Association for Behavior Analysis International

The Association for Behavior Analysis International® (ABAI) is a nonprofit membership organization with the mission to contribute to the well-being of society by developing, enhancing, and supporting the growth and vitality of the science of behavior analysis through research, education, and practice.

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41st Annual Convention; San Antonio, TX; 2015

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Symposium #160
CE Offered: BACB
Academic and Behavioral Issues in the Classroom: Developing Effective Practices and Addressing Educator Concerns
Sunday, May 24, 2015
10:00 AM–11:50 AM
210AB (CC)
Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Research
Chair: Jennifer L. Austin (University of South Wales)
Discussant: Cynthia M. Anderson (Appalachian State University)
CE Instructor: Jennifer L. Austin, Ph.D.
Abstract: This symposium includes four papers aimed at addressing academic or behavioral issues in mainstream and special schools, with an aim toward developing effective practices whilst also addressing common concerns raised by educators. The first presentation will demonstrate how group contingencies can be used to increase academic engagement and reduce disruptions during reading instruction. The second presentation will evaluate the degree to which teachers may be trained to effectively implement a classroom management strategy called the Good Behavior Game (GBG). The third study will address concerns with the GBG commonly raised by teachers and demonstrate how the game can be adapted to meet teacher preferences, without substantially compromising treatment effectiveness. The fourth presentation will address potential contrast effects when behavior management strategies are used intermittently throughout the day. Our discussant will synthesize the outcomes of the papers and suggest directions for future research.
Keyword(s): academic engagement, classroom management, mainstream education, teacher training
 
Programming a Randomized Dependent Group Contingency and Common Stimuli to Produce Durable Behavior Change
TOM CARIVEAU (University of Oregon), Tiffany Kodak (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
Abstract: Students may engage in behavior during instruction that competes with the acquisition of skills. Interventions using group contingencies are an effective way to modify the behavior of students during small-group instruction. Directly programming for generalization of treatment effects may increase the durability of behavior change and further increase the efficacy of group contingencies. The current study examined the effect of a randomized dependent group contingency and programming common stimuli on levels of academic engagement and problem behavior in second-grade participants receiving small-group reading and writing instruction using an ABABC reversal design. Higher levels of academic engagement were observed when the randomized dependent group contingency was implemented. Treatment effects maintained in all three groups when common stimuli were present and the randomized dependent group contingency was withdrawn. Our results replicate and extend prior research on randomized group contingencies and strategies to enhance generalization. Discussion will include considerations for future research and practice.
 
Training Teachers to Implement the Good Behavior Game with Children with Behavior Disorders
P. RAYMOND JOSLYN (University of Florida), Timothy R. Vollmer (University of Florida)
Abstract: The good behavior game (GBG) is a classroom management procedure that is effective across various age groups and settings, but it has not been demonstrated to be effective in a population of students with behavior disorders. In previous research, the GBG has often been implemented by a trained behavior analyst, which could make it difficult or impractical to use simultaneously in multiple classrooms at the same school. In study one, a behavior analyst implemented the GBG in three classrooms at a school for students with behavior disorders. The GBG was effective at reducing disruptive behavior in all three classrooms. In study two, teachers’ ability to effectively implement the GBG was evaluated. A behavior analyst gave teachers a brief training on the implementation of the GBG, and data on student disruptive behavior and teacher treatment integrity were recorded. The teachers were able to effectively utilize the GBG to reduce disruptive behavior with moderate to low treatment integrity. These results suggest that it would be feasible to develop procedures for school-wide GBG implementation. This would provide a more efficient means to get the various benefits afforded by the procedure into classrooms. Implications and future directions will be discussed.
 
Adapting the Good Behavior Game to Meet Teacher Preferences: Effects on Student Behavior and Teacher Acceptance
EMILY GROVES (University of South Wales), Jennifer L. Austin (University of South Wales)
Abstract: The good behavior game (GBG) uses an interdependent group contingency to set the occasion for prosocial behavior and improve teachers’ classroom management skills. The effectiveness of the game is supported by a wealth of research across a range of populations and settings. However, some teachers find implementing new systems difficult, even when they know those systems are evidence-based. In the current study, we adapted components of the GBG to meet teacher preferences and assessed the effects of the game on student behavior in a primary school for children with challenging behavior. Adaptations included removing the interdependent group contingency in one classroom (with eventual introduction of teams later in the study) and having multiple teachers play the game simultaneously with different groups in another classroom. Our data showed that the adapted versions of the game were effective in reducing challenging behavior in both classrooms, although effects for individual children varied. We also found that teachers reported they liked the game and played it with integrity. We discuss some of benefits and limitations of using teacher preferences to adapt the implementation of evidence-based interventions.
 
Examining a Brief Classwide Intervention as a Multiple Schedule
Jeanne M. Donaldson (Texas Tech University), KATIE WISKOW (Texas Tech University), Paul L. Soto (Texas Tech University)
Abstract: Clearly signaled interventions implemented for brief periods of time in classrooms (i.e., during one activity but not the subsequent activity) and the periods of time prior to or following those signaled intervention times can be conceptualized as multiple-schedule arrangements. Behavioral contrast effects occur when changes to the contingencies in one component of a multiple schedule produce changes in behavior occurring during both the changed unchanged components. The current study evaluated whether implementation of a brief classwide intervention for disruptive behavior affected rates of disruptive behavior during activity periods occurring immediately before and after the activity period in which the intervention was implemented. The intervention was implemented in 5 general education kindergarten classes. The intervention reduced disruptive behavior in the activity in which it was implemented, but changes in rates of disruptive behavior during the activity periods that preceded or followed the intervention period were not observed in any of the classes. These findings suggest that contrast effects are unlikely to occur when disruptive behavior is reduced via brief classwide interventions.
 

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