Examining Contextual Influences on Classroom-Based Implementation of Positive Behavior Support Strategies

Introduction: Little is known about how specific contextual factors may affect the implementation of social and behavioral interventions in classrooms. Often, studies include measures of implementation to determine whether attenuated intervention effects could be due to poor implementation (Dane & Schneider, 1998; Domitrovich & Greenberg, 2000; Gresham et al., 1993).This paper examines the influence of teacher, classroom, and school characteristics on the implementation of positive behavior support strategies over time within the context of an RCT examining the effectiveness of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS; Horner et al., 2005; Sugai & Horner, 2002, 2006). This study serves as an important test of theoretical research (Domitrovich et al., 2008) highlighting the significance of multiple contextual influences on implementation.

Method: Data were collected from 1,056 teachers within the context of a 37-school RCT. The outcome of interest was teacher-reported use and quality of positive behavioral support strategies (e.g., having positively worded and clear statements describing rules and expectations) in the classroom, using the 12-item classroom systems subscale of the Effective Behavior Support survey (EBS; Sugai et al., 2000).  Predictor variables included classroom composition (e.g., student behavior and class size), teacher perceptions of the school environment, as well as school-level indicators of disorder and support for a behavioral approach. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to account for the repeated nature of the outcome variable (i.e., measured at five time points over the course of four years) as well as nesting of teachers within schools (Raudenbush & Bryk, 2002).

Results: A higher level of positive behavioral supports was provided to young children than older students. Results also showed that teachers with more favorable baseline perceptions of school organizational health had markedly higher scores at the intercept and less growth over time. Nearly all of the school-level variables examined were significantly associated with growth in classroom implementation of positive behavior support strategies. Analyses also indicated that teachers in schools (a) trained in and implementing SW-PBIS, (b) with a higher student-teacher ratio, and (c) with a larger proportion of African American students all showed greater growth in their implementation of positive behavior strategies over time. Teachers in schools with higher baseline suspension rates had less growth in implementation over time.

Discussion: These findings highlight the importance of both school and classroom context for the implementation of evidence-based practices. Further implications for prevention and implementation research and practice are discussed.