Abstract
Students choose how to behave, but their choices are most often guided by their motivation. Behavioral theorists have posited that external and/or internal factors drive a student’s motivation, but they differ in their views on the extent to which these factors sustain behavioral change. School-based behavior intervention frameworks (e.g., Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports [PBIS]) are most often grounded in stimulating a student’s motivation through external means, such as rewards or consequences. A framework based on developing a student’s internal motivation is Glasser’s Quality Schools. The empirical literature is unclear about which behavioral change frameworks promote long-term, sustainable change in student behavior. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine whether one, both, or neither of the behavioral change frameworks, PBIS and Choosing Excellence (CE), produced sustained behavioral change in students in Title I elementary schools within a single school district in southern Florida. Although the CE model was reported as more effective in the qualitative findings, which reflected positive perceptions and improvements in school climate and student behavior, the quantitative data indicated that schools implementing PBIS demonstrated greater overall effectiveness. Specifically, PBIS schools showed lower rates of student infractions and more consistent reductions in consequences across multiple demographic groups. This suggests that, while stakeholder perceptions favored CE, the measurable behavioral outcomes favored PBIS as the more effective framework based on quantitative evidence. It is suggested that further research explore whether a behavior management framework that integrates both internal and external motivational strategies, aligned with child development, would sustain long-term behavioral improvement.