Phenomenological Study of Students, Teachers, and Parents Affected by Restraint and/or Seclusion Use in Alternative School Setting
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Authors
Roberts, Cedric Artis, Jr.
Issue Date
2018-05
Type
Dissertation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Dissertations, Academic--United States , Education , School discipline , School discipline--Research , Alternative schools , Solitary confinement
Alternative Title
Abstract
Restraint and seclusion practices have transitioned from psychiatric institutions into public school systems. Teachers use these methods to prevent students from causing harm to others or themselves. Currently, there is no federal legislation in place guiding the implementation of these procedures. On the state level, some states have laws in place while others do not. The use of restraints and/or seclusion on students in alternative school settings has become highly controversial because these disciplinary approaches have caused injury and even death. Research studies on using these techniques in schools are limited in that researchers tend not to explore the lived experiences of individuals involved with restraints and/or seclusion. This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of students, teachers, and parents involved with these interventions in three alternative schools located in the state of Georgia. In-depth interviews were conducted with four students, four teachers, and four parents to examine their experiences with these practices. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. Interview transcripts were created and examined using Mark Vagle’s (2014) whole-parts-whole technique. Using this method, the researcher identified 17 different themes, which were arranged into four different categories. Based on the findings generated by this investigation, the participants acknowledged that school staff need to use the procedures to keep students safe, but they should not use these methods to punish students’ behaviors. Recommendations were made for future research on this topic.
--Keywords: physical restraints; seclusion; alternative schools; restraints and seclusion;
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This dissertation is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, revised in 1976). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of the materials for financial gain with the author's expressed written permissions is not allowed.