In Search of How Principals Change: A Qualitative Study of Events That Help and Hinder Administrator Support for School-Wide PBIS
Abstract
Research has shown principal support to be a critical variable for implementing and sustaining evidence-based practices. However, there remains little understanding of the factors that may influence a principal’s personal decision to support a practice. The purpose of the current study was to examine events that influenced principals’ support for a widely used approach to behavior in schools, school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS). In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 school administrators who self-reported that they were initially opposed to or not supportive of PBIS but became stronger supporters over time. Qualitative analysis using the Enhanced Critical Incident Technique revealed eight helping and three hindering categories of experiences in change in support, as well as two categories of early experiences that they reported might have built their support from the beginning. Implications for enhancing administrator support are provided.
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Principal buy-in and school leadership are critically important to the implementation of universal prevention programs.
“Related to mental health, research has established that principal buy-in and school leadership are critically important to the implementation of universal prevention programs [58–61].”
From Leading the charge in the education sector: development and validation of the School Implementation Leadership Scale (SILS) (2022) · cites this paper as [60]
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- Authors
- McIntosh, K., Kelm, J. L., & Canizal Delabra, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Oregon (US)
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- University of Oregon, Eugene, USA
- Corresponding author
- McIntosh, Kent
- ORCID
- McIntosh, Kent
- Venue
- Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2015-08-06
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 100-110
- ISSN
- 1098-3007 (ISSN-L)
- 1538-4772
- OpenAlex
- W2294437764
- Cited by
- 55
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 8 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 10.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Education
- Institute of Education Sciences
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
- Social Sciences › Education › Education Discipline and Inequality
- Social Sciences › Education › Educational Leadership and Practices
- Keywords
- principal support, SWPBIS, PBIS implementation, school administrators, evidence-based practice, school behavior management
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