Phenomenological Study of Students, Teachers, and Parents Affected by Restraint and/or Seclusion Use in Alternative School Setting

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;Chapter I: INTRODUCTION… 1 | Life Changing Incident… 1 | Statement of the Problem… 3 | Purpose 3 | Research Questions… 5 | Significance and Limitations 6 | Theoretical Framework and Conceptual Framework… 7 | Brief Overview of Methods… 8 | Definition of Terms… 9 | Chapter II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE… 11 | History of Restraints and Seclusion… 11 | The Inclusion Movement… 13 | Restraints and Seclusion in Public Schools… 15 | Restraints… 16 | Seclusion… 20 | Statistics on Restraints and Seclusion. 24 | Failed Precedent and Proposed Federal Legislations 26 | Failed Precedent 26 | Proposed Legislations 26 | The State of Georgia’s Restraint and Seclusion Policy 28 | Current Research on Restraints and Seclusion in Schools 29 | A Descriptive Study of the Use of Restraint and Seclusion in a Special Education School 31 | Restraint and Seclusion Use in U.S. School Settings 32 | Ethical and Professional Guidelines for Use of Crisis Procedures 34 | Physical Education: Amending the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act 36 | Conceptual Framework… 37 | Experiential Knowledge 38 | Theoretical Framework 40 | Research Questions… 42 | Chapter III: METHODS 44 | Subjectivity 44 | Early Life 44 | Special Education Classes 45 | What Is Phenomology? 46 | Research Settings… 48 | Participants… 49 | Sampling Techniques/Criteria… 52 | Recruitment… 53 | Data Collection Procedures… 55 | Data Analysis Procedures… 57 | Validity 61 | Chapter IV: NARRATIVES… 65 | Participant Narratives… 66 | Students 67 | Mark 67 | Johnathan 72 | Susan 77 | Kelly 82 | Teachers 87 | Rebecca 87 | Steven 92 | Paul 96 | Hope 100 | Parents 105 | George 105 | Heather 108 | Karla 111 | Shelly 114 | Categories/Themes… 118 | Chapter V: RESULTS… 123 | Category 1: Overall Restraint and Seclusion Experiences… 124 | Theme 1 124 | Theme 2 127 | Theme 3 129 | Category 2: Students’ Experiences With Restraints and/or Seclusion… 130 | Theme 4 130 | Theme 5 132 | Theme 6 133 | Theme 7 133 | Category 3: Teachers’ Experiences With Using Restraints and/or Seclusion…….134 Theme 8 135 | Theme 9 136 | Theme 10 138 | Theme 11 138 | Theme 12 139 | Theme 13 140 | Category 4: Parents’ Experiences With Restraints and/or Seclusion 141 | Theme 14 141 | Theme 15 142 | Theme 16 143 | Theme 17 143 | CHAPTER VI: DISCUSSION… 146 | Answers to Research Questions… 148 | RQ 1 149 | RQ 2 153 | RQ 3 157 | Themes Relating to Prior Literature… 161 | Theme 1 162 | Theme 2 163 | Theme 3 163 | Theme 4 164 | Theme 5 165 | Theme 6 166 | Theme 7 167 | Theme 8 167 | Theme 9 168 | Theme 10 168 | Theme 11 170 | Theme 12 170 | Theme 13 170 | Theme 14 171 | Theme 15 172 | Theme 16 172 | Theme 17 173 | Limitations… 173 | Implications of Study 174 | Recommendations for Future Studies… 175 | Conclusion 177 | Epilogue 179 | References… 182 | Appendix A: Cover Sheet… 188 | Appendix A: Interview Scheduling Information 189 | Appendix B: Cover Sheet… 192 | Appendix B: States without Restraint or Seclusion Guidelines 193 | Appendix C: Cover Sheet… 194 | Appendix C: States Prohibiting Mechanical Restraints 195 | Appendix D: Cover Sheet… 197 | Appendix D: Limited Research 198 | Appendix E: Cover Sheet… 200 | Appendix E: Approved IRB Form 201 | Appendix F: Cover Sheet… 203 | Appendix F: Recruitment Email and Flyer 204 | Appendix G: Cover Sheet… 206 | Appendix G: Demographic Questionnaire 207 | Appendix H: Cover Sheet… 210 | Appendix H: Informed Consent Form for Adults 211 | Appendix I: Cover Sheet… 215 | Appendix I: Informed Consent Form (Parent/Guardian of the Child) 216 | Appendix J: Cover Sheet… 220 | Appendix J: Child Assent Form 221Schnertzing, RichardClevenger-Schmertzing, LorraineWilson, FeliciaLaPlant, James T.Ed.D.Education in Leadershi