Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Stephanie Gaddy

Abstract

Elementary teachers in a school district in a mid-western state were struggling to manage classrooms with students with disabilities. Additionally, there is a gap in practice in which some teachers do not use daily behavior report cards (DBRC), or use them without fidelity, despite the effectiveness of DBRC with various groups. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to explore how elementary teachers used DBRC with students with disabilities to manage their behaviors. Guided by Canter’s assertive discipline model, an exploration of how elementary teachers in a mid-western school district used DBRC to support the behavior management of students with disabilities. An exploration occurred on how teachers created rules and expectations and provided positive reinforcement and repetition when structuring and administering DBRC with students with disabilities. Qualitative exploratory research was used to interview 10 elementary teachers within the focus school district. Transcripts from the interviews were thematically coded for information about how teachers used DBRC with students with disabilities. Findings indicated that teachers used DBRC to (a) change student behaviors through faded supports leading into student self-awareness, (b) establish consistent school-based rules and expectations, and (c) fade the type and frequency of interest-based reinforcement by providing repetition in the daily routine and feedback. Implications for positive social change included improving the classroom climate of elementary school classrooms, which may lead to a decrease in teacher burnout and an acceptance of diverse individuals.

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