Study of Discipline in the Secondary Classroom: A Positive Approach to Behavior Management

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) W. Carl Sumi, SRI International; Keith Herman, University of Missouri; Michelle Woodbridge, SRI International; Wendy Reinke, University of Missouri

Version: View help for Version V1

Name	File Type	Size	Last Modified
Analysis Y2_codes_axialcodes_DISCO teachers.xlsx	application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet	288.9 KB	08/28/2025 10:21:AM
CodeBook_Fidelity.xlsx	application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet	48.3 KB	08/25/2025 07:51:AM
CodeBook_TX_ResearchParticipation.xlsx	application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet	68.9 KB	08/25/2025 08:05:AM
CodeBook_TX_Teacher.xlsx	application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet	65.2 KB	08/25/2025 08:40:AM
Covid_TeacherInterview_Protocol.pdf	application/pdf	72.8 KB	08/28/2025 09:22:AM
DSCTchrEval.pdf	application/pdf	372.7 KB	08/25/2025 08:14:AM
DataDictionary_DSC.xlsx	application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet	51.4 KB	08/25/2025 07:50:AM
Fidelity to Partnership Principles Trainer Self Assess.pdf	application/pdf	216.5 KB	08/25/2025 08:13:AM
FidelityChecklist.pdf	application/pdf	202.1 KB	08/25/2025 08:13:AM
QualAnalysis Y1_codes_axialcodes.xlsx	application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet	727.1 KB	08/25/2025 08:23:AM

Project Citation:

Sumi, W. Carl, Herman, Keith, Woodbridge, Michelle, and Reinke, Wendy. Study of Discipline in the Secondary Classroom: A Positive Approach to Behavior Management. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2025-08-28. https://doi.org/10.3886/E235601V1

Project Description

Summary:

This study examined the efficacy of Discipline in the Secondary Classroom (DSC). DSC is a classroom management program that provides tools and strategies to help high school teachers establish proactive, nonpunitive discipline policies; manage student behavior; foster student motivation; and create a positive and productive classroom. This efficacy study (2018-2025) was funded by the U.S. Department of Education and conducted by SRI Education and the University of Missouri. The study took place in urban and suburban high school classrooms in California and Missouri, where SRI researchers conducted classroom observations and administered surveys about teachers’ sense of self-efficacy managing classroom behavior and engaging students, and feelings of burnout to evaluate the impacts of the DSC program.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the research team also collected and analyzed survey and interview data about teachers’ experiences and classroom management practices in online learning settings. To better understand research study recruitment challenges after the pandemic, the research team collected and analyzed teacher survey data to learn more about what factors motivate and discourage high school teachers from participating in research studies about classroom management practices.

Funding Sources: Institute of Education Sciences (R305A180013)

Scope of Project

Subject Terms: secondary education; social emotional learning; classroom management; student behavior

Geographic Coverage: California and Missouri

Time Period(s): 7/1/2018 – 8/31/2025

Collection Date(s): 8/1/2019 – 5/31/2024

Universe: High school teachers in urban and suburban schools in California and Missouri.

Data Type(s): observational data; other; survey data

Collection Notes:

The original design proposed a sample of 100 teachers (50 intervention and 50 comparison) in three cohorts over three school years. Teachers were to participate in the project for two years. Each year, we planned to recruit students in each teacher’s classroom to participate and conduct full data collection (i.e., student surveys, student direct assessments, direct observations of students and classrooms, teacher self-surveys, and teacher surveys of participating students’ behavior).

Cohort 1 included 33 teachers in the 2019-20 school year, but the team was unable to collect post-intervention data because of school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students and teachers did not return to schools in fall of 2020, and we were unable to recruit the second cohort of teachers in the 2020-21 school year. Students and teachers returned to schools in the 2021-22 school year; however, it was difficult for schools and teachers to prioritize participation in a research study during this transition back to in-person instruction. Understandably, school administrators, teachers, and staff were focused on reintegrating students into schools after more than a year of remote instruction. Recruitment was more difficult each year after the COVID-19 shutdown, and the research team in consultation with the project officer, modified the study design, in response to these challenges.

Key changes to the study design included: collecting information about the impact of COVID-19 on teaching practices and experiences; recruiting a target sample of 80 teachers for the study; adding a fourth cohort of teachers during the 2023-24 school year; having teachers participate for one year; collecting classroom observations and teacher surveys only (no student-level surveys or academic direct assessments); collecting teacher data to understand their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic; and collecting teacher data to better understand high school teachers’ inclination to participate or not participate in a study of classroom management.

Methodology

Response Rate:

A total of 96 English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics high school teachers participated in the Discipline in the Secondary Classroom (DSC) impact study (49 treatment, 47 control). A subset of these teachers [32 in spring 2020 (97% response rate) and 23 teachers in fall 2020 (96% response rate)] participated in the survey about their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 10 educators participated in interviews about their experiences during the pandemic.

A total of 96 teachers completed the survey about facilitators and challenges of participating in a research study about classroom management practices. These teachers did not participate in the DSC impact study. See “Sampling” for a description of the analytic sample.

Sampling:

We recruited a sample of high school English Language Arts and mathematics teachers from urban and suburban high school districts to particpate in the study. The analytic sample for the DSC impact study included 63 teachers (32 intervention, 31 comparison) from three cohorts of teachers (Cohort 2: 2021-22 school year; Cohort 3: 2022-23 school year; Cohort 4: 2023-24 school year). This analytic sample excluded the first cohort of teachers (33 teachers in the 2019-20 school year) because the team was unable to collect post-intervention data due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The analytic sample also includes only the first year of data for each cohort. The original study design was to collect data on each cohort of teachers for two school years; however, in response to challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team received federal program officer approval to collect data for one year only for Cohorts 3 and 4.

For the survey on facilitators and barriers of participating in a research study about classroom management practices, the research team invited all high school teachers from one large urban school district in California and one large suburban school district in Missouri.

Data Source:

For the Discipline in the Secondary Classroom (DSC) impact study, data were collected from 14 schools across a total of 4 school districts (urban and suburban) in Missouri and California. The SRI and University of Missouri research team collected classroom observation data and administered surveys.

For the survey on teachers’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, data were collected from 6 schools across a total of 3 districts.

For the survey on facilitators and challenges of high school teachers’ participation in research studies about classroom management practices, data were collected from one urban school district in California and one suburban school district in Missouri.

Collection Mode(s): coded on-site observation; other; web-based survey

Scales: See data dictionary and instruments (uploaded) for details.

Unit(s) of Observation: Teachers

Geographic Unit: n/a

Related Publications

Download this project

Published Versions

V1 [2025-08-28]

Export Metadata

Dublin Core

DDI 2.5

Report a Problem

Found a serious problem with the data, such as disclosure risk or copyrighted content? Let us know.

This material is distributed exactly as received from the data depositor. As of April 2026, depositors are required to submit study materials in accessible formats. ICPSR has not reviewed, checked, or processed this material. For additional information about the study, please contact the investigator(s) directly. If you have questions about the accessibility of materials distributed by ICPSR or require further assistance, please visit ICPSR's Accessibility Center.