Association for Behavior Analysis International

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is a classwide group contingency that has been shown to reduce disruptive student behavior. Previous research has shown that teachers can successfully implement the GBG in their classrooms. Although students have successfully implemented other classroom-based behavioral interventions (e.g., peer tutoring, self-management), previous research has not examined student implementation of the GBG. The current study examined the effectiveness of the GBG in 1 first-grade and 3 kindergarten classes when implemented by an experimenter, the classroom teacher, and a student. In the 3 kindergarten classes, we also examined teacher preference for teacher-led GBG, student-led GBG, or no GBG using a concurrent chains procedure. In all classes, the GBG effectively reduced disruptive behavior regardless of who implemented the GBG. We did not observe differences in the level of disruptive behavior across experimenter-, teacher-, and student-led GBG conditions. Preference for who implements the game varied across teachers. One teacher preferred student-led GBG, one teacher preferred teacher-led GBG, and one teacher did not show a consistent preference. Results of this study suggest that students as young as kindergarten-age can effectively implement the GBG and that teacher preferences should be taken into account when determining how classwide interventions are implemented.

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is a well-documented classroom management procedure that is effective in reducing disruptive classroom behavior. Although it has been demonstrated to be extremely effective, some teachers and educators have reported that the game can be too disruptive and effortful to implement consistently in their classroom. In this study, a multiple baseline across classrooms design was used to evaluate a modified, low-effort variation of the GBG at an alternative school for children who engage in delinquent behavior. In this procedure, the experimenter explained simple rules to the class (i.e., you have to raise your hand and receive permission to talk or leave your seat) and informed them that he would be in the back of the classroom marking when rules were broken. Students were told that if they got fewer than a certain number of marks, they would win the game and receive an edible reinforcer. The experimenter then sat in the back of the class and monitored behavior intermittently. Every 5 minutes, student behavior was recorded for 30 seconds. Whenever a student broke a rule during the 30 second window, a mark was placed by their name in a book. Unlike the typical GBG, students were not informed when they broke a rule or what the mark limit was. Sessions lasted approximately 25 minutes with a total monitoring time of approximately 2 minutes per session. Substantial reductions in disruptive behavior were seen in all classrooms. Implications and future directions will be discussed.