Article Critique: Whole-School Positive Behaviour Support
The following report is an article critique of a research study conducted by Luiselli, Putnam, Handler and Feinberg (2005) to describe and determine the effect of a whole-school positive behavior support in addressing discipline problems at an elementary school and improving the academic performance of the student population. The report describes the purpose of the research, the research methodology, and findings. The findings also include a description of relevant research outcomes that contribute to education as a practice and an integration of current literature that supports the outcomes of the research.
Research PurposeLuiselli, Putnam, Handler, and Feinberg (2005) conducted research to determine and describe the effects of a whole-school positive behavior support in addressing problems in the school setting. The researchers conducted the study following reports that public schools are currently facing problems pertaining to discipline due to many students’ disruptive behavior. According to the researchers, bullying, vandalism, and violence have become common behaviors in public schools. Disciplining the students is one of the main solutions to address these issues. Public schools may adopt several disciplining strategies but Luiselli, Putnam, Handler, and Feinberg proposed the whole-school positive behavior support as an approach to discipline students. The whole-school positive behavior support approach was designed in collaboration and after consultation with teachers. Considering these points, the purpose of the research was to describe the said approach and to determine its impact on the behavior of students and their academic performance after its implementation.
As formerly noted, the purpose of the research was to describe the nature of the whole-school positive behavior support as an approach in disciplining students and improving academic performance in public schools. To accomplish the purpose of research, Luiselli, Putnam, Handler, and Feinberg (2005) conducted a longitudinal study that lasted for three consecutive years – from 1999 to 2002. To determine the impact of the whole-school positive behavior support, the researchers selected a population – all students at an elementary school from Kindergarten to fifth grade in the mid-west. In the beginning of the study, 666 students were observed. By the end of the third year of study, there were only 550 students. The students were from different racial groups, majority of which African American and were eligible for subsidies such as free or reduced lunch. Luiselli, Putnam, Handler, and Feinberg (2005) conducted the research in three phases – pre-intervention, intervention, and follow-up.
The pre-intervention phase commenced during the first semester of school year 1999-2000. During this phase, the teachers provided students policy handbooks that introduced to the students discipline strategies, rules, and guidelines. Intervention and implementation of the discipline program commenced in February 2000 until June 2001. During this phase, the school implemented several discipline strategies and prepared the school administrators, teachers and school staff to implement such strategies through training. Follow-up commenced from August 2001 to April 2002. During the follow-up, teachers completed questionnaires to determine their rate of satisfaction following the implementation of the approach. To measure the impact of whole-school …