How teacher responses affect behavior in emotionally disturbed students

ED Students and Teacher Behavior

How Educators' Response to Students Diagnosed with Emotional Disturbance Influence the Behavior of These Students

This research focused on the impact of the emotionally disturbed in the classroom. The key objective of the study was to examine how the educator's response to the student influenced the behavior of the student. It was designed to determine whether their responses help or hinder the progress of the students. Several types of emotional disturbances were addressed in this study. They included student's self-awareness, disciplinary history, and student involvement in school. Students with emotional disturbances often experience lower grades or have frequent appearances in the administrator's office (Sutherland, Lewis-Palmer, Strichter & Morgan, 2008). Helping students to gain control of themselves will not only help the student, but will help the teacher to maintain a more orderly classroom. This study explores the impact of teacher responses to children with disciplinary problems and its impact on their behaviors.

Rationale

One of the key factors that affected the design of the study is that every child with an emotional disturbance is unique. Their specific needs are addressed by an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), which lays out specific outcomes, performance goals and the course of action that will be taken to achieve them. Only students with more serious emotional disturbances have an IEP, but that does not mean that less severely emotionally disturbed children are any less difficult to handle in the classroom (Sutherland, Lewis-Palmer, Strichter & Morgan, 2008). Accommodations in the classroom allow students with severe emotional disturbances to participate in the regular classroom and to complete the same assignments as other children.

The individuality of the student's emotional disturbance and the uniqueness of their IEP create confounding variables that can affect the outcome of the study (Sutherland, Lewis-Palmer, Strichter & Morgan, 2008). The rationale for this study will take into account these factors and their ability to influence study results. These confounding variables cannot be eliminated from the study altogether, but the affects of them can be minimized. The rationale for this study was developed with these factors in mind.

Responses and behaviors can be more easily measured than thoughts and feelings. They provide a solid reference point that can be used for assessment purposes. Measurement of behaviors and responses provides a practical means to develop a quantitative study of how teacher responses affect student behavior in emotionally disturbed children. However, due to the variability in the emotional disturbances of the children, a direct measurement of behavior would not provide a clear assessment of the research questions.

Children with severe behavior problems would be more likely to have a higher level of undesirable behavior than those with milder problems. This variability in baseline behavior makes group assessment of behavioral changes difficult, if not impossible. Direct measurement of improvements in behavior is difficult in this sample population. Children with an IEP for a behavioral problem are unique individuals, with differing behavioral goals and expected outcomes. A sample population such as this makes it difficult to measure directly behavioral changes using quantitative measures.

Quantitative measurement of behavioral changes in the students would provide the most accurate assessment of the impact of teacher treatment on those students. However, for practical purposes, this method was not deemed appropriate for the current research study. Another factor that makes this type of assessment difficult is that human behavior is difficult to predict. There are many factors that influence an individual's decision to behave in a certain way. Many of which may not be related to the study at all. External factors, such as changes in the home situation may contribute to behavioral changes at school. These factors cannot be controlled, nor predicted, but they can affect the outcome of the study. This factor contributes to the difficulties of assessing the sample population using direct measurement of behavioral changes.

These problems make a direct measurement of behavioral issues impractical for this study. Direct measurement of behavioral issues is likely to be tainted by biases and external factors. In a population that is as individual as the one for this study, another popular method is often used. The case study is a qualitative method where the researcher simply observes the behaviors of the participant. The researcher has very little influence on the outcome of the study. They cannot administer test procedures and/or compare them to another group. Every individual in the group is unique in many ways. In this type of population group, subjective observations are often used in this situation.

However, subjective observations are not suitable to this study for several reasons. Observational studies where the researcher observes the interactions of the teacher and the behavior of the student. However, researcher bias would be problematic, particularly given the potential biases towards the more unruly student. The researcher may tend to over exaggerate or under estimate the observed behaviors among the student population. This type of study method is not appropriate for this study.

Case study technique is another method that can be used when the sample population has unique characteristics and variables that affect it and make it unique. However, case study technique often does not give the researcher information that can be generalized to other situations and settings. Therefore, this method was not chosen for this study.

Although, opinions and feelings are more difficult to assess accurately, this was the chosen method for this research study. This study used the thoughts and feelings of the teachers as the primary means to measure the dependent variables. The survey technique used as hybrid quantitative and qualitative research method. Some of the questions were worded in such a manner as to require an answer that could easily be turned into a data point. Other questions were worded in such a manner as to require a longer, narrative answer. This allowed the researcher to produce results that could be applied to the general population and to provide more in-depth answers as well.

Study Design

This study used a survey technique to examine teacher responses and feelings regarding emotionally disturbed students in their classroom. The independent variable in this study will consist of the presence of an emotionally disturbed child in the classroom. The type and severity of the emotional disturbance could be expected to influence the opinions and reactions of the teachers to the students. However, due to the difficulties associated with measuring these factors discussed earlier, the severity of the emotional illness will not be addressed in this study. Instead, the study will focus on the presence or absence of an emotional disturbance in the student as the independent variable in this study. This method limits the severity of the disturbance as a confounding variable in the study.

The dependent variable of the study is the teacher's response to the student with an emotional disturbance. Their thoughts and feelings are the dependent variable in the study, as measured by their survey responses. The dependent variable can be broken into its components; each one answers a separate research question. When taken in aggregate, the sum of these individual variables helps to support the research hypothesis.

The dependent variables in the study can be broken down into the following components, as addressed in the survey.

1. The types of emotional disturbances present in the classroom.

2. The percentages of students responding well to their IEP.

3. Students that need assistance managing their feelings and behavior.

4. Students that use their diagnosis as an excuse for avoiding responsibilities.

5. Number of students involved in extracurricular activities.

6. Students that need to be inspired to participate in extracurricular activities.

7. How often the teacher must redirect a student's behavior.

8. Their response to the student's behaviors in their classroom.

These factors represent different dependent variables within the study criteria.

The factors associated with measuring the dependent variables were discussed in the development of the rationale for the study. It is difficult to directly measure these dependent variables in a manner that would be meaningful in the study setting. Although, the study used response types that are similar to quantitative research, in actuality, the responses are highly subjective, in absence of a means to directly measure them. Therefore, the responses to the questions are subject to many of the limitations and biases that are present in a qualitative study.

The survey requires teachers to take their best guess at the percentages required in the responses. They were not provided criteria for their responses. For example, in question number 2, the teachers were asked what percentages of their students were responding to their IEP. The teachers must devise their own method for making this estimation. Does this mean that the student is meeting all of their IEP goals, half of their IEP goals, or one-fourth of their IEP goals? Even though the question asks for a percentage, the response and measurement of this dependent variable are still highly subjective (Lane, Wehby, Robertson, & Rogers, 2007).

These factors do not limit the ability of the study to address the intended research topic, but they must be noted, as they do affect the applicability and ability to generalize the results of this study to other sample populations. This study used quantitative techniques to measure the dependent variables, but the answers obtained have a high level of subjectivity present in them.

Confounding Variables

Aside from the independent and dependent variables, almost every study has a number of factors present that affect the results obtained in the study and the ability to interpret them. In this study, there are a number of factors that must be addressed in regards to the teacher responses to the survey. Confounding variables can be internal or external factors over which the researcher has no control. It id difficult to find a study that has absolutely no confounding variables that could affect the results.

In this study, the first confounding variable is dependent on the interactions of other confounding variables. The student's type and severity of emotional disturbance are the first factors that affect the results obtained in this study. Neither the teachers, nor the researcher has control over the types and severity of emotional disturbances found in their classrooms. Many outside factors can affect the types and severity of disturbances present in the classroom. Biological, genetic, and environmental factors both inside and outside of the school setting can have an impact on the types and severity of the emotional disturbances present (Hyatt & Filler, 2007). These cannot be adequately measured given the time and limitations of these study criteria.

The type and severity of emotional disturbances in the classroom could have several affects on the study results. It could be reasonably suspected that teachers with a higher number or more severe emotional disturbances in their classroom would respond more negatively to their behaviors. Likewise, it could be suspected that teachers with few emotionally disturbed students in their classroom would elicit more positive responses on the questionnaire. However, regardless of the number, types, and severity of emotionally disturbed students in the classroom, the ability of them to control their behavior in the classroom is expected to have the greatest affect on the thoughts and feelings of the teachers about them.

There are a number of confounding variables on the side of the student, but there are also a number of confounding variables that could affect the teacher as well. Teacher responses to students may not be based on the student's behavior. The responses of the teacher may be based on their own personal life experiences or personality regarding the student's behavior (Hyatt & Filler, 2007). Many of the internal and external factors that could affect teacher responses are similar to those that affect the students (Hyatt & Filler, 2007). They cannot be predicted or controlled in this research setting, but they may affect the results of the study.

Confounding variables that affect either the student or the teacher can have an affect on the study results (Lane, Wehby, Robertson, & Rogers, 2007). The presence of bias due to general trends in the selected population, but that are not present in the general population are a possibility. For instance, if the sample population tends to have a high number of severely emotionally disturbed children with uncontrolled behaviors, the teachers may have more generally negative responses. The opposite could occur if there are not as many severely emotionally disturbed children in the student population. Using the study methodology described in this section, it will be difficult to make certain that confounding variables did not have an affect on the study results.

Sample Population

The sampling method chosen for the study has a measurable affect on the accuracy of the findings. The sample population consisted of 20 teachers of High School students in the local school system. Teachers selected taught in a variety of classroom settings in standard curriculum subjects. Subjects included Math, Social Studies, English, Science, and Health Education. Physical education teachers were excluded from their study due to the difference in teaching methods and classroom management as compared to subjects taught in the traditional classroom setting.

Although, no demographic information was collected in the study, some of this information was used as criteria for selection of the study population. Only teachers that had been teaching high school students for five years or more, either at their school or another, were included in the study sample. Teachers that have fewer years of experience may react differently than experienced teachers to students with emotional disturbances.

The age and qualifications of the teacher were not considered in this study. However, it can be expected that the number of years in the teaching profession would have an affect on the age and qualifications of the teacher. As this study measured thoughts and feelings, it is not suspected that the failure to include these factors would have an affect on the study results.

Only teachers that had at least two emotionally disturbed students in their classroom during the day were selected to participate in the study. Those that do not have emotionally disturbed students were excluded from participation in the survey. The severity and type of the disturbance were not taken into consideration. Some teachers may have had more emotionally disturbed students than others. The severity of the emotional disturbances present was not considered in selection of the sample population. However, purpose of the study was to assess teacher responses to emotionally disturbed students, therefore, only those with at least two students with IEPs for emotional disturbances were included.

The number of students with IEPs for emotional disturbances is generally low, compared to the general student population. There may be students that have emotional disturbances that do not have an IEP, but those students are not considered for the selection of teachers in the study. These students may affect management of the classroom, but there is no way to identify them using the current study criteria. Therefore, only students with emotional disturbances that are verifiable through an IEP were considered for selection of teachers for the study population.

Although, the number of students with IEPs for emotional disturbances in the classroom is generally low, as compared to the general student population, they have a tremendous impact on the ability of the teacher to manage the classroom. The teacher must continually modify their behavior in the classroom to accommodate the student with an emotional disturbance that causes negative behaviors in the classroom.

Measurement of Variables

In this study, students with IEPs for emotional disturbances serve as the independent variable, as this factor cannot be changed by the teacher or the researcher. However, they also serve as the test condition that is applied to the dependent variable. Teacher response to children with emotional disturbances is the variable to be tested. This is the thing that can be change by application of the test condition. Application of the test condition, children with emotional disturbances in the classroom, is the condition to be applied to the dependent variable.

Understanding how the independent variable affects the dependent variable is the topic of this study. The interaction of children with emotional disturbances in the classroom creates a change in the dependent variable, teacher response to these children and the affect that is has on the classroom. The changes in the dependent variable are measured by using a survey methodology. The survey is the chosen instrument for measurement of the affect of the independent variable on the dependent variable. In this case, this means measuring the affect of emotionally disturbed children on teacher response in the classroom.

Assumptions

This study uses quantitative techniques that can be easily analyzed using descriptive techniques. However, the questions themselves contain a number of subjective elements. The presence of these elements adds a qualitative element to the study. As such, there are certain assumptions that must be made in consideration of the methodology chosen for this study.

One of the key assumptions is that teachers will have had training in the proper responses to students with a behavioural IEP. It will also be assumed that the teacher will be aware of any modifications that need to me made in compliance with the student's IEP, as this notification is part of the IEP process. It is also assumed that the teacher is both willing and able to comply with the modifications included in the IEP. It is assumed that the teacher will be aware of the appropriate response to an ED child in their classroom.

Several of the questions are worded in such a way that the could imply the general classroom, rather than only the ED population. It is assumed that teachers will use their worst case scenarios, or a mental "average" of their experiences with ED children in their classroom. Teachers are likely to experience a variety of classroom situations and a variety of students. Sometimes it is difficult to classify the "typical" scenario during the day. The teacher will have to reflect over all of their classes and student encounters in order to determine what their typical response entails. Teachers are expected to attempt to provide answers that are representative of their typical responses, instead of the occasional non-typical response to those students.

Data Collection

This study involves a survey technique that targets a sample population of experienced teachers in the local school district. Teachers were pre-selected based on their likeness to an established set of criterion. Any teacher could request to participate, but only those that met all of the requirements and that did not meet any of the exclusionary criterion were considered.

A recruitment letter was sent out to potential subjects in the selected LEA. The letter explained the nature of the study and how the information to be collected would be used. Of those that responded, a preliminary screening was performed to make certain that they met the criteria to be eligible for the study.

The selected teachers were notified through a memo. They were asked to arrange time to come to the administration office and to take the short survey. Upon completion of the survey, they were to return it to the administration secretary, who would place the surveys in a manila envelope until the collection day. The researcher returned to the school to pick up the surveys for analysis.

Confidentiality was an important issue in the accuracy of the responses provided by the teachers. If they felt that their answers could be used against them in any way, it could affect their survey responses. The statistical analysis technique for the study did not require identification of the subjects. Therefore, no identifying information was collected on the survey. Once, teachers handed in their surveys, their individual responses could not be identified.

Validity Issues

As indicated previously, several validity concerns have been raised in regards to the survey instrument and the sample population. The survey instrument was developed by the researcher, based on information discovered during the literature review. The internal validity of the study is not currently known. Crohnbach's alpha will be used to assure that the study meets the intended validity criteria.

Several potential biases in the sample population were discussed earlier. These biases include the personal experiences of the teacher, training issues and their own personal viewpoints regarding the students. These factors represent confounding variables that cannot be controlled under the current scope of the study. Therefore, their potential affects on the conclusions drawn will be addressed in the discussion section of the study. The most important factor to keep in mind in regards to this study is that the responses of the teachers represent perceptions, rather than data regarding the frequency or types of behaviour by students.

Data Analysis

Survey data was analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques, as appropriate for each questionnaire response. Survey questions used a variety of formats to address the intended study issues. The results of the study are presented in graphical analysis in the following chapters of the study. Numerical patterns were easily discernable in the data, providing a means for easy comparison. The technique used a quantitative question format in many cases. However, the issues with using this as a strict quantitative analysis technique could lead to misleading results in the case of this survey.

The survey questions can be analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques. However, the results must be interpreted with the confounding variables and limitations of the study in mind. Statistical analysis of the data only tells part of the story in this research project. Interpretation of the data requires an in-depth exploration as to the reasons behind the trends found in this study. The differences found in the survey answers were subjective and cannot be understood fully using quantitative means. Percentages of yes/no, and categorical answers were used in many questions. Frequency distribution was the most meaningful method for data analysis, as it allowed a visual comparison of the categorical answers. Strictly statistical methods are best suited for quantitative analyses where the dependent variable can be sufficiently isolated. This was not the case in this study, therefore, a hybrid technique must be used for data analysis.

In data sets, such as this one, where confounding variables are known to exist, but cannot be adequately identified, statistical analyses can fail to uncover underlying issues. In some cases, they can be misleading. In cases such as this, statistical analyses cannot stand alone as a basis for conclusions. Graphical analysis can be useful in order to see general trends. However, a narrative is necessary in order to explain the various conditions that could have an affect on the conclusions and validity of the study.

Limitations of Study

Every study has limitations and situations that exist beyond the control of the researcher. In this case, the key limitation was that a sufficient method that allowed for direct comparison of the independent and dependent variables could not be found. There are too many confounding variables associated with the students' behaviour and the responses of the teacher to avoid such limitations.

In order to eliminate as many of these variables as possible, the study used strict inclusion and exclusion criteria for the selection of the teaching staff. Use of narrow inclusion criteria has a positive effect on eliminating numerous confounding variables. However, it has several negative effects on the study as well. The first is that it limits the sample pool available. Only a limited number of study participants may be obtained if the exclusionary criteria is too tight. This can lead to a small sample size and the inability to generalize results beyond the sample population or in similar sample populations.

Strict inclusion and exclusion criteria also can introduce unintended bias in the sample population. It may be that an outside factor affected the inclusion or exclusion of certain individuals. If this is the case, the sample is biased due to that factor. This can have a significant limiting effect on the ability to generalize the results. In addition to the inability to generalize study results, the resulting sample size exaggerates any biases that would be present.

Another source of potential bias comes from within the survey instrument itself. Some types of survey questions may be leading. For example, a question that begins, "do you have," or " have you ever," or "how many times do you" may lead the participant to think that the research expects a certain answer. In reality, questions like these are difficult to avoid. It is assumed that the participants in the survey will see the benefit and necessity of answering the questions as honestly as possible. However, the possibility of bias relating the wording of the sample questions cannot be eliminated altogether and must be considered in the final analysis.

One of the key weaknesses of qualitative studies is that the researcher might unintentionally project their own biases and expectations onto the results of the study. This is particularly true in the narratives of individual question results. Most researchers have the bias that they expect their hypothesis to hold true. They may inadvertently ignore information to the contrary, or they may exaggerate information that supports their position. Being aware of this possibility in the interpretation of the results is the best way to avoid this type of bias.

Conclusion

This study will help the researcher to determine major trends in the perceptions of teachers regarding major trends in the behaviour of students with emotional disturbances. The dependent variable in this study is difficult to measure in a way that is meaningful. Due to the existence of confounding variables and conditions outside the scope of the study, quantitative methods alone would not provide an accurate, or adequate picture of the topic at hand.

Although many of the survey questions could be reduced to a single data point answer, they did not tell the entire story. There are many issues that could have affected the answers and these could not be addressed using the quantitative methods described. Therefore, a qualitative analysis of the quantitative responses will be included as part of the data analysis portion of the study.

Quantitative research methods concentrate on finding correlations between variables, or the affect that one variable has on another. Quantitative research involves more labor intensive data analysis than qualitative methods in many cases. However, when done correctly, it can provide definitive answers to the research questions. Often when using qualitative research designs, hypotheses are generated during the data collection and analysis phases of the study. The researcher discovers new material and has the flexibility to include it in the study. Quantitative studies are not that flexible and often must stick to the methods, as designed at the beginning of the research project.

Data measurement in a qualitative study is subjective. Results can vary depending on who collects the data, the setting, and how it was collected. Qualitative methods have several advantages over quantitative methods in that they can provide the researcher with the underlying perspectives and ideas of the research subject. They focus on the thought processes and reasons for the actions of the participant, rather than what they did. Quantitative research tells what happened, but not why it happened. To understand those aspects of the study, a qualitative analysis is needed.

The method used for this study uses quantitative techniques to analyze the underlying issues and trends present in the sample population. However, it does not provide the in-depth exploration of the issues that are usually contained in a qualitative issue. This research will provide insight into the general trends in teacher perceptions, but will not be able to provide the reasons behind the trends.

Further research will be needed beyond this study that provide a more in-depth analysis of the research questions. This research will guide the way and lead to the development of techniques that provide a more definitive analysis of the qualitative issues that affect these trends. This research technique will allow the researcher to explore these trends and to recognize them, but will not allow an for an in-depth analysis.

The methodology described in this section provides a unique look at the hypothesis and research questions regarding teacher perceptions and reactions to students that have emotional disturbances. Children with emotional disturbances present a challenge in the classroom. This study will provide clues as to how teachers deal with the behaviours and attitudes of these children in the average classroom setting. However, it is clear that further study will be needed in order to clarify these issues.