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Doctoral Dissertation Defense
of
Bahaa Al Ghraibeh

For the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy
Special Education

Teacher Perceptions of the Self-Esteem of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

August 20, 2025
2:00 p.m.

Teacher Perceptions of the Self-Esteem of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

This qualitative interpretive study aimed to understand teachers’ perceptions of self-esteem in students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Specifically, this research sought to understand how teachers perceive and describe the self-esteem of students with EBD, the impact of self-esteem on behavior overall, school performance, and peer interactions. This study also explored how teachers of students with EBD try to improve their students’ self-esteem. Furthermore, this research aimed to investigate the factors identified by teachers that contribute to self-esteem in students with EBD. 

Data was collected using a purposive recruitment strategy approach, and interviews were conducted with the participants via Teams. The data were analyzed using an inductive approach. This inductive analysis was employed to systematically identify, organize, and derive insights into themes within the dataset. 

The findings showed six themes: (1) Teachers perceive students with EBD struggle with their self-esteem; (2) Teachers believe that multiple factors influence the self-esteem of students with EBD; (3) Students’ low self-esteem can negatively impact students’ behavior; (4) Students’ low self-esteem can limit students’ potential for academic achievement; (5) Students’ low self-esteem can adversely affect their interactions with peers; (6) Teachers manage students and the classroom environment to enhance self-esteem of students with EBD.