Date of Conferral

2019

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Education

Advisor

John Flohr

Abstract

Research indicated that teachers' perceptions of administrator support behaviors, behavioral interventions, and students' classroom behaviors have a strong connection to students' academic outcomes. A lack of administrator support practices present challenges to teachers' effectiveness and students' academic and social success. The purpose of this quantitative study was to address the relationships among teachers' perceptions of administrator support, the FAST (Families and Schools Together) behavioral intervention program, and teachers' perceptions of student classroom behavior. Spillane's distributed leadership theory was used as a framework. The data were a subset of archival data from a target population of approximately 200 teachers working at 14 Title I schools in the Southwestern United States. Regression analysis was used to examine responses from a sample of 3rd grade teachers (n = 174). The analysis of the research questions included 25 items derived from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and showed no statistical significance (p > .05) for administrator support and the FAST program in predicting student behavior. Results confirmed prior research that teachers' perceptions of parent communication positively affected teachers' perceptions of student conduct (p < .001) and parent involvement positively affected prosocial behavior (p < .001). This information may expand administrator and teacher knowledge of supportive practices and guide future research to examine types of support that affect student behavior, intervention types, and the development of effective practices for school leaders to improve the educational system and positive social change.

Share

 
COinS