Teachers' Perceptions and Utilization of the PBIS Rewards System

Abstract

One way to acknowledge when students meet expectations is to provide some type of an individual reward. The PBIS Rewards system is an automated schoolwide PBIS management system (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Rewards, n.d) that tracks positive behavior points earned per student and number of points given out by individual teachers. The purpose of this study was to explore how middle school teachers’ perceptions of positive reinforcement and the PBIS Rewards system is related to their willingness to distribute positive behavior points to students in their classes. Results from qualitative interviews, PBIS Rewards point data, and survey results showed that there was a significant variation in the number of Rewards points that teachers in the schools distributed. Further, many teachers were unsure of what behaviors warrant points and how to implement the system with fidelity. Implementation training and clear PBIS Rewards guidelines are suggested to alleviate these inconsistencies.