Date of Award
10-9-2020
Document Type
Non Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Special Education
Department
Education
Program
Special Education with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders Licensure
Capstone Instructor
Dr. Phyllis Burger
Second Reader
Dr. Diane Harr
Keywords
behavioral engagement, Emotional Behavioral Disorder (EBD), functional behavioral assessment (FBA)
Abstract
This review of literature focused on managing the behavior of students in a classroom. Furthermore, it was acknowledged that students come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Educators have known that without being able to manage behavior, specifically that of students with EBD, addressing academics would be challenging. Thus, the need for strategies to improve behavior was evident. The research question was how can educators foster the behavioral engagement of students with EBD? Analysis and synthesis of the research produced three themes: praise, social and emotional support, and individualized attention. Within the themes were specific strategies educators could implement to foster behavioral engagement, including increasing praise (general or behavior-specific), including social skills lessons, and building relationships through one-on-one interactions and getting to know students. Future studies could explore the long-term results of the research themes. Praise, social and emotional support, and individualized attention are methods educators could implement to increase the behavioral engagement of students with EBD.