Student Emotional Issues in K12 Public Schools Student Emotional Issues in K-12 Public Schools

When public schools do not prepare themselves to take care of Kindergarten through 12th grade students' emotional problems, they face troublesome implications. Students struggling with emotional problems display symptoms from time to time, whose patterns correspond to, at least, one of the following behaviors: truancy, aggressiveness towards faculty, peers, and parents; academic issues; high suspension/expulsion frequency; poor interactions with peers; and generally disruptive overall behaviors classified normally by educators as "antisocial" within educational settings. Students suffering from emotional issues often face social difficulties when relating to adults as well as their peers (Lloyd, Hallahan, Kauffman, & Keller, 1998). Furthermore, students suffering from emotional problems have a tendency to experience potentially, multiple-level academic challenges causally corresponding to their behavioral deficits and excesses.

1.1. Problem Statement

Alarmingly, an increasing number of American children have been displaying externalizing or disruptive behavior (also termed as defiant, antisocial, challenging, acting-out noncompliant, and aggressive behaviors), which go beyond infrequent trivial incidents characteristic of a majority of children in their usual developmental path. This kind of behavior is now among the most serious issues in the schools of America (Dodge, 2011).

Understanding school administrators' approaches in making decisions based on data, for the individual pupil as well as for general behavioral programs on the institute level, while taking into account intolerable or anti-social school behaviors at their respective schools is imperative. Thus, identifying students' emotional problems as observed and defined while serving students is crucial (Lloyd et al., 1998). For obtaining a thorough grasp of the above process, collecting data on administrators' views with regard to that practices work, and those that fail, in their respective schools is essential, since they endeavor to facilitate the achievement of positive outcomes, which bring about behavioral success.

1.2. Purpose

American public school students suffer from a myriad of emotional problems. These challenges, together with the many levels of development and arrays of abilities inherent in pre-K-12 students render this issue complex, particularly when it comes to deciding upon the right behavioral programming to implement so that pupils achieve academic success. In school settings, administrators and educators need to be aware of, and empathetic towards, the range of supports and structures most likely to be effective in tackling students' emotional issues. This qualitative study's aim is answering the research queries framing it (Dodge, 2011). Adopting a case study approach, the research's goal will be Understanding K-12 students' emotional problems within public school settings and the application of this information for making building-level and individual student-level improvement decisions.

1.3. Research questions

i. What emotional problems do K-12 public school students experience?

ii. What is the level of access of administrators to student behavioral information?

iii. What, according to public school administrators, are their K-12 students' emotional issues?

1.4. Theoretical Framework

In Prasad's (2005) view, the "interpretative" practice was borne out of the scholarly stance that considers "human interpretation" as the basis for development of social world-related knowledge (p. 13). A second common element assigned by Prasad to this practice is its focus on reality construction's social aspects.

The interpretive theoretic view forms the basis for this research, guiding and anchoring the processes of data gathering and analysis. Arminio, Jones, and Torres (2006) claim that the presence of a theoretical viewpoint for qualitative case studies ensure philosophical depth and is adds strength to the research. It offers direction for planning the project (p. 54). However, making sure this design and depth are harmonious is crucial, instead of merely being independent components. The theoretical approach is considered the philosophical standpoint underlying a research method.

2. Review of the Literature

School students' emotional problems have received considerable focus. In spite of a wide range of studies undertaken with regard to what scholars widely term as 'students exhibiting anti-social or challenging behaviors', their academic failure continues to be an issue for not just students, but also school administrators, educators, and parents. By definition, children who suffer from emotional problems exhibit behavioral and emotional aspects affecting their performance at school (Hodge, Riccomini, Buford, & Herbst, 2006).

Fulfilling the multifarious and complex requirements of students plagued with emotional problems is usually an impossible goal, for school teachers as well as administrators. Historically, student-focused educational initiatives addressing the emotionally-afflicted have not often been linked to positive results (Hodge et al., 2006). These students are characterized by numerous negative attributes, such as excessive dropout frequency, poor scores on achievement tests, high academic failure rates, low rates of graduation, high institutional placement, and employment of homebound instruction,...

Scholars in the field are now regarding challenging behavior displayed by youth as a major obstacle to emotional and social development, as well as an indication of serious maladjustment in the educational as well as adult life of this student group (Dodge, 2011).
Indeed, pupils having emotional problems display such disruptive behavior that they end up gravely impairing their relationship with their peers, teachers, and parents. To aggravate the problem, students having emotional problems are normally highly difficult to coach and will be increasingly segregated. These factors contribute to high academic failure rates of this student group. The group also takes its toll on educators. Teachers generally agree on the fact that disruptive, irascible, defiant, and impertinent behaviors are intolerable. That is, teachers might themselves face obstacles -- with regard to classroom management, and personal obstacles -- to educating this student group.

2.1. Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)

Some tried-and-tested methods do exist, of handling challenging behaviors exhibited by school students. Walker and colleagues' (1996) three-tiered PBS (Positive Behavior Support) model represents a systems tactic of setting up requisite behavioral, social, and cultural supports for every school child, to enable him/her to attain academic as well as social success. Literature on the subject sometimes uses the term School-Wide PBS (SWPBS) for educators' application of PBS to the entire school.

PBS's strength lies in its ability to create accountability and reliability using a sound strategy to support and guide student behavior. However, no PBS approach is capable of independently explaining evident behavioral issues. Hence, it is vital that the FBA tool supplements any PBS initiative. FBA will be verified, in this section, as a key element of PBS, firstly by exploring PBS's merits as a standardized tool, followed by proving how the systematic nature of the approach is supplemented by FBA. Sugai, Gresham, and Horner (2002) are of the opinion that PBS is particularly valuable for schools, considering the importance given to behavioral systems, besides its focus on individual students. A systems standpoint offers support for adopting and continually utilizing efficient school practices. In the absence of such an approach, practice identification will be incomplete and restricted, resulting in short-term and inconsistent focus on school programs intended to deal with the issue of discipline.

As implementation of PBS covers multiple contexts -- schools, classrooms, non-schoolroom settings in the school (such as, restrooms, playgrounds, parking lots, and hallways), families, communities and districts -- PBS programs are backed by policy, administrative support, accountability measures, and sound communication, for ensuring they are executed reliably and accurately. Indeed, in the absence of sound school administrator leadership, program efforts typically become incomplete, ineffective, and inefficient (Dodge, 2011).

PBS's foundation is human behavioral science, which holds that the major part of a person's behavior is acquired, and is affected by one's environment, and hence, is subject to change. The existing human behavioral science finds linkages between behavioral, environmental/physical, cognitive, biophysical, and developmental factors; all these affect an individual's behavior and emotions.

3. Research Method

The study's design was qualitative case study design.

3.1. Research Site and Participants

A Midwestern State's public school (Pre-K-12th grade) will be the research site for the study. Personal interview administrators will be chosen using the "purposeful" sampling technique (Patton, 1987). The basis for selection will be individual schools' capacity to contribute to the comprehension of procedures and processes utilized for collecting building-wide information.

3.2. Data Collection Tools

3.2.1. Interviews

Researchers will interview students as well as administrators. Interview administrators will enable identification and knowledge solicitation from "key informants" (Patton, 1987). These are individuals holding unique knowledge with regard to the study setting and express this knowledge adroitly. Their insights may be valuable in aiding observers with comprehending past events and the reasons behind their occurrence. Administrator interviews will be carried out in their respective offices, whereas student interviews will take place in a classroom setting.

The foremost stage in this interview process will involve reminding participants of the research's purpose, procedures, anticipated benefits, confidentiality, and their liberty to leave the study group whenever they desire. Additionally, researcher contact details and other requisite information will be offered for winning participant trust and establishing rapport (Dodge, 2011).

After obtaining the approval of participants, their interviews' audio recordings will be carried out for ensuring precise transcription. Moreover, interviewers will take notes by hand for enabling them to track key points they can revert to, for highlighting ideas of special significance or interest, or in the course of the interview.

A semi-structured style of…