Using positive discipline to connect students with an emotional disturbance to their school

Students who have been found eligible for special education services based on an emotional disturbance can have difficulties fostering relationships with their peers and experiencing feelings of connectedness to their school. One way to increase feelings of school connectedness is through a social-emotional learning curriculum, such as Positive Discipline. Previous research has shown Positive Discipline to be effective in increasing prosocial behaviors between peers in a general education classroom. The first purpose of the study was to determine if students (N=17) enrolled in an Emotional Disturbance program would increase feelings of connectedness to their classroom and teachers following the implementation of the Positive Discipline program. A paired samples t-test showed no significant change in the feelings of connectedness following the Positive Discipline program. The second purpose of the study was to determine if classroom staff (N=16) working with emotional disturbance programs would increase their feelings of connectedness following implementation of Positive Discipline program. A paired samples t-test, showed a significant increase in feelings of connectedness for classroom staff. Further implications for the use of Positive Discipline are discussed.