Effects of the Teacher Versus Students Game on Teacher Praise and Student Behavior

Abstract

The Teacher versus Students Game is a variation of the Good Behavior Game (Barrish et al. in J Appl Behav Anal 2:119–124, 1969. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1969.2-119 ) in which students compete against the teacher to earn points and win the game. Students earn points when they follow rules, whereas the teacher earns points when they do not. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the game decreased students’ off-task behaviors while increasing teachers’ use of behavior-specific praise. Participants were five teachers and fifteen students (some with disabilities and some without) across five fourth and fifth grade elementary school general education classrooms, who were identified by their teachers as engaging in frequent off-task behavior. Results indicated that the game decreased off-task behavior for all students. The game also increased teachers’ use of behavior-specific praise statements, minimally increased general praise statements, and decreased corrective statements for all but one of the teachers.