Behavioral observations of disruptive behaviors with referred and nonreferred elementary school students

Abstract

Local norms for the frequency of disruptive and unproductive classroom behaviors were established. The sample consisted of 81 referred and 81 nonreferred elementary students. Each student was observed for 45 minutes during classroom instruction periods. The referred students were more frequently “off task,” “talked out” more often, were more frequently “out of seat,” and more often displayed “other” disruptive behaviors. For assessment purposes, frequency of behaviors was categorized for severity by grade level.