Investigating the relationships among positive behavior intervention and support, teacher burnout and student behavioral problems

The positive behavior intervention and support (PBIS) framework was created to help schools and teachers deal with student behavior challenges. Many studies examine the effect of PBIS on factors related to students' education with little attention given to teacher outcomes such as teacher burnout. The study’s purpose is to examine the direct and indirect relationship between PBIS-classroom systems (CS) and teacher burnout (TB) through the mediating variable student behavior problems (SB). This study also examines the relationship between SB and TB. The researchers collected data from 363 teachers within 95 K-12 schools across New York (79.3%) and New Jersey (20.7%) in the U.S.A. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used for data analysis where the authors constructed several models with and without control variables. The main findings indicate that teachers who implemented PBIS CS with high fidelity had significantly less TB and fewer SB. Teachers who had more SB had significantly higher TB. Furthermore, student characteristics can limit the effect of PBIS CS on SB. Implications such as gradual implementation plans, considering best practices and employing a change management approach are discussed.