Teacher Reports of Verbal Aggression in School Settings Among Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory G. Taylor ◽  
Stephen W. Smith

Verbal aggression (VA) is among the most prevalent forms of problem behavior in schools with detrimental effects for both perpetrators and victims, yet little is known about VA among students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Accordingly, we surveyed 279 teachers of students with behavioral disorders to examine the prevalence, frequency, locations, bystander presence and interactions, student responses, and teacher assigned consequences for verbal aggressiveness. A majority of teachers indicated daily student-to-student and student-to-adult VA with students frequently reporting, complaining, or seeking advice. Teachers noted that VA takes place in multiple locations, with at least one bystander present, and they observed victim verbal retaliation and physical assaults. Teacher responses included redirection and verbal warnings. Few teachers reported instruction of alternative prosocial behaviors. We discuss the potential implications of these findings and the impact teacher perceptions may have on strategy selection when addressing VA. We propose a few areas for future research including teachers’ level of concern about the harmfulness of VA, the intent to harm when students with EBD engage in VA, the need for specialized teacher training, and the development of a conceptual framework to inform an integrated and substantive view of the VA phenomenon.

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 209-222
Author(s):  
Stephen W. Smith ◽  
Daniel V. Poling ◽  
Megan R. Worth ◽  
Sherry J. Zhou ◽  
Gregory G. Taylor

Students who exhibit emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) typically have high frequencies of disruptive and noncompliant behavior including physical and verbal aggression (VA). Physical aggression attracts great concern from school professionals yet VA is often overlooked, despite being a highly pervasive and harmful social act. We surveyed 279 first to 12th grade teachers of students with EBD to assess their perceptions about the harmfulness of VA, students’ intent to harm, their concern about the frequency and/or intensity of VA, and concern about types of verbally aggressive messages. We investigated if these perceptions differed when teachers considered students with EBD compared with typical peers and if special education certification related to responsiveness to VA. The majority of teachers reported that VA was either somewhat or very harmful and perceived students with EBD to be just kidding around and not intending to hurt others when perpetrating VA. Compared with noncertified colleagues, certified teachers reported more concern about VA, more intent to harm when students with EBD exhibit VA, and they were more likely than their noncertified counterparts to report the use of a structured intervention/curriculum to reduce VA. We discuss implications for special education teacher preparation and offer suggestions for further research.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soonhwa Seok ◽  
Boaventura DaCosta ◽  
Mikayla McHenry-Powell ◽  
Linda Heitzman-Powell ◽  
Katrina Ostmeyer

This systematic review examined eight studies showing that video modeling (VM) can have a positive and significant effect for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Building upon meta-analyses that sought evidence of video-based interventions decreasing problem behaviors of students with EBD in K-12 education, the review examined the standards of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) for evidence-based practice as well as additional quality indicators, neglected quality indicators, strategies combined with VM, the impact of the independent variables on the dependent variables, and common recommendations offered for future research. Findings revealed that the eight studies met the CEC standards for evidence-based practices as well as other quality indicators. For instance, all studies reported content and setting, participants, intervention agents, description of practice, as well as interobserver agreement and experimental control. According to the findings, fidelity index and effect size were the two most neglected quality indicators. Furthermore, instructions, reinforcement system, and feedback or discussion were the most common strategies used. Finally, generalizability—across settings, populations, treatment agents, target behaviors in the real world, and subject matter—was the most common recommendation for future research. While further investigation is warranted, these findings suggest that VM is an effective evidence-based practice for students with EBD when the CEC standards are met.


2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin D. Garwood ◽  
John W. McKenna ◽  
Garrett J. Roberts ◽  
Stephen Ciullo ◽  
Mikyung Shin

The importance of social studies and civics education is increasing, as evidenced by the growing number of states requiring coursework in this area for graduation and its growing presence in school accountability frameworks. Social studies instruction is critical for all students so that they may understand their roles, rights, and responsibilities as citizens and how their actions can influence their communities. Students who exhibit antisocial behaviors, such as those with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), may especially benefit from social studies and civics education as it promotes college and career readiness and provides opportunities to engage in social problem solving and perspective taking. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the social studies and civics intervention research for students with EBD. We sought to describe and evaluate the extant literature, identify promising practices, and suggest areas for future research. A total of 17 intervention studies were identified. Overall, 10 out of the 17 studies met What Works Clearinghouse Design Standards with or without reservations. Eight of the 10 studies were eligible for effect size calculation, resulting in an overall large effect ( g = 0.83). Study limitations, implications for school practice, and directions for research are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-62
Author(s):  
Mitchell L. Yell

In 2017, the Supreme Court ruled on a special education case Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District. In this important case, the High Court addressed the degree of educational benefit necessary for a school district to fulfill the requirements for a free appropriate public education (FAPE) under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The ruling was especially meaningful for the field of emotional and behavioral disorders, because the plaintiff in this case, Endrew F., exhibited serious academic difficulties and behavior problems. In this article, I first analyze the IDEA’s definition of FAPE and the importance of addressing students’ behavior problems in their individualized education programs (IEPs) to provide a FAPE. Second, I examine the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Endrew decision, specifically addressing the impact of the school district’s failure to address a student’s behaviors in his IEP. Third, I discuss the implications of the Endrew ruling for developing and implementing IEPs for students with serious behavior problems. I end by advocating for changes in the upcoming reauthorization of the IDEA to bring the law into conformity with the spirit and letter of this important ruling.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 199-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regina Stoutjesdijk ◽  
Evert M. Scholte ◽  
Hanna Swaab

This study examined the relation between family functioning and classroom problem behavior of children with emotional and behavioral disorders receiving special educational support. To this end, the Teachers’ Report Form and the Family Questionnaire were completed for 84 children ( M age of 9.8 years) 2 times with a time lag of 11 months. Cross-lagged path analyses showed that internalizing and externalizing problem behavior in the classroom were stable over time, just as poor family functioning. Continuity of (a) poor communication, (b) discordant partner relationship, and (c) lack of social support were strongly associated with future total problem behavior in the classroom. Furthermore, parental responsiveness to a child’s needs was associated with lower future total problem behavior. A direct association was also found between externalizing behavior in the classroom and future poor family functioning. Implications of these findings for future research and practice are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin D. Garwood ◽  
Lynne Vernon-Feagans ◽  

Many children with behavior problems perform poorly academically and can disrupt regular classroom instruction. Although good classroom management strategies can benefit children with behavior problems, it is not clear whether these students need consistently good classroom management across the early elementary school years to improve their academic performance. The current study examined the quality of classroom management from kindergarten through third grade experienced by children who were rated as exhibiting symptoms of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in the classroom to understand the cumulative effects in relationship to third-grade reading performance. Results indicated that higher-quality classroom management in the first 4 years of school was significantly related to higher scores on standardized measures of reading achievement in third grade for boys exhibiting EBD, but girls exhibiting EBD appeared unaffected by the quality of teachers’ classroom management during this same time. Practitioner implications and future research needs are discussed.


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