Creating school and classroom climate which allows for all children to feel included in school is important. Supportive classroom and school climate, characterized by positive teacher and student relationships, has been linked to students’ well-being and mental health (Aldridge et al., 2018; Wang et al., 2020).  Therefore, it is crucial that schools take measures to promote supportive classroom and school climate. This study focuses on Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS), a system-level program that targets school and classroom organization to promote prosocial behaviors and prevent behavior problems (Horner et al., 2017).

In previous research, SW-PBIS has led to reduction of behavior problems and increase in prosocial behaviors as well as positive perceptions of school and classroom climate among students and teachers (Lee & Gage, 2020; Mitchell et al., 2018). However, the studies show that the effects of SW-PBIS are dependent on the quality of the program’s implementation and schools that implement the program with high fidelity benefit from the program to a higher degree (Kim et al., 2018). Implementation of SW-PBIS programs require having organization in place from the start and schools that are characterized by initial low quality of implementation also tend to experience persistent challenges in implementation and lack sustainability (Sørlie, 2021). Thus, in order to bring sustainable change in school and classroom climate through SW-PBIS programs, it is crucial to understand the complex processes that arise at schools as they implement the program. 

Implementation of evidence-based programs in general and SW-PBIS programs in particular is a complex process, that may be influenced by multiple factors. Researchers call for the need to take into account specific school contexts and organizational implementation contexts (Locke et al., 2019; Pas et al., 2015). In implementation of the SWPBIS specifically two areas have been highlighted as essential in implementation. Firstly, researchers have pointed to the importance of school organizational processes of implementation, emphasizing that implementation is a task for school leaders and involves whole school processes including school staff’s perception of the implementation climate and school organizational health (Corbin et al., 2022; Sørlie, 2021). Secondly, the classroom level processes and the teachers’ approaches in daily interactions with their students have been underscored (Pas et al., 2016; Sørlie, 2021). For example, teachers at schools that struggle with implementation or have a history of relying on punitive strategies in addressing students’ problem behavior, may continue to rely on these strategies rather than focusing on encouraging students’ prosocial behaviors.  This study draws attention to these critical aspects of SW-PBIS implementation by closely studying 10 schools which have worked with implementation of SW-PBIS. 

The aim of the study is twofold. Firstly, we intend to explore the effects of the initial implementation of the SW-PBIS program on school professionals’ perceptions of their classroom climate and collective self-efficacy. Secondly, we aim to qualitatively explore the school professionals’ perceptions of implementation of SW-PBIS in schools with varying degrees of implementation. The following research questions guide the study:

(a)     What is the effect of the SW-PBIS program on school professionals’ perceptions of classroom climate and collective self-efficacy?

(b)    What are school professionals’ perceptions of the implementation processes at ten schools with varied contextual characteristics?

In connection to recruitment, the schools were offered a choice whether they preferred to be a part of an intervention or a part of an active control group. At the start of the project, 1246 school professionals (908 in the intervention and 338 in the control group) participated in a survey focusing on their perceptions of problem behavior at class and classroom level, as well as their perceptions of classroom climate and collective self-efficacy. After one year in the project, 269 participants completed the same survey (180 in the intervention and 89 in the control group). In this study, the SW-PBIS intervention was based on the Norwegian manualized program SW-PBIS, N-PALS (Positiv Atferd, Støttende Læringsmiljø, og Samhandling) and adapted to Swedish conditions. The Swedish intervention, Inclusive Behavioral Support in Schools (IBIS) has similar core components as N-PALS and includes: (a) clear school-wide expectations classroom rules, followed up by positive feedback; (b) data-based system for monitoring students’ behaviors; (c) classroom management training for teachers; (d) collaboration with parents. The classroom management component is extended in the Swedish version of the program and includes strategies for strengthening teacher-student relationships (e). The active control group received a shortened version of the IBIS program, containing the components focusing on classroom management (component d) and teacher-student relationships (component e). The training for the professionals in both intervention and control group encompassed ten training sessions (25 hours in total). Four questionnaires were used to evaluate the effect of the SW-PBIS intervention. Classroom Climate Teacher questionnaire included 14 statements, rated on a 4-point scale (1=does not fit to 4=fits completely). Collective Self-efficacy Questionnaire focused on teacher collective beliefs of their capacity to support students. The questionnaire consisted of 21 items measured on a 6-point scale (1=Do not agree at all to 6=Agree completely). Two questionnaires The Problem Behavior in the Classroom Last Week (20 items) and Problem Behavior in the School Environment Last Week (15 items) were used. To study the implementation fidelity of the program, questionnaire Benchmarks of Quality was completed 7 months after the start of implementation of the IBIS program. Study protocol (Karlberg et al., 2024) further describes the psychometric qualities of the questionnaires. Based on the quantitative data, ten schools in the intervention group, characterized by varying contextual factors and varying trajectories of change, were recruited to focus-group interviews.

Concerning problem behaviors at school and classroom level, both intervention and active control schools reported decrease in problem behaviors. However, the decrease was somewhat larger in the active control schools. The differences were however not significant. Perceptions of classroom climate increased in both groups, but the increase was somewhat higher in the intervention group. However, the differences were not significant. Perceptions of collective self-efficacy increased in both intervention and control group, but there were not significant differences between the groups. Studying individual trajectories of change, based on average ratings per school showed varying patterns of change, as some schools experience positive changes, other schools experienced no changes and still other schools experienced negative changes. In the intervention, the change patterns followed the reported degree of implementation, i.e. schools with a higher degree of implementation experienced positive changes, while schools with a lower degree of implementation experienced negative changes. At the moment, focus group interviews with ten schools, characterized by varied contextual characteristics and varied change trajectories are conducted. The results of the interviews are expected to contribute with valuable knowledge of the processes of implementation in school organizational climate as well as classroom level aspects, including teacher-student relationships.

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