Associate Professor
Department of Teaching, Learning, and Leading
Dr. Douglas E. Kostewicz is an Associate Professor of Special Education and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-D at the University of Pittsburgh. He teaches courses in special education methods, applied behavior analysis, and single case research. Dr. Kostewicz’s research focuses on the effective use of teacher attention in classroom, graphical construction, and the effective use of academic and behavioral intervention for students with disabilities.
Dr. Kostewicz earned his B.S. in Psychology from Allegheny College and a MA in Special Education from The Ohio State University. He earned his Ph.D. in Special Education from The Pennsylvania State University.
Instructional Interests
- Advance Single Case Design
- Applied Behavior Analysis
- Educating Students with Emotional Disturbance
Scholarly Interests
- Effective Teacher Interactions in the Classroom
- Precision Teaching
- Applied Behavior Analysis
- Graphical Construction
Selected Grants
- McCarthy, T., & Kostewicz, D. E. (2018-2023). Certified orientation and mobility/Behavior specialists (COMBS). Office of Special Education Projects, U.S. Department of Education ($1,112,509). Co-principal Investigator.
- Kostewicz, D. E., Robertson, R., Conway, S., & Milner, H. R. (2018-2023). Urban Special Education Scholars (USES). Office of Special Education Projects, U.S. Department of Education ($1,027,584). Principal Investigator.
Featured Publications
- Kubina, R. M., Ruiz, S., & Kostewicz, D. E. (in press). Quantifying function with the functional analysis celeration chart. Manuscript accepted for publication to Behavior Analysis in Practice.
- Kostewicz, D. E., Kubina, R. M., & Brennan, K. M. (in press). Improving spelling for at-risk kindergartners through element skill frequency building. Manuscript accepted for publication to Behavioral Interventions.
- Coy, J. N., & Kostewicz, D. E. (2018). Noncontingent reinforcement: Enriching the classroom environment to reduce problem behaviors. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 50, 301-309. Doi: 10.1177/0040059918765460
- Mrachko, A.A., Kostewicz, D.E., & Martin, W. (2017). Increasing positive and decreasing negative teacher responses to student behavior through training and feedback. Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice. Special Issue: Behavior Analysis in Schools, 17(3), 250-265. Doi: 10.1037/bar0000082
- Kubina, R. M., Kostewicz, D. E., Brennan, K. A., & King, S. A. (2017). A Critical Review of Line Graphs in Behavior Analytic Journals. Educational Psychology Review, 29, 583-598. doi: 10.1007/s10648-015-9339-x