Natural rates of teacher approval and disapproval in the classroom

Using Self-Monitoring to Increase Behavior Specific Praise in Elementary Classrooms

Teachers need simple, easy to implement, evidence-based interventions to use in their classrooms. A single-case multiple baseline across participants design was used to determine if the use of self-monitoring in isolation would increase educators' use of behavior-specific praise (BSP). Participants tracked their use of BSP using a hand counter when they taught content area classes (i.e., science, social studies) and during a time of transition during the generalization phase. An increase in educators' rate of BSP was seen when self-monitoring was used. Data revealed that the rate of BSP per minute was higher during the generalization phase than the intervention phase. • Cost and time efficient way to: - Teach self-monitoring - Increase staff use of BSP - Generalize use of BSP.

Considerations of Baseline Classroom Conditions in Conducting Functional Behavior Assessments in School Settings

Research has shown that environmental classroom variables affect academic performance and student behavior, and appropriate behavior is often related to the presence of effective teaching practices and classroom management (Moore Partin, Robertson, Maggin, Oliver, & Wehby Preventing School Failure, 54, 172-178, 2010). For behavior analysts consulting in elementary education, some referrals for assessment and treatment of individual student behavior can be resolved by helping teachers establish effective class-wide practices. For this reason, some researchers suggest that behavior analysts should assess baseline classroom conditions as part of a functional behavior assessment (FBA; Anderson & St. Peter Behavior Analysis in Practice, 6(2), 62, 2013; Sutherland & Wehby Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 11, 239-248, 2001). Through a literature review on effective classroom practices, we identified four specific classroom variables that have large effects on both learning outcomes and student behavior; we suggest consultants consider these four variables in baseline classroom assessments: (a) rates of active student responding (ASR), (b) appropriateness of the curriculum, (c) feedback and reinforcement, and (d) effective instructions and transitions. In this article, we will discuss each of these variables, describe how they can affect classroom behavior, and provide recommended targets from the research literature. We also provide a data-collection form for practitioners to use in their assessments of baseline classroom ecology, and for situations when these practices are not in place, we suggest potential resources for antecedent- and consequence-based interventions to decrease challenging classroom behavior.

Using Pretask Requests to Increase the Probability of Compliance for Students with Severe Disabilities

This article describes a nonaversive procedure to increase the probability that students with moderate and severe handicapping conditions will follow a directive to begin to work. Pretask requesting was evaluated using an ABA and BAB reversal design across four students with moderate and severe handicaps. The study suggests that familiar, rapidly paced, verbal directions with reinforcement can effectively mediate transitions from one activity to another. The theoretical implications of the procedure for a nonaversive technology of preemptive behavioral treatment are discussed.

Rates of Teachers' Verbal Approval and Disapproval

Existing rates of teacher approval and disapproval were assessed in 35 classrooms (grades K-4, 9, 12) during various activities. Teachers'mean rates of both approval and disapproval were highest in first grade and lower in upper grades, with the partial exception of the ninth. These data lend certain generality to those reported by White (1975), but there are also substantial differences between the two data sets. White's conclusions-that disapproval predominated after grade 2 and may account for disillusionment of children in grades thereafter-are questioned. Transition was the only activity in which disapprovals exceeded approvals. Approval and disapproval rates were not related to teachers' ages, years of experience, or recency of training. One implication is that teacher training should focus more on skill at verbal approval, particularly in classroom management, and that such training should be conducted by behavior analysts in classrooms.

Assessing the Clinical or Applied Importance of Behavior Change through Social Validation

Applied behavior analysis has emphasized that the effects of treatment interventions should be evaluated in part on the basis of whether changes of clinical, social, or applied importance have been achieved. Recently, social validation has been proposed as a means of evaluating whether behavior changes achieved during treatment are clinically important. In the context of evaluating treatment outcome, social validation consists of two procedures. First, the behavior of the target subject is compared with that of his or her peers who have not been identified as problematic. Second, subjective evaluations of the target subject's behavior by individuals in the natural environment are solicited. Behavior changes can be viewed as clinically important if the intervention has brought the client's performance within the range of socially acceptable levels, as evidenced by the client's peer group, or if the client's behavior is judged by others as reflecting a qualitative improvement on global ratings. The present paper reviews the literature on social validation in applied behavior analysis and discusses problems in assessing and interpreting normative data and subjective evaluations.

Norm-Based Behavioral Consulting

A norm-based approach to behavioral consulting was presented. A behavioral code and norms for 32 behaviors were developed for indoor free play situations in Head Start classrooms, with comparisons for age, sex, exceptional status, referral status, and semester reported. Among the results indicated were the following: older children engaged in more cooperative behavior and talking, in general the boys were more active than the girls, both exceptional and referred children were involved in more conflicts with their peers and in inappropriate activities, referred children also used inarticulate speech more often and received more one-to-one direction from adults, sex and special needs seemed to influence the referral process with the more withdrawn boys and the more active girls being referred, the exceptionals who were involved in less conflict with their peers were also more likely to be referred, and, overall, inappropriate behaviors declined while cooperative activities increased across semesters. Finally, the use of norms in behavioral consulting is discussed.

The Behavioural Approach to Teaching Package (BATPACK): Evolution and Evaluation

The development of an in-service teacher training package is described which has the aim of training primary and middle school teachers to use behavioural methods of classroom management. It is shown how the package evolved from the programme of experimental behavioural research carried out by the authors in schools over the last ten years. Emphasis is placed on the on-going evaluations of successive versions of the package. The package was continually revised until it could meet the criterion of bringing about measurable changes in observed teacher behaviour and in the behaviour of primary and middle school classes. Experimental findings supporting its effectiveness are presented and discussed.

Classroom Management in Primary Schools: A Review of the Literature

A considerable body of classroom management research has attempted to examine teacher and student variables believed to correlate with student academic achievement. However, only some of these variables are alterable by the school. Knowledge of these alterable variables may assist schools to make informed decisions about managing primary school classrooms to maximise student achievement. Evidence suggests that students' activity (level of academic engaged time and academic learning time) may be causally intermediate between the teacher's implementation of the curriculum (including a teacher's managerial skills, discipline procedures, and instructional methods) and the student's learning. This paper reviews the literature related to a number of alterable teacher and student variables that impact on a student's academic achievement. Existing difficulties of, and future directions for, classroom management research are discussed.

Setting events in applied behavior analysis: Toward a conceptual and methodological expansion

The contributions of applied behavior analysis as a natural science approach to the study of human behavior are acknowledged. However, it is also argued that applied behavior analysis has provided limited access to the full range of environmental events that influence socially significant behavior. Recent changes in applied behavior analysis to include analysis of side effects and social validation represent ways in which the traditional applied behavior analysis conceptual and methodological model has been profitably expanded. A third area of expansion, the analysis of setting events, is proposed by the authors. The historical development of setting events as a behavior influence concept is traced. Modifications of the basic applied behavior analysis methodology and conceptual systems that seem necessary to setting event analysis are discussed and examples of descriptive and experimental setting event analyses are presented.

The efficacy of all-positive management as a function of the prior use of negative consequences

Previous work suggests that an all-positive approach to child management can be effective. The present investigation extends these findings by examining the efficacy of an enhanced all-positive management system in the absence of a history of negative consequences. The on-task behavior and academic performance of 8 first- through third-grade children with academic and/or behavioral problems were observed in the classroom. Results indicated that, in the absence of a history of negative consequences, enhanced positive consequences were not sufficient to maintain on-task rates or academic accuracy at acceptable levels. The addition of negative consequences resulted in an immediate increase in on-task behavior and academic accuracy; a primarily positive approach appeared to be successful in maintaining these gains following the gradual (as opposed to abrupt) removal of the negative consequences.

Preventing antisocial behavior in the schools

Multiple correlates and determinants of antisocial behavior within the home, community, and school are reviewed. Due to the school's pivotal role in our society, an emphasis is placed on how our schools contribute to antisocial behavior, and what educators can do to prevent anti-social behavior and related attendance problems. A variety of contextual factors and setting events within our schools appear to be major contributors to antisocial behavior, and some of the same factors identified within the schools also have been identified within the home. These setting events, rather than quick restrictive fixes, must be given more attention if we are to provide safe school environments-environments that durably prevent antisocial behavior and related attendance problems.

Natural rates of teacher approval and disapproval in grade-7 classrooms

The natural rates of teacher verbal approval and disapproval in ten grade-seven classrooms were determined and compared with those described by White (1975). Although there were differences in the observation techniques used and the behavioral, cultural, and ethnic groups sampled, the results were similar. The majority of the teachers displayed individual rates of disapproval that were higher than their individual approval rates. The correlations between levels of on-task behavior and approval and disapproval rates were low. The issues raised by these findings are discussed in terms of directions for further research.

Naturalistic assessment of children's compliance to teachers' requests and consequences for compliance

Naturally occurring levels of teacher commands, child compliance to those commands, and positive and negative teacher feedback were studied in 19 teachers and 130 children in kindergarten through third grade. Seventy-five of the children had been identified as "making a good social adjustment" to school (high-rated) and 55 children were identified as "not making a good social adjustment" to school (low-rated). Results of intensive observation over a 4-wk period showed that: (a) individual teachers differed significantly in their overall use of commands; however, they did not differentially respond to high- versus low-rated children; (b) high-rated children were more likely to comply with commands than were low-rated children; (c) although the overall level of positive social consequences was extremely low, there was some indication that high-rated children were more likely to receive positive feedback for compliance than were low-rated children; (d) low-rated children received significantly more positive feedback than high-rated children for noncompliance; (e) teachers gave negative feedback for noncompliance at an equal level to both groups of children; and (f) although repeated teacher commands following noncompliance were equal across groups, low-rated children were exposed to significantly higher levels of repeated commands following compliance than were high-rated youngsters.

Descriptive analyses of caregiver reprimands

We conducted descriptive observations of 5 individuals with developmental disabilities and severe problem behavior while they interacted with their caregivers in either simulated environments (an inpatient hospital facility) or in their homes. The focus of the study was on caregiver reprimands and child problem behavior. Thus, we compared the frequency of problem behavior that immediately preceded a caregiver reprimand to that immediately following a caregiver reprimand, and the results showed that the frequency of problem behavior decreased following a reprimand. It is possible that caregiver reprimands are negatively reinforced by the momentary attenuation of problem behavior, and the implications for long- and short-term effects on caregiver behavior are discussed.

The Behavior Management Flow Chart: a component analysis of behavior management strategies

Representative published child behavior management research was reviewed. Based upon the review, a task analysis of child behavior management strategies was conducted. The Behavior Management Flow Chart is a flow chart of the task analysis that synthesizes the research into a cohesive unit and visually depicts actions that adults may be trained to use to manage misbehavior displayed by disruptive children. A discussion compares and contrasts the Behavior Management Flow Chart with Hanf-model behavior management programs, the appropriate unit of analysis is examined, and concerns regarding integrating a wide range of research variables into a unitary model are addressed.

Teaching elementary students with developmental disabilities to recruit teacher attention in a general education classroom: effects on teacher praise and academic productivity

Four fourth graders with developmental disabilities were trained to recruit teacher attention while they worked on spelling assignments in a general education classroom. The students were taught to show their work to the teacher two to three times per session and to make statements such as, "How am I doing?" or "Look, I'm all finished!" Training was conducted in the special education classroom and consisted of modeling, role playing, error correction, and praise. A multiple baseline across students design showed that recruitment training increased (a) the frequency of students' recruiting, (b) the frequency of teacher praise received by the students, (c) the percentage of worksheet items completed, and (d) the accuracy with which the students completed the spelling assignments.

Scripted sequences of teacher interaction. A versatile, low-impact procedure for increasing appropriate behavior in a nursery school

Sequences of managerial statements delivered by a teacher during supervised playtime were identified, and a scripting procedure was used to modify these sequences while retaining the overall structure of teacher-student interactions. Five preschool-age children participated in the study. Following an initial assessment phase, the alternative sequence of scripted interactions was implemented first by an experimenter using an ABAB reversal design and then by the classroom teacher. The scripted interaction sequence was effective in increasing levels of appropriate play behavior in all five children, and these levels were maintained when control of the procedure was transferred to the teacher. Moreover, the teacher quickly learned to implement the procedure, did so with a high degree of integrity, and judged it to be moderately acceptable. The value of scripted interactions as an effective yet flexible management strategy that can be used in teacher training is discussed.

Interventions for students with traumatic brain injury: managing behavioral disturbances

The present article provides information about the behavioral sequelae that are commonly seen in children and adolescents following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and ways that educators can begin to address these problems. Because, for the most part, behavioral interventions have not been empirically validated for use with TBI populations, this article focuses on the unique needs of these students and the factors that should be considered in designing intervention strategies. Emphasis is placed on the cognitive sequelae of TBI that can cause further behavioral problems and interfere with interventions (e.g., impaired attention, executive function, reasoning and problem solving, and learning and memory).

ADHD children's responses to stimulant medication and two intensities of a behavioral intervention

Multimodal interventions involving pharmacotherapy and behavior therapy are increasingly viewed as the treatment of choice for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Virtually all investigations of combined treatments have involved powerful behaviortherapy packages including token economies. Such interventions are costly and labor intensive and not accessible to most youngsters with the disorder. This study examined the effects of a relatively simple behavioral intervention alone and in combination with stimulant medication. Subjects were three boys, ages 10 and 11, attending a summer day treatment program. Rates of off-task behavior in the classroom were examined in relation to all six possible conbinations of two doses of methylphenidate plus placebo and two "intensities" of teacher reprimands, immediate and delayed. Results suggest that for some children with ADHD, a simple behavioral intervention implemented in its most intense form can achieve results comparable to those achieved with medication. Additionally, for some children medication can obviate the need forthe most intense form of a behavioral intervention. A case-by-case assessment is necessary and feasible.