Date of Conferral

10-28-2024

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Felicia Blacher-Wilson

Abstract

In Barbados, there has been an increase in violence and disruptive behavior among students at urban secondary schools. The problem is that some Barbadian urban secondary principals struggle to implement the Schools’ Positive Behavior Management Program (SPBMP), while other principals successfully reduce disruptive behaviors. This basic qualitative study explored the perspectives of principals who have successfully implemented and sustained SPBMP at secondary schools in Barbados. The conceptual framework for this study was Bandura’s social cognitive theory. The research questions focused on Barbadian urban secondary principals’ perspectives on the strategies to implement SPBMP successfully and the challenges to effectively sustaining SPBMP within their respective school sites. Data were to be collected from 10-15 urban secondary school principals. However, two successive hurricanes limited access to schools and principals. Therefore, data were collected from a purposeful sample of six urban secondary school principals using semistructured interviews. Analysis of the data collected resulted in two emergent themes: (a) principals perceived SPBMP implementation would lead to positive social change, and (b) training of all staff was integral to implementing SPBMP. The results of this study provided recommendations for Barbadian urban secondary principals who struggle to implement the SPBMP framework to reduce disruptive behaviors effectively. The study’s findings may also effect positive social change by highlighting strategies to address negative behaviors and providing administrators with tools to create safe school cultures to implement SPBMP successfully.

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