle of behavior escalation/punishment that results in poor academic and social outcomes. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to examine the teacher strategies used by special educators to assist African American students identified with Emotional/Behavioral Disorder and how their strategies disrupt the behavior escalation/punishment cycle behavioral cycle. Qualitative methodology and descriptive design offered an opportunity to further define a non-existent or current theory that does not fully explain a phenomenon. The population included 22 special educators within an alternative school in Virginia. A nonprobability, purposive sampling strategy was used to find 10 special educators who were employed in the regional alternative academy. Virtual, semi-structured interviews were used to collect the primary data and a document review of the school's disciplinary plan was used as a secondary data source for triangulation. Using thematic analysis, five themes emerged: (1) special educators develop positive interactive behavioral strategies to better associate with African American EBD students; (2) special educators' use teaching practices that encourage successful academic engagement from African American EBD students to disrupt the behavior escalation/punishment cycle; (3) classroom management practices align with school discipline practices to encourage African American EBD students to perform effectively during instruction; (4) previous experiences impact the current learning environment for African American students identified as EBD; and (5) school discipline practices support African American EBD students' transition skills toward post-secondary success. This study is significant to the body of knowledge in that it revealed strategies specific to supporting students identified as EBD for behavior management as well as assisting teachers in demonstrating affirming behaviors such as being relatable once the educators are cognizant of their students' past encounters. Implications include having teachers use interactive behavioral and instructional strategies and having administrations implement a consistent, organizational structure to manage behaviors. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]