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    Barriers and enablers for school leaders implementing PB4L Tier 2 with fidelity in New Zealand secondary schools : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education, Educational Administration and Leadership Subject at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Andrews, Stephanie Tania
    This thesis explores the barriers and enablers to implementing Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) Tier 2 with fidelity in New Zealand secondary schools. PB4L was introduced to New Zealand schools in 2010. It provides a framework that schools use to guide the implementation of evidence-based practice with the goal of reducing problem behaviour and providing a positive school culture. With a focus on evidence-based practice, fidelity of implementation is a core principle of PB4L. PB4L consists of three tiers that provide a continuum of behaviour supports for students. Tier 2 of the continuum targets approximately 15% of students within a school and offers small group response before students develop habitual patterns of behaviour. This mixed method, sequential explanatory design was conducted in two phases. In Phase I a quantitative survey was administered to principals and Tier 2 team leaders in New Zealand secondary schools. This was used to identify the extent to which schools were implementing Tier 2 interventions within their school, and to the identify barriers and enablers schools were experiencing in implementing PB4L Tier 2. In Phase II qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews with PB4L Tier 2 team leaders who had a wide range of experiences in the implementation of PB4L Tier 2, adding depth of explanation to the quantitative data. A number of barriers and enablers were identified, often the barrier or enabler was a different side of the same coin. Key enablers that emerged from this mixed methods research included the facilitation of shared learning between secondary schools, schools establishing strong external relationships with outside agencies, and proactive school leadership. Significant barriers included the time investment required to achieve ‘fidelity’ in interventions, efficient access to data, the complexity of the secondary environment and the limited range of easily resourced evidence-based interventions for use in a secondary school context.
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    Stand-downs, suspensions and exclusions : a dilemma for primary school principals : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Administration, Department of Social and Policy Studies in Education, College of Education, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2002) Addis, Ngaire
    The purpose of this study was to investigate how a selection of primary school principals managed and viewed the process of stand-downs, suspensions and exclusions. The researcher saw the need for such research because of the recent legislation that has changed the procedures for principals to follow, the growing public concern over the national statistics for disciplinary exclusions and the lack of research on disciplinary exclusions of primary age pupils or for principals' perspectives of the disciplinary exclusion process. The research involved two main research methods (survey and case-study) which included a postal questionnaire distributed to all primary school principals in a localised area, a review of their Education Review Office Reports, structured interviews of five primary school principals and a review of their Behaviour Management Plans. These data were analysed with the aid of computer software packages: MICROSOFT EXCEL for the quantitative data and QSR NU*DIST for the qualitative data; and techniques of thematic induction and dilemma analysis were used. The characteristics and behaviours of the primary age pupils receiving disciplinary exclusions in this study are an accentuated version of the trends of gender and ethnicity factors already identified for all New Zealand school pupils in the national database. This study also isolated other characteristics - the final year of school (either at primary or intermediate) and the transference of these pupils at-risk of disciplinary exclusions from school to school. Disciplinary exclusions can be attributed to many interacting complex factors related to individuals, families, schools and the direct impact of changing economic and educational government policies and legislation. It was evident that principals worked hard at maintaining and providing an education for extremely difficult pupils but these pupils presented a dilemma for principals. On the one hand, principals' comments showed that caring principals and hardworking teaching staff went out of their way to support and educate these seriously misbehaving pupils in their schools, but, on the other hand, principals perceived that they had no other choice but to use the disciplinary exclusion process. The concept of'dilemma' was developed further in this study with implications for principals' future practice and professional development and further research.
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    The comparison of the efficacy of four behavioural procedures' ability to reduce disruptive behaviour : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1995) Coombe, Stephanie
    This research focused on the comparison of four behavioural procedures and their effectiveness at reducing disruptive classroom behaviour. Subjects who participated in this research were males and females, aged seven to nine in two typical primary school classrooms, in Palmerston North. Their ethinicities included Caucasian, Maori, Indian, Pacific Island and Sri Lankan. The procedure the school currently used to reward and discipline the children was compared with response cost plus positive reinforcement, the chance to earn back lost time after a specified period of appropriate behaviour and the chance to earn back lost time after displaying appropriate behaviour for a longer period of time than was previously required. Results found that the children's disruptive behaviour decreased the most with the use of response cost plus positive reinforcement. However, due to reasons of acceptability to the teachers and students, this procedure was not continued. Instead, the more acceptable and less stringent earn back time procedures were used and compared. From this, it was found that the earn back time procedure which required the children to behave appropriately for longer was the most efficacious in reducing disruption. Overall, this research supported the efficacy of response cost plus positive reinforcement for reducing disruptive behaviour in the classroom, while earning back time (and having to display appropriate behaviour longer) was shown to be second most effective.
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    Investigating sustainability of school-wide positive behaviour for learning in New Zealand schools : a thesis completed in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Psychology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2014) Elder, Katie
    This research investigated sustainability of School-Wide Positive Behaviour for Learning (SWPB4L) in New Zealand schools. An existing sustainability survey was adapted to fit the New Zealand context and electronically distributed to primary, intermediate, and secondary schools who were implementing SWPB4L; completed surveys were received from 338 school staff who had encountered or been involved with SWPB4L within the schools. The quantitative data strand included respondent ratings of statements relating to key factors of sustainability which have been recognised within relevant literature; these included prioritisation, school leadership, external leadership, programme effectiveness, programme efficiency, collection and use of data, and capacity building for staff. Each statement was rated for importance, which provided an insight into which sustainability factors the respondents perceived as important in relation to maintaining SWPB4L, and truth, which provided an insight into how accurately these factors were being applied within New Zealand schools implementing the initiative. The qualitative data strand included short comment answers to two open ended questions relating to SWPB4L sustainability supports and sustainability barriers. Respondent comments allowed for a more in depth analysis of sustainability concepts and identification of unanticipated ideas relating to successful implementation of SWPB4L. Integration of the data strands allowed for meaningful discussion relating to sustainability of SWPB4L in New Zealand schools. The findings suggested that overall the sustainability factors widely considered in existing literature were all considered to be relevant to sustainability of SWPB4L. The respondents placed the highest relative importance on leadership within the school and capacity building for school staff. Further, staff commitment, communication, and consistency of implementation were also considered to be important for supporting ongoing implementation. The factors of school leadership, capacity building, and effectiveness were found to be sustainability strengths within the schools. Features of efficiency and external leadership were found to offer the greatest room for improvement. Conclusions from the current study have led to practical recommendations for understanding and increasing sustainability of SWPB4L in New Zealand schools.