A Comparison of Behavior and Achievement of PRIDE Students with Emotional Disturbance in General and Special Education Classroom Settings

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare PRIDE students’ behavior and achievement in their general and special education classroom settings Participants were 10 students who had failed to meet the promotion requirements to move to the next grade level last year and were in a specialized program for emotionally disturbed (ED) students called P.R.I.D.E., which stands for the behavioral goals taught in the program: Positive, Respectful/Responsible, In Control, Dedicated and Empathetic . The purpose of PRIDE is to provide students with supports to help them successfully transition to general education classrooms. The researcher collected students’ daily behavior ratings from their point sheets, daily grades and anecdotal notes in both their special (PRIDE) and general education classes. Participants’ grades and PRIDE points earned in both settings were compared to help the researcher consider which behaviors were exhibited and how to improve behavior and academic performance in both settings. The t statistic comparing the PRIDE points in the two settings (3.19) was found to be statistically significant, (p<.002), so hypothesis 1 was rejected. The t statistic comparing mean daily grades in the Pride and Inclusion room of 2.784 (mean difference was 6.114 percentage points) was statistically significant (p< .006), so hypothesis 2 was also rejected. These findings indicated behavior and grades were rated higher in the PRIDE setting overall. The correlation between grades and behavior ratings in the inclusion room were statistically significant, so hypothesis 3 was rejected, but that was not the case in the PRIDE room, so hypothesis 4 was retained. However, the correlation between grades and points in the PRIDE room was also positive, so both correlations indicated that students who demonstrated better behavior (compared to the other participants) also tended to demonstrate better performance on academic tasks.