ERIC Number: ED639236
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 90
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3801-8635-3
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Barriers to Restoration in the Classroom
Elizabeth Nicole Proctor
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Dayton
To combat high suspension rates and rising discipline issues amongst students in public schools, many educational organizations have implemented restorative practices in classrooms. Restorative practices (RP) offer educators the opportunity to create a stronger sense of community with students in the classroom as well as develop a curriculum that caters to students' social and emotional needs. The process of RP can be successful for all stakeholders in a school if implementation is mandated from an appropriate top-down approach. However, issues arise for staff and students when space, time, resources, and training are not allocated to the restorative transition. The main focus of this interpretivist, qualitative study was to uncover teacher perceptions of RP and examine how their perceptions affect their willingness to implement the strategies in their classrooms or participate in the restorative process at the Lincoln Secondary Campus (LSC). A snowball sampling approach was used in the study to find teachers at LSC who have served the district for at least five years. Through semi-structured interviews, seven participants were questioned face-to-face or using Zoom software. The questions related to their experience at LSC as an educator, their views of disciplinary practices, classroom management, and their involvement with the RP process at the LSC campus. The transcription of the interviews led to a coding system that highlighted the common themes and barriers to restoration on campus. The synthesis of the codes unearthed five major themes relevant to RP at LSC: interpretation of RP by teachers, impact of RP on LSC campus, continued training in RP, teacher reflexivity, and the disconnect between leaders and RP. The findings also uncovered that the staff support the use of RP at LSC because there is a development of a more empathetic and reflective student body. The detailed analysis of the data led to the development of a detailed action plan for LSC. The plan suggests the use of an evaluation survey of RP and the RP room by the staff, compulsory training in RP each semester, staff observations in the RP room on campus, and the inclusion of student peer mediators in the staff training sessions. The intervention plan anticipates that staff's instructional strategies will become more cohesive, inclusive, equitable, and restorative after the necessary steps in the action plan are executed in the upcoming school year. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Teacher Attitudes, Restorative Practices, Program Implementation, School Culture, Suburban Schools, Teachers, Suspension, Discipline Problems, Public Schools, Classroom Techniques
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ohio
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A