Early Childhood Teachers’ Use of Pyramid Model Practices

Abstract

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and the Pyramid Model are tiered frameworks of recommended prevention, teaching, and intervention practices used to promote children’s social emotional development and behavioral health. The present study reports results from a survey of 155 early childhood teachers in preschool through third-grade classrooms regarding their use of specific practices associated with social emotional multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). We found that teachers across grade levels used primary prevention practices most often but with little adaptation or linguistic support for dual-language learners. Some secondary-tier social emotional teaching practices were utilized while other aspects of social emotional instruction were infrequently implemented. Teachers rarely used individualized behavioral supports for children with interfering behavior. A few significant differences were identified for classrooms with high percentages of children with Individualized Education Programs and by grade level. Findings are discussed in the context of persistent gaps in early childhood teachers’ use of recommended practices to support children’s social emotional competence.

Keywords

early childhood social emotional recommended practices

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