Social Workers, Positive Behavior Interventions Supports, and Exclusionary Discipline of Black Males
Date of Conferral
3-5-2024
Date of Award
March 2024
Degree
Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
School
Social Work
Advisor
Mary Larscheid
Abstract
School social workers play an instrumental role in providing school faculty members with skills and interventions to facilitate positive outcomes in both schools and the community at large. It is not known what role social workers play in the suspension and exclusion of Black male high school students. The research questions for this generic qualitative study explored the perspective of high school teachers and social workers from various South Mississippi counties perceptions of the roles social workers play in the implementation of positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) and social workers’ impact on the exclusion of Black male students from the high school setting as well as the influence PBIS has had on Black suspension rates in the high school setting. This study was directed using the open systems theory (OST). Virtual interviews were conducted with five participants including four high school teachers and one social worker. Thematic analysis was used to unveil patterns and themes in the data. Overall, findings suggested that social workers did not have substantial involvement with the exclusionary discipline of Black male students in the high school setting and no involvement in the implementation of PBIS. Moreover, PBIS has not had a substantial influence on the Black male exclusionary discipline rate. This qualitative study has the potential to enhance positive social change through social work competencies by providing research-based strategies to advance school social work practice, thus providing social workers in educational settings with evidence-based strategies that could improve the outcomes of Black students in the school setting and increase their ability to become productive members in society.
Recommended Citation
Binion, Jacqueline, "Social Workers, Positive Behavior Interventions Supports, and Exclusionary Discipline of Black Males" (2024). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 15539.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/15539
