Date of Award
3-1-2020
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctorate of Education, Ed.D.
College
College of Education
Department
Education
First Advisor
Donna Graham, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Dana Shelton, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
Nicholas Markette, Ed.D.
Abstract
As more students are moved from self-contained to inclusive classroom environments general educators will need the capacity to meet all students’ needs. The purpose of this qualitative case study explored how school personnel (school psychologists, intervention specialists, and general educators) perceived the influence of Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) on classroom behavior. This exploration was guided by the behaviorism theoretical framework. Behaviorism as a theoretic framework for FBA considers what is directly happening in the environment from an antecedent or external stimulus-response perspective. The snowball sampling technique was used and resulted in 20 participants. The demographic questionnaire, individual interviews, and focus groups data were collected, organized and analyzed to understand the perception of specific school personnel who have responsibility for conducting FBA leading to an effective function-based behavior intervention plan. Transcripts of the individual interviews and focus groups were analyzed manually and then using In Vivo and Open coding within Atlas.ti. The results revealed that general educators would benefit from FBA training that increased their ability to identify the function of student challenging behavior as an initial intervention. School personnel who comply with IDEA mandates maintain compliance.