Effects of a Four-Year Implementation of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support on Students’ Problem Behaviors in a Japanese Public Middle School: Implementation Fidelity and Rate of Problem Behavior

<p>Study Objective: To examine effects of a Tier 1 intervention with school-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) on the occurrence of students’ problem behaviors in a public middle school in Japan during a 4-year period. Design: AB₁B₂B₃. Setting: 1 public middle school. Participants: All students and faculty members at the school. Intervention: After grade-wide positive behavior support (PBS) was implemented to increase teachers’ verbal praise for students’ appropriate behaviors, the same intervention was expanded to the school level. Subsequently, based on the scores on the Japanese version of the Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI), action plans to implement school-wide positive behavior support were developed for each semester. Teachers followed these action plans in order to implement school-wide positive behavior support . Additionally, the school coordinated with elementary schools and families in order to implement positive behavior support in the community. Measure: The number of problem behaviors per school day per 100 students. Results: After the intervention, the scores on the Tiered Fidelity Inventory improved, and a significant decrease was observed in problem behaviors school-wide. The scores on the student and parent questionnaires also improved. Conclusion: After a Tier 1 intervention of school-wide positive behavior support was implemented with high fidelity in a Japanese public middle school, students’ problem behaviors decreased school-wide. Ways to implement Tiers 2 and 3 interventions in Japanese schools should be developed.</p>