The Influence of Intervention Strategies on Students with Disabilities Who Exhibit Challenging Behaviors in Rural Public Schools: Teacher Perceptions

This phenomenological qualitative study addressed rural teachers' perceptions of the influence of intervention strategies on students with disabilities who exhibit challenging behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ perceptions of the effect of intervention strategies on academic achievement, student behavior outcomes, and teacher self-efficacy through the lens of Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory. This theory is a complex, dynamic interaction among people, their behaviors, and their environments. Data collection included 14 individual interviews, conducted on Zoom with educators from one school district in Southern Virginia, including seven general education teachers and seven special education teachers. Data analysis strategies included transcription with line-by-line and focused coding, organizing information into categories and themes, and then interpreting the line-by-line and focused coding. Four themes emerged from the analysis of the data: (a) intervention effectiveness through inconsistency and the need for individualization, (b) the academic and behavioral patterns of intervention strategies, (c) environmental and rural contextual factors, (d) and support structures and teacher efficacy.