Browsing by Subject "positiivinen käyttäytymisen tuki"

The purpose of this research is to provide an understanding of approaches used by Reform School (RS) teachers to support appropriate behavior amongst their students and to explore whether these approaches share similarities with Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Previous studies have shown that PBIS has resulted in positive effects among populations similar to RS students. The research question was: How do Reform School teachers describe their approach to supporting appropriate behavior amongst their students and to what extent are these descriptions in accordance with PBIS? Eight (8) teachers from five (5) Reform Schools were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews of 30-60 minutes were conducted with each teacher through Teams in the period of 05/2021-10/2021. Thematic analysis was used as the method of analysis. Three main themes, and their sub-themes, are presented in the results. The first main theme was characterized primarily by the use of group level methods aligning with PBIS. The second main theme was characterized by the use of a variety of group and individual level positive reinforcements aligning with the behaviorist principles of PBIS but taking distance from any standardized models. The third theme was characterized by basing its behavioral support on student-teacher-relationships and by expressing philosophical misalignments with the behaviorist principles of PBIS. Evidence-based methods to support appropriate behavior on an individual student level were not mentioned within any of the themes. All three main themes shared a view on the importance of safe and trusting student-teacher-relationships and a general strength-based approach as a foundation of RS teachers´ work. In conclusion, a general will to implement a “positive approach” could be identified in the data, but there was not a common view on how this should be carried out. Particularly, views on the behaviorist principles of PBIS were mixed. For future research, intervention studies focused on implementing PBIS in RSs are proposed. In addition, further research on students´ perspectives of behavior management in RSs is recommended and implications for practice are provided.