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| Influences of Group Contingency Interventions on Disruptive Behavior in the Classroom Setting |
| Sunday, May 25, 2014 |
| 2:00 PM–2:50 PM |
| W195 (McCormick Place Convention Center) |
| Area: EDC/PRA; Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Dacia McCoy (University of Cincinnati) |
| Abstract: Teachers are in need of effective and efficient interventions to address low engagement and high levels of off-task and disruptive behaviors in the classroom setting. This symposium will describe three studies that examined the development and implementation of group contingency intervention packages. The first study utilized an interdependent and independent group contingency package with elementary students in an urban setting. The results display an immediate increase in engagement and decrease in disruptive behaviors upon implementation of the intervention. The second study evaluated an interdependent group contingency intervention combined with self-monitoring procedures for middle school students identified with Emotional Disturbance in an alternative setting. With the intervention package, the data demonstrate an increase in on-task behaviors and a decrease in disruptive behaviors. The third study incorporated a tootling procedure and public posted feedback with an interdependent group contingency intervention with elementary students in two classrooms. The results support an increase in appropriate behaviors and a decrease in disruptive behaviors with the implementation of the intervention across both classrooms. The discussion of these cases will focus on how group contingency intervention packages may be modified to improve outcomes for students. |
| Keyword(s): Classroom Management, Classwide Intervention, Group Contingencies, School Setting |
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Combining Group Contingency Components to Increase Effectiveness in Decreasing Disruptive Behaviors and Increasing Engagement |
| ASHLEY SHIER (University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Munroe Meyer Institute) |
| Abstract: Disruptive behaviors, which have long been a concern for educators, can occupy much teacher time and ultimately impact academic instruction. Individualized behavior plans can be time consuming and may not be feasible for one teacher to manage. Group contingencies can be a time efficient and effective way to manage classroom behavior (Theodore, Bray, & Kehle, 2004). The present study examined the effects of an interdependent and independent group contingency package on the behaviors of second and third grade students in an urban classroom. Using a reversal design, engagement and disruptive behavior levels were compared during baseline and intervention. Results supported the overall decrease in disruptive behaviors and increase of engagement. Following the removal of the interdependent component only, engagement maintained high intervention levels while disruptive behaviors returned to baseline levels. This may suggest the importance of combining multiple contingency components for the best outcomes. Intervention components as well as limitations and implications for future research are discussed. |
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| Influence of Self-Monitoring on an Interdependent Group Contingency for Students With Emotional Disturbance |
| HILARY B. DENUNE (University of Cincinnati), Dacia McCoy (University of Cincinnati), Renee Hawkins (University of Cincinnati) |
| Abstract: Low student engagement during academic tasks and high levels of disruptive behaviors can have a profound negative impact on student outcomes. Students exhibiting emotional disturbance (ED) lack the academic skills and self-control necessary to remain engaged during passive academic tasks and are more likely than their peers to exhibit disruptive behaviors. Researchers have examined the effects of combining group contingencies and self-monitoring procedures to address student behavior, though influence of self-monitoring on group contingencies has not been investigated. This presentation will describe a study analyzing the impact of self-monitoring procedures on the effectiveness of an interdependent group contingency implemented in a middle school classroom serving students with ED. Target variables included student on-task and disruptive behaviors. After the implementation of an interdependent group contingency intervention, self-monitoring procedures that required students to indicate whether or not they were following classroom rules at multiple times during the class period were added. Reliability and adherence data were collected for 20% of all observation and intervention sessions. Results indicated an increase in student engagement and a decrease in disruptive behaviors upon introduction of intervention procedures. The influence of the self-monitoring procedure on the interdependent group contingency will be discussed. |
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Evaluating the Effects of Tootling on Disruptive and Appropriate Behaviors in Elementary School Children |
| ABIGAIL LAMBERT (University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Munroe Meyer Institute), Daniel H. Tingstrom (The University of Southern Mississippi), Brad A. Dufrene (The University of Southern Mississippi) |
| Abstract: The current study was designed to replicate and extend the literature regarding the effectiveness of a positive peer reporting procedure known as tootling (Skinner, Skinner, & Cashwell, 1998) for decreasing disruptive student behavior as well as increasing appropriate student behavior. Tootling is a technique that teaches students to recognize and report peers prosocial behaviors rather than inappropriate behaviors. To date, tootling has been used in only one study utilizing direct observations data for disruptive behavior in the classroom setting (Cihak, Kirk, & Boon, 2009). To extend the tootling research, direct observation data of both disruptive and appropriate behaviors in children were collected. Participants included upper elementary school students (i.e., fourth and fifth grade) and instructors in two classrooms in a local elementary school. The tootling procedure was used with an interdependent group contingency and publicly posted feedback to increase the amount of tootles produced by the students. An ABAB withdrawal design with a multiple baseline element across two classrooms was used to determine the effectiveness of the tootling intervention for decreasing disruptive behaviors. Results demonstrated improvements in appropriate behaviors and decreases in disruptive behavior as compared to baseline and withdrawal phases. |
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