increasing appropriate lunchroom behavior: a … · increasing appropriate lunchroom behavior: a...
TRANSCRIPT
Increasing Appropriate Lunchroom
Behavior: A Praise Note System for
Elementary Students
Rikki K. Wheatley, Cade T. Charlton,
Richard P. West & Matthew J. Taylor
Center for the School of the Future at
Utah State University
Center for the School of the Futureat Utah State University
“The Center for the School of the Future (CSF) is a research center dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of education by identifying effective educational practices and supporting their dissemination and adoption in local circumstances.”
Introduction
• Behavior problems in schools are
well documented (Mayer, 2001; Turnbull et al., 2002)
• A variety of school-wide
intervention strategies address
these concerns (Lewis & Sugai, 1999; Oswald, Safran & Johnson, 2005; Walker & Horner, 1996)
School Common Areas
• Students may spend 1+ hours per
day in common areas (hallways,
lunchrooms, bus lines, playgrounds,
etc.)
• Misbehavior in school common
areas accounts for approximately
one-half of all problem behaviors in
many schools (Colvin, Sugai, Good, & Lee, 1997; Todd et al., 2002)
Common Complaints
– Talking, out-of seat & quarreling (McPherson et al., 1974)
– Noise level, running, shouting,
confusion, messiness, & supervisors
yelling (Samuels et al., 2001)
Explanations
• Large numbers of students
• Large amount of physical space
• Too few adults trained to deal with
problem behaviors
• Too few adults available (Todd et al., 2002)
• Unstructured routines
• Lack of clear expectations (Lewis & Garrison-Harrell, 1999)
School-wide Effects
• “Get-tough” policies lead to punitive
disciplinary measures that increase
problem behavior (Lewis & Garrison-Harrell,1999; Mayer & Leone, 1999; Van Acker & Grant, 1996)
• Disruptive behaviors in the lunchroom
are correlated with increased
disruption in the classroom (Samuels et al., 2001)
Strategies
• Positive methods for effectively
improving behavior for individual
students (Carr et al., 1999; Todd et al., 2008), and
groups of students (Lewis, Sugai & Colvin, 1998;
Sugai & Horner, 1999), in common areas (Kartub et al., 2000; Lewis, Colvin & Sugai, 2000, Nelson, Colvin & Smith,
1996) as well as in the classroom (Skinner et al., 2002; Todd et al., 2008)
Four Elements of Effective Instruction
• Clear Expectations
• Skill Building through Opportunities
to Respond
• Rewards and Recognition
• Positive and Trusting Student-
Teacher Relationships(West, Smith & Taylor, 2004)
Current Study
• Demonstrate effectiveness of simple
behavior management program
founded on the four principles for
effective instruction
• Provide guidance for successful
implementation of necessary
components of a Praise Note system
(intensity, delivery, and tracking)
MethodParticipants
• Approximately 200 first through fifth grade
students at a rural elementary school in
Northern Utah
• The students were predominantly white (80%),
and from middle to lower-middle socioeconomic
backgrounds
Setting
• Elementary school lunchroom
• Regularly scheduled lunch periods
• Approximately three grades in the room at a time
Method
Design
Multiple baseline across three target
behaviors
– Littering
– Inappropriate sitting
– Running
Praise Note System
• Training and modeling sessions (clear
expectations & skill building)
• Praise Notes accompanied by specific
verbal commendations (recognition &
positive relationships)
• Public Posting and Tangible Rewards
(rewards and recognition)
Procedure
The intervention consisted of three basic components:
Training
Faculty and Staff Training
• Clarified Expectations
• Taught to deliver Praise Notes
correctly (student’s name, praise
statement, and description of
behavior that was appropriate)
– Frequent delivery (every 2-3 minutes)
– Target students who needed extra help
Training
Student Training
• Clarified Expectations
• 20 minutes for each behavior the
day before each phase of the
intervention began
– Introduction and modeling
– Opportunities to practice
– Chance to earn a Praise Note
Reward System
• Drawing (2-3 tickets each day)
• Public Posting
• Group Reward (extra recess, ice
cream party, etc.)
• Weekly teacher drawing
Results
The intervention was successful across all
three behaviors
•Littering: 96% decrease (34.3 pieces during
baseline to 1.3 pieces during intervention)
•Inappropriate Sitting: 64 % decrease (65.5
instances during baseline to 23.3 instances
during intervention)
•Running: 75% decrease (34 instances
during baseline to 8.5 instances during
intervention)
Discussion
• Evidence of an effective program
based on the four elements
• Guidance for program implementation
– Training model
– Delivery method
– Contingencies
– Faculty buy-in
Discussion Continued
• Intensity
– Optimal intensity unknown
– 55% of students received a Praise Note
each week
– Practical for staff and teachers to
manage with help
Future Research• Contribution of the four elements of
effective instruction on the overall
quality of the learning environment
• Praise Note applications targeted to
other school common areas
• Conducted in larger schools to
investigate practicality
• Systematically vary intensity to
discover optimal intensity levels