A comparison of performance feedback procedures on teachers' treatment implementation integrity and students' inappropriate behavior in special education classrooms

This study examined the extent to which treatment integrity of 4 special education teachers was affected by goal setting, performance feedback regarding student or teacher performance, and a meeting cancellation contingency. Teachers were trained to implement function-based treatment packages to address student problem behavior. In one condition, teachers set a goal for student behavior and received daily written feedback about student performance. In a second condition, teachers received daily written feedback about student performance as well as their own accuracy in implementing the intervention and would be able to avoid meeting with a consultant to practice missed steps by implementing the intervention with 100% integrity. This latter package increased treatment integrity the most above baseline levels. Higher levels of treatment integrity were significantly correlated with lower levels of student problem behavior for 3 of the 4 teacher-student dyads. Three of the 4 teachers also rated both feedback procedures as highly acceptable. Implications for increasing and maintaining treatment integrity by teachers via a consultation model are discussed.     

Perceived Learner School Citizenship Behaviours in a Sample of Historically Disadvantaged South African Primary Schools

This study investigated learner in-school behavioral adjustment after the banning of corporal punishment in South African schools. Participant informants were 16 teachers from eight schools in a historically disadvantaged school district. Of the 16 teachers (females=10, age range between 35 and 56 years). They responded to a structured questionnaire which focused on the level of good citizenship behavior among township primary school learners. The data were quantitatively analyzed. Findings suggest that the teachers perceived the learners to have good behavioral adherence regarding attendance and learning participation. The teachers perceived some learners to have significant disruptive behavior and to display negative attitudes towards peers and teachers. The teachers did not perceive a role for parents in managing learners' in-school behavior. Retrospectively, it appeared the abolition of corporal punishment did not result in increased behavioral non-adherence by the learners.     

The BASYS observation system for the analysis of aggressive behavior in classroom-settings

Educational or therapeutic measures of aggressive student behavior are often based on the judgments of teachers. However, empirical studies show that the objectivity of these judgments is generally low. In order to assess aggressive behavior in classroom settings, we developed a context-sensitive observational system. The observation system exists in a version for teachers in action as well as a version for the uninvolved observer. The teacher version allows categorizing aggressive behavior while teaching. The aim is to differentiate the perception and the judgments of teachers, so that the judgments can serve as trustable diagnostic information. The version for an independent observer, in addition, contains categories to collect information about the context in which aggressions take place. The behavior observation system was tested in four field-studies in regular and special classes. The empirical results show that, after training, teachers were able to make objective observations, and that aggressive behavior depends to a large extent on situational factors. The system allows identification of problematic people-environment relationships and the derivation of intervention measures.     

Using International Videoconferencing to Provide Staff Training on Functional Behavioral Assessment

Videoconferencing has been successfully implemented to teach functional analysis (FA) procedures to service providers who support individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the acquisition of the competencies for implementing FA methodology for special education teachers after participation in a group‐format workshop via a videoconferencing program in which the training site and the remote site were located on different continents, connected through the internet. Four special education teachers in Saudi Arabia who did not have previous exposure to functional behavior assessment participated in the study. Teachers received 3 h of group‐format training via Skype followed by individualized feedback. Training involved role‐playing, video modeling, and reading materials. Results indicate that all four participants mastered the skills across at least two of the conditions with one participant demonstrating mastery across all four conditions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Behavior analysis and education: An unfulfilled dream

This paper presents the author's view of why the promise for education visualized by early behavioral researchers is as yet unrealized. It points out that behavior analysis has had an important impact on special education but has had much less influence on teaching practice in regular classrooms. This is not seen as the fault of educators who have failed to embrace procedures developed by behavior analysts. Rather, the author contends, behavior analysts have failed to develop procedures that fit the ecology of the regular classroom. Those developed often require too much additional effort thereby punishing those who attempt their use. Another factor hindering widespread adoption is that behavior analysts have failed to disseminate their procedures and have not participated widely in undergraduate training of teachers. The paper concludes by noting that our success in special education provides a model for behavior analysts interested in regular education. By developing procedures that result in increased academic performance for entire classrooms without punishing the teachers who implement them, by making those procedures available commercially and by publishing in journals teachers read, and finally by participating more widely in undergraduate training, the unfulfilled dream of what behavior analysis has to offer education can be achieved.     

A longitudinal study of student-teacher relationship quality, difficult temperament, and risky behavior from childhood to early adolescence

This study examines the mediating role of student-teacher relationship quality (conflict and closeness) in grades 4, 5, and 6 on the relation between background characteristics, difficult temperament at age 4½ and risky behavior in 6th grade. The longitudinal sample of participants (N = 1156) was from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate paths from (a) background characteristics to student-teacher relationship quality and risky behavior, (b) temperament to student-teacher relationship quality and risky behavior, and (c) student-teacher relationship quality to risky behavior. Findings indicate that students' family income, gender, receipt of special services, and more difficult temperament were associated with risky behavior. In addition, student-teacher conflict was a mediator. Students with more difficult temperaments were more likely to report risky behavior and to have conflict in their relationships with teachers. More conflict predicted more risky behavior. Closer student-teacher relationships were associated with less risky behavior. Results suggest negative relationships, specifically student-teacher relationships, may increase the risk that certain adolescents will engage in risky behavior.     

Type-A Behavior, Job Performance, and Well-Being in College Teachers

This study examined the relationship between Type-A behavior and job performance, and employee well-being among college teachers in Canada. Well-being was operationalized in terms of burnout, social support, work satisfaction, and turnover motivation. Data were collected by means of a structured questionnaire from 420 college teachers. Pearson correlation and moderated multiple regressions were used to analyze the data. Global Type-A behavior was not related to 3 measures of job performance: teaching hours, number of course preparations per semester and number of students. However, global Type-A behavior correlated positively with burnout and turnover motivation and negatively with perceived social support and work satisfaction. Two components of Type-A behavior (time pressure and hard driving/competitiveness) exhibited the same pattern of relationship with job performance and well-being variables as was found with the global measure of Type-A behavior. Moderated multiple regression did not support the role of gender as a moderator of Type-A behavior and job performance and well-being variables.     

Using behavioral skills training with preservice teachers in the university classroom

Preservice and novice teachers often identify behavior management as an area of weakness that they attribute to a lack of sufficient instruction during their teacher preparation. Behavioral skills training (BST) is an evidence‐based teaching methodology based on the principles of applied behavior analysis used to teach new skills. This study investigated the use of BST in the university setting to teach undergraduate preservice teachers enrolled in a field‐based special education course to implement a token economy during small group instruction with children. A single‐case research design was used to assess the effectiveness of using BST by evaluating accuracy of implementation before and after BST. Results showed BST was an effective teaching procedure and social validity measures collected from the preservice teachers indicated BST was acceptable to all participants. Limitations and needs for future research are discussed.     

Greek special educators' behavior analytic skills

The present study examined the ability of 52 special teachers in determining the underlying function of challenging behaviors in children with developmental disabilities and in linking the identified function with relevant intervention. Participants were presented with three questionnaire vignettes describing behavior maintained by attention, task avoidance and sensory consequences. They were then asked to identify the likely causes of the behaviors from a table of three possible functions and to link them with relevant intervention from a pool of 11 forms of intervention. The results indicated that teachers can reliably identify the cause of the behavior but they are not yet able to link function with relevant intervention without the provision of adequate support. The implications for teachers' in‐service training in the implementation of behavior analytic interventions are briefly discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Organizational Identification and Perceived Intra-School Conflict Among Secondary Special Education and General Education Teachers

The relationships between the organizational variables-teacher assignment (general education or special education) and primary organizational identification (teachers' individual schools or respective district-level departments) and perceived organizational conflict were investigated. Four-hundred and fifty-four high school teachers—382 general education and 72 special education—responded to a three-part questionnaire. Both general education and special education teachers identified with both the school and the district-level departments to a greater than neutral level; the general education teachers identified more with their local schools than their district-level departments and the special education teachers identified equally with both their local school and the district-level department. Significant correlations between teacher organizational identification and perceived conflict were found for both groups of teachers—as the identification increased, the perception of conflict decreased. No significant differences were found in comparisons of general education and special education teachers on the identification or perceived conflict variables. Conclusions, with alternative causative factors, and recommendations for enhancing relationships between general educators and special educators are provided.     

Through a Spiritual Lens: Early Childhood Inclusive Education in Hong Kong

The main purpose of this research was to explore early childhood education teachers’, principals’, and parents’ perceptions of the role of spirituality in the lives of children with special needs, and how educators and schools can support the spiritual development of these children. Three preschools, the Buddhist, Christian, and Waldorf schools, were purposefully selected on the basis that each of them reflects a philosophy that includes the spiritual. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) the influence of the schools’ religion and/or spiritual orientations on inclusion; (b) support provided for the spiritual development of children with special needs; and (c) the role of spirituality in the lives of children with special needs. By drawing attention to and offering a preliminary study on early childhood inclusion and spirituality, I hope to encourage more scholars and educators to engage with research and debate on this important yet under-studied dimension of early childhood education.     

Training teachers as mediators: Efficacy of a workshop versus the bug-in-the-ear technique

The implementation of behavior modification techniques in school settings often relies on effective training of teachers as mediators. At the conclusion of Phase I, the performance of an experimental group of 13 teachers who were taught behavior modification by means of an inservice workshop was compared with a no-treatment control group. Although the experimental group scored higher on a paper-and-pencil test of behavior modification, there were no differences between the two groups on selected observed in-class behaviors. During Phase II, half of the experimental group of teachers received two hours of bug-in-the-ear (BIE) training in their own classrooms. BIE resulted in changes in the classroom behaviors of praise and contingency statements. These results are discussed in terms of the situation and response mode specificity of behavior and in terms of the implications for future workshops and research.     

Teacher Implementation of Trial-Based Functional Analysis and Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior for Students with Challenging Behavior

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a training package on three middle school special education teachers’ accurate implementation of trial-based functional analysis (TBFA) and differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) with their students with autism spectrum disorders or emotional and behavioral disorders in the classroom setting. We also examined the effects of the DRA on six students’ challenging and replacement behaviors. Using a multiple probe across teacher participants design, we demonstrated that all three teachers implemented TBFA during TBFA training with performance feedback conditions and DRA during DRA training with performance feedback conditions with high procedural fidelity. Further, two of three teachers generalized high procedural fidelity with a new student. Finally, results indicated a reduction in all six students’ challenging behavior and an increase in their replacement behavior after the teachers received training and performance feedback on DRA implementation. Limitations and implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Increasing Teachers' Use of a 1:1 Praise‐to‐Behavior Correction Ratio to Decrease Student Disruption in General Education Classrooms

Contingent, behavior‐specific praise is universally recommended as an effective tool to increase students’ academic achievement and proscocial behavior. Despite this recommendation, little research has examined the effects of training teachers to increase their praise‐to‐behavior correction ratio in classroom settings. This study evaluated the effects of training teachers to provide a 1:1 ratio of praise‐to‐behavior correction to decrease student disruption in three general‐education classrooms. Three urban middle‐school general‐teachers who exhibited very low rates of praise participated in the study. Teachers received training, including modeling and performance feedback, to achieve a 1:1 ratio of praise‐to‐behavior correction administered within a multiple‐baseline across participants design. Results demonstrated that (a) the teachers were able to achieve and maintain a 1:1 praise‐to‐behavior correction ratio; (b) a reduction in student disruption coincided with teachers’ use of a 1:1 praise‐to‐behavior correction ration; and (c) two teachers evidenced moderate levels of generalization to classrooms where no training took place. Implications for practitioners and future research are discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Links Between Stress, Positive and Negative Affect, and Life Satisfaction Among Teachers in Special Education Schools

This study focused on links between stress, positive and negative affect, and life satisfaction among teachers in special education schools. Teaching is a highly stressful profession, characterized by high rate of stress, burnout, and dropout. The study investigated: (a) whether teachers can maintain their positive affect and life satisfaction despite the stress they experience, and (b) the resources that may elicit positive affect and life satisfaction, including self-control as a personal skill and perceived organizational support (by peers, therapeutic staff, and manager) as an environmental resource. Participants were 125 teachers from 12 different special education schools. As expected, a positive link emerged between high stress levels and negative affect. Both self-control and organizational social support contributed to the explanation of positive affect and life satisfaction. Organizational support was found to moderate the link between stress and negative affect as well as the link between stress and positive affect and life satisfaction among teachers. The outcomes contributed both to the theoretical explanation about the role of resources in eliciting subjective well-being, happiness, and life satisfaction and also to the way teachers can be helped in daily coping with their difficulties.     

Minor illness and social behavior of infants and caregivers

Fourteen infants attending day care were observed during the first year of life when well and during acute minor illnesses. Comparisons of behavior during 46 afebrile illnesses and a like number of well observations revealed no differences in infant or caregiver behavior. During 24 febrile illness observations, however, infants moved less, contacted toys less, were in closer proximity to teachers, cried more, and looked at teachers more. During a subset of these febrile illnesses, in which teachers recognized that infants were ill, teachers vocalized, gave toys, looked at, touched, held, and fed infants more than when infants were well. Analysis of teacher behavior during infant crying demonstrated that infant cries played an important role in eliciting social responses from teachers during febrile illness. These results suggest that both caregiver perception of illness state and illness-induced changes in infant behavior contribute to increased sociability by caregivers during acute febrile illness.     

Elementary school teachers' strategies to handle externalizing classroom behavior: a study of relations between perceived control, teacher orientation and strategy preferences

Rydell, A.-M. & Henricsson, L. (2004). Elementary school teachers' strategies to handle externalizing classroom behavior: A study of relations between perceived control, teacher orientation and strategy preferences. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 45 , 93–102.
Strategies for dealing with problematic student behavior are an important part of the teacher role. Relations between teachers' perceptions of control over children's classroom behavior, teacher orientation and teachers' strategy preferences when confronted with externalizing child behaviors were investigated. Eighty-six primary school teachers, 91% of all first grade teachers in one municipality in Sweden, completed a questionnaire. Disciplinary strategy preferences were measured through vignettes describing externalizing child behaviors, with response alternatives modeled after the Parental Discipline Interview ( Scarr, Pinkerton & Eisenberg, 1991 ). Perceived control was measured with a subscale applied to teachers from the Parental Locus of Control Scale ( Campis, Lyman & Prentice-Dunn, 1986 ). Newly constructed measures of teacher orientation were used. The results indicated that perceived low control over one's classroom situation and a custodial teacher orientation were associated with preferences for authoritarian strategies (firm verbal reprimands, physical restraint) and perceived high control and a humanistic teacher orientation were associated with non-authoritarian strategies (e.g. reasoning with students). Teachers' strategy preferences and associations between perceived control, teacher orientation and strategy preferences were to some extent validated in relations to observed teacher behavior in a subsample of the classrooms.     

FUNCTIONAL CONSIDERATIONS IN THE USE OF PROCEDURAL TIMEOUT AND AN EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE1

Two single-subject experiments were conducted with students in special preschool classes. In Experiment I, the subject's disruptive, appropriate, and inappropriate play behaviors were measured as a function of three independent variables: reinforcement, a typical timeout procedure, and regularly paced teacher instructions. In an ABA reversal within a multiple baseline across two teachers, all three independent variables comprised the A conditions and procedural timeout was omitted in B. Experiment II examined a second subject's appropriate and inappropriate eating as a function of the same three variables. Two teachers conducted baseline and paced instruction-plus-reinforcement conditions in multiple baseline across teachers. Subsequently, one teacher performed a series of reversals and replications with various combinations of a typical timeout procedure and reinforcement mixed with paced instructions. The results of both experiments suggest that timeout did not produce response decrement in a punishment paradigm, but rather produced response increment in a negative reinforcement paradigm. These results prevailed, even though a reinforcer was operating in the environment before introducing timeout. Paced instructions (delivering instructions to the child at a set pace regardless of the child's behavior) appears to be an alternative when timeout is not effective and, in conjunction with reinforcement, was demonstrated to reduce inappropriate behavior to near zero.     

Effects of a school-based cognitive-behavioral intervention for ADHD children

Two variations of school-based cognitive-behavioral training (CBT) program were compared to each other and to a waiting-list control condition in the treatment of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The experimental interventions included a multicomponent condition that provided coordinated training programs for parents, teachers, and children and a teacher-only condition that offered training for classroom teachers only. Evaluation of outcome occurred at pre-intervention, post-intervention and at 6-week followup periods. Depedent measures included classroom behavior observations, teacher ratings of child behavior, child self-report, and teacher ratings of adjustment. The multicomponent CBT condition was significantly better than the other conditions at improving observed off-task/disruptive behavior at post-test. This improvement was maintained at followup, although treatment condition differences were no longer significant. There were no treatment condition differences on any other measures at postintervention or followup. It was concluded that the intervention had minimal short-term effects on the ADHD children. The results are discussed within the context of several methodological limitations of the study which serve as proposals for continued research in this area.The authors gratefully acknowledge the support and assistance of the faculty and staff at Echo Park, Cedar Park and Westview Elementary Schools (Rosemount, MN, Independent School District), and the parents and children who participated in this study. The authors would also like to extent special thanks to the principals of these schools, Mr. Robert Keaton, Mr. William Mack and Mr. Marvin Skinner, and the school psychologists servicing these schools, Ms. Sheila Peterson, Ms. Ann O'Brien, and Mr. Mark Kaloski, for their commitment and service to children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.