Factors Influencing A Teacher's Decision To Make A Behavioral Office Referral For African-American Males: The Impact Of Race And Gender

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a teacher's decision to make a behavioral office referral varies with the race and gender of the student and teacher. The participants in the study were middle school teachers in a suburban/urban school district. The participants involved in the study completed an online self-report instrument consisting of two sections. The first required them to respond to a scenario and determine how likely they would be to refer the student in that scenario to the office. The second section asked for specific demographic information about the participant. An analysis of the data revealed that the race of the teacher or student and the gender of a student do not have an impact on a teacher's decision to make a behavioral office referral. However, results revealed that the teacher's gender did have an impact on their decision to make a behavioral office referral.