2024 Doctoral Capstone Projects

The Wyoming Valley West School District has identified regular attendance as a priority issue. Absenteeism has been an issue for many school districts over the years, but there seems to be a decrease in the regular attendance of students' post-pandemic. Dana Elementary showed that 30.2% of students being identified as being chronically absent and State Street Elementary showed 49.5% of students being chronically absent in the 2021-2022 school year, as reported through the PA Future Ready Index. Literature defines school climate as one of the contributing factors to absenteeism. This research is needed to know and understand if creating a positive school climate through PBIS will positively affect regular student attendance. Through a mixed-methods approach, the researcher aimed to understand the impact of PBIS programs on student attendance, school, climate, and disciplinary incidents. The goal is to provide insights that can inform school administrators and policymakers on how to utilize PBIS strategies to improve attendance, create a positive school climate, and reduce disciplinary referrals leading to out-of-school suspensions.

The purpose of this action research study was to analyze the effect that the School-Wide Positive Behavior Plan had on the number of discipline referrals that were submitted to
the principal’s office and the effect that the plan had on the overall school climate at Hasson Height Elementary School. The study utilized a mixed-methods approach, using
surveys, interviews, as well as numerical data gathered from the school’s student information system. The survey used Likert-scale questions about the student’s perceptions about their school, teachers, other students, and themselves. The interviews consisted of open-ended questions developed by the researcher to gain the staff’s perception on the program, the staff’s interpretation of the students’ perceptions and the staffs’ perception on how the community feels about the program. The quantitative data was collected from the student information system on the number of discipline referrals that were submitted involving students’ interaction with other students, students’ interactions with staff members, and discipline on transportation. The data was analyzed together to determine the effectiveness of the program and its impact on the school climate. The research suggested that the program had a minimal impact on the discipline referrals. The staff has indicated that the school climate is positive and the School-Wide Positive Behavior was a large component of that.