Disruptive Classroom Behavior Research Articles

Positive Psychology:The New 'Mantra' for School Counselors

Needfor positive psychology interventionsThe parents and teachers today are a worried lot. According to a WHO report, Health for World's Adolescents (Online Report, Published 2014), suicide, depression and interpersonal violence are amongst the leading causes of death among adolescents. The counselors in schools are burdened with ever increasing referrals. School administration and teachers find themselves repeatedly looking for ways and means to manage a set of difficult youngsters in each class. Most schools witness increasing instances of behavioral problems coupled with a decline in academic performance.This trend is also seen among students in semi urban schools in India where school authorities are struggling with problems like anger, violence, indulgence in street fights, bullying, neglect of self, a disregard for values, disruptive behavior in classrooms, a destructive mindset and a pleasure seeking materialistic attitude. The students in these schools are a source of worry not only for the teachers, but parents too. Parents are either too strict with the children or play into the hands of the children. Some are afraid to speak their minds in front of the children, lest the children do something that is harmful. Some children leam to manipulate their parents at a very early age, with parents toeing their line all the time. In schools where there are no counselors, the school Principals spend most of their office hours handling undisciplined students and parents who come to school ready to handover the entire responsibility to the school.There may be different reasons for the current scenario. There may be environmental issues, socio-economic issues or mental health issues to blame, but the issues are real for all to see. With the joint family system breaking down, and parents finding less time for their children in recent years, the problem seems to have multiplied and the number of neglected children is on the rise. In a large number of schools, teachers and administrators are spending a substantial part of the school working hours, in sorting out and handling disciplinary problems instead of working towards educational goals and advancement ofleaming. Something has to be done to bring down the number of referrals for behaviour and discipline related issues. To provide guidance and hope to these students, there is an urgent need for an intervention program that is timely and preventive. The interventions not only need to be effective in preventing discipline and behavioral problems but also be helpful in building positive character traits and academic excellence. According to recent researches in the field, Positive psychologyjust may have an answer to these problems. For one, it has an immense feel good factor, as it moves away from the disease model and focuses on building positive character traits in an individual. While traditional approaches by schools focused on problem solving, Positive psychology puts the focus on capacity and strength building in which the focus is on preventive aspects (Terjesenet al., 2004 P. 163)Martin Seligman introduced 'Positive psychology' when he was the President of the American Psychological Association. He wrote an article titled 'Building human strength: Psychology's forgotten mission'. Inl998, the theme of American Psychological Association convention in San Francisco was prevention and not treatment of pathology. Psychologists at this time were beginning to see the need for positive and preventive methods. In the introduction to millennial issue of the Americanpsychologist, Seligman questions the efficacy of a psychologist's work if the people suffering from depression, substance abuse or schizophrenia, continue to live in a world that nurtures these problems. He further mentions that preventing violent behaviour amongst school children would continue to be an uphill task if parents remain negligent and children have access to weapons. Seligman thus suggests, the time has come for looking at measures that enhance character strengths and systematically build competencies rather than focusing on corrective measures. …

Learning from disruptive classroom behaviour in a Grade 2 mathematics lesson

<p>In this article, Mason’s ‘discipline of noticing’ is used to theorise a reflective process for changing mathematics teaching in a challenging context. The methodological approach was guided by critical reflective processes that produced, firstly, a descriptive ‘account-of’ an unsuccessful mathematics lesson, followed by layers of analyses drawing on theory and literature that guided our development of ‘accounts-for’ the classroom interactions. This example of a South African teacher-researcher’s self-study on disruptive learner behaviour in her Foundation Phase mathematics class is useful at the practitioner level, in which it details how increasingly critical layers of pedagogic reflection can be used to transform mathematics teaching, and via this route, to improve access to mathematical learning in a challenging context. At the research and policy levels, our findings question the separation of attention to mathematics and learner behaviour, rather than addressing the two in combination.</p>

Conductas disruptivas desde la óptica del docente: validación de una escala

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 35.45pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" lang="ES-TRAD">In recent years difficulties in the field of teaching have increased considerably, due to what it is known as disruptive classroom behaviour. Proof of this can be seen in the fact that this topic is the focus of numerous recent studies and also in the fact that this question appears frequently in the media. The main purpose of this study is to validate a scale in order to know objectively the views of educational professionals about disruptive classroom behaviours. Taking into account previous literature and working with a </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;" lang="ES-TRAD">panel of experts, a new scale of 15 items was developed. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" lang="ES-TRAD">The scale was distributed to a sample composed of 346 professionals with an average age of 43. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-fareast-language: ES; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;" lang="ES-TRAD">An exploratory factor analysis, a principal components analysis and an analysis of correlations between factors were applied. Such analyses </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: ES; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;" lang="ES-TRAD">have confirmed that the factorial structure of the scales converges towards the anticipated factors and it reaffirms its weight and confidence level. It can be concluded from this that the scale is valid for measuring the perception of teachers regarding the question being studied. The data indicates an optimum fit of the three-dimensional structure to the items of the scale.</span>

The Effectiveness of Strategies Used by Teachers to Manage Disruptive Classroom Behaviors: A Case Study at a Religious School in Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia

Studies have indicated that there is a positive correlation between disruptive behaviors and low academic achievement which resulted in other problems such as absenteeism, school drop-out and delinquent behaviors. Lack of knowledge and skills and failure in managing classroom disruptive behaviors have caused frustration, stress and burnout among teachers which pushed teachers to leave the profession especially novice teachers. The pervasiveness of classroom disruptive behaviors implied that strategies employed by teachers to manage disruptive behaviors are not effective. This requires immediate attention and action to find effective solutions. Therefore, this exploratory study attempts to discover the common classroom disruptive behaviors; to identify strategies used by teachers in managing misbehaviors; and to find out to what extent the strategies used by teachers were actually effective in managing classroom disruptive behaviors. This is especially critical in religious schools since the majority of teachers teaching in religious schools in the state of Selangor had no formal training in education; and they were not trained in classroom management, thus have no exposure on handling student classroom disruptive behaviors. Participants of this study were 14 teachers from a religious school in the district of Rawang, Selangor. Data collected using self-constructed instrument and semi-structured interviews were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis. Findings of this study revealed that majority of classroom disruptive behaviors were low-level disruptions; nonetheless they were burdensome to teachers which led to teacher frustration. Majority of teachers used ineffective punitive measures to handle student misbehaviors. Implications from the study were discussed.

Understand risks of using behavior contracts as misconduct sanctions

Dealing with disability‐related disruptive conduct is one of the harder problems schools face. In the K–12 system, behavior contracts are one common solution, and some postsecondary institutions have sought to adapt them, imposing a behavior contract on a student with a disability who engages in disruptive classroom behavior as an alternative to removal from a class or suspension from school. Both behavior intervention teams and disability services offices should consider their Americans with Disabilities Act obligations in using behavior contracts as a sanction and should use them only after making a record of the student's misconduct. Here's why.

Self-regulation workshop and Occupational Performance Coaching with teachers: A pilot study.

Teachers' occupational role and performance can be undermined when working with students with disruptive classroom behaviours. This pilot study aimed to explore the impact of school-based occupational therapy intervention on teachers' classroom management self-efficacy and perceived performance/satisfaction in their management of students with disruptive behaviours. This pilot study used a multiple-case replication study design. A cohort of regular classroom elementary school teachers (n = 11) participated in a 1-day workshop on sensorimotor strategies for supporting student self-regulation followed by eight individual sessions of Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC). Measurement tools were the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), and Teachers' Self-Efficacy Scale-Classroom Management. Improvement in teachers' perception of performance, satisfaction, and classroom management was seen. GAS showed clinically significant improvement. Improvements were sustained at 7 weeks follow-up. Preliminary results support the use of sensorimotor education combined with OPC to enable teachers' occupational performance.

Noncontingent Reinforcement in After-School Settings to Decrease Classroom Disruptive Behavior for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) is the response-independent delivery of a reinforcer (Vollmer, Iwata, Zarcone, Smith, and Mazaleski in Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 26: 9-21 1993). Two staff members (preservice education majors) implemented NCR procedures for two students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who exhibited problem behavior and attended an after-school program. The amount of training on NCR and procedural fidelity was measured for each staff member, and the effects of the treatment on problem behavior were evaluated. Results indicate NCR is a low-effort procedure that reduced problem behavior of two participants with ASD. • NCR can both reduce problem behaviors of clients who engage in difficult behaviors (Carr, Severtson, & Lepper, 2009). • NCR can be used for clients for whom extinction-induced behaviors are dangerous (Tucker, Sigafoos, and Bushell in Behavior Modification, 22: 529-547, 1998). • Nonbehavioral providers can implement NCR with high fidelity, making it a good procedure to use when collaborating with other professionals (teachers, SLP, parents, etc.; Matson, 2009). • NCR can be used when clinicians first begin working with a client until more detailed interventions are created.

Dependability of Two Scaling Approaches to Direct Behavior Rating Multi-Item Scales Assessing Disruptive Classroom Behavior

.This study examines the dependability of two scaling approaches for using a five-item Direct Behavior Rating multi-item scale to assess student disruptive behavior. A series of generalizability theory studies were used to compare a traditional frequency-based scaling approach with an approach wherein the informant compares a target student's behavior with that of classroom peers. A total of seven novice raters (i.e., graduate students) used both types of scales to rate 10-min video clips of the classroom behavior of nine middle school students across three occasions. Generalizability of composite scores derived from each type of scale was examined across raters and occasions. Subsequent decision studies were conducted to determine the number of measurement occasions that would be required to obtain an acceptable level of dependability. Results of these studies indicated that the type of scale accounted for a substantial proportion of variance (29%) and that the traditional frequency approach required far fewer assessment occasions to reach the criterion for absolute and relative decisions (4 and 8 occasions, respectively) compared with the comparative scaling approach (>30 occasions). Implications for future research and current practice are discussed.

The Effects of Classroom Interventions on Off-Task and Disruptive Classroom Behavior in Children with Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Meta-Analytic Review.

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often exhibit problem behavior in class, which teachers often struggle to manage due to a lack of knowledge and skills to use classroom management strategies. The aim of this meta-analytic review was to determine the effectiveness of several types of classroom interventions (antecedent-based, consequence-based, self-regulation, combined) that can be applied by teachers in order to decrease off-task and disruptive classroom behavior in children with symptoms of ADHD. A second aim was to identify potential moderators (classroom setting, type of measure, students’ age, gender, intelligence, and medication use). Finally, it was qualitatively explored whether the identified classroom interventions also directly or indirectly affected behavioral and academic outcomes of classmates. Separate meta-analyses were performed on standardized mean differences (SMDs) for 24 within-subjects design (WSD) and 76 single-subject design (SSD) studies. Results showed that classroom interventions reduce off-task and disruptive classroom behavior in children with symptoms of ADHD (WSDs: MSMD = 0.92; SSDs: MSMD = 3.08), with largest effects for consequence-based (WSDs: MSMD = 1.82) and self-regulation interventions (SSDs: MSMD = 3.61). Larger effects were obtained in general education classrooms than in other classroom settings. No reliable conclusions could be formulated about moderating effects of type of measure and students’ age, gender, intelligence, and medication use, mainly because of power problems. Finally, classroom interventions appeared to also benefit classmates’ behavioral and academic outcomes.

Differential Effectiveness of Interdependent and Dependent Group Contingencies in Reducing Disruptive Classroom Behavior

ABSTRACTDisruptive behavior in the classroom negatively affects all students' academic engagement, achievement, and behavior. Group contingencies have been proven effective in reducing disruptive behavior as part of behavior interventions in the classroom. The Good Behavior Game is a Tier 1 classwide intervention that utilizes an interdependent group contingency to decrease rates of disruptive behavior. Previous research comparing the effects of the different group contingencies has been inconclusive, inconsistent, and unable to rule out sequence carryover effects. This study employed an alternating treatments design across three elementary classrooms to compare the effectiveness of interdependent and dependent group contingencies in decreasing rates of disruptive behavior. Results showed that the Good Behavior Game was effective overall in reducing rates of disruptive behavior and teachers found the intervention to be acceptable and effective. Additionally, improvements in teachers' global ratings of students' social skills and academic behaviors were associated with the intervention. Both interdependent and dependent group contingencies reduce disruptive classroom behavior but their use by educators may depend upon preference, goals for behavior change, student characteristics, and practical considerations.

Classroom Peer Influence From the Entire Class, Dominant Students, and Friends

Recent research indicates that the development of antisocial behavior among students is influenced by the behavioral characteristics of their classmates. However, not all peers in a given class may exert the same influence. Thus, we examined the extent to which individual development is predicted by the perceived proportion of all students with antisocial behavior in the classroom, socially dominant students, and friends. A short-term longitudinal study comprising 4 measurements was conducted on 7th-grade students. In total, 825 students completed self- and peer-reports on aggressive, delinquent, and disruptive classroom behavior. Longitudinal, multilevel negative binomial analyses showed that the perceived characteristics of the entire classroom, dominant students, and friends in one’s class significantly predicted self-reported aggressive and disruptive behavioral development but not delinquency. The impact of the 3 social groups under study in this regard did not differ significantly. Classroom effects were independent of students’ out-of-classroom friend influences.

IMPROVING CLASSROOM ENGAGEMENT AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR: EVALUATION OF THE CLASS PASS INTERVENTION

Off‐task and disruptive classroom behaviors have a negative impact on the learning environment and present a unique challenge for teachers to address. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Class Pass Intervention (CPI) as a behavior management strategy for secondary students with disruptive classroom behavior. The CPI consists of providing students with passes that they can either (1) use to appropriately request a break to engage in a preferred activity for a preset amount of time or (2) keep and later exchange for a preferred item or activity. Using an ABAB withdrawal design with replication through a concurrent multiple baseline across participants design, the CPI was shown to increase academic engagement, which is incompatible with disruptive behavior, in 4 students who engaged in high levels of disruptive behavior throughout the baseline condition. Results also demonstrated partial support for the durability of intervention effects over time and indicated that both teachers and students perceived the intervention to be socially feasible. Implications of the results and directions for future research are discussed.

Multi-item direct behavior ratings: Dependability of two levels of assessment specificity.

Direct Behavior Rating-Multi-Item Scales (DBR-MIS) have been developed as formative measures of behavioral assessment for use in school-based problem-solving models. Initial research has examined the dependability of composite scores generated by summing all items comprising the scales. However, it has been argued that DBR-MIS may offer assessment of 2 levels of behavioral specificity (i.e., item-level, global composite-level). Further, it has been argued that scales can be individualized for each student to improve efficiency without sacrificing technical characteristics. The current study examines the dependability of 5 items comprising a DBR-MIS designed to measure classroom disruptive behavior. A series of generalizability theory and decision studies were conducted to examine the dependability of each item (calls out, noisy, clowns around, talks to classmates and out of seat), as well as a 3-item composite that was individualized for each student. Seven graduate students rated the behavior of 9 middle-school students on each item over 3 occasions. Ratings were based on 10-min video clips of students during mathematics instruction. Separate generalizability and decision studies were conducted for each item and for a 3-item composite that was individualized for each student based on the highest rated items on the first rating occasion. Findings indicate favorable dependability estimates for 3 of the 5 items and exceptional dependability estimates for the individualized composite.

The Effects of Check-In/Check-Out on Kindergarten Students in an Urban Setting

The purpose of this project was to investigate the effectiveness of Check-in/Check-out (CICO), a targeted behavioral intervention, on reducing the problem behaviors of kindergarten students in an urban setting. Participants were referred by their teacher for exhibiting disruptive classroom behaviors, which resulted in classroom removal. Results indicate that CICO led to a reduction in off-task behaviors and an increase of on-task behavior for both students. This study provides support for the practicality of school support personnel as the primary interventionist using CICO.

How Teachers can Meet the Challenges of Sizable Classes and Student Disruptive Behavior

The challenges of large classes and student classroom disruptive behavior have been a fact of life the world over. What has triggered examining both issues is that in the Tunisian context, little has seriously and wisely been devoted to them on the part of the parties concerned, namely inspectors, teacher trainers, administrators, and the relevant ministries (i.e., the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research) with the object of dealing with them successfully. Relying on the author’s analytical and critical reflections, as well as his personal experience as an instructor, and on that of some fellows, this paper aims at discussing these challenges and attempts to suggest drastic measures that could help teachers meet them. As concerns the former issue, the paper will explore the concept of a large class, the reasons behind its prevalence, the ensuing difficulties it poses to teachers, and how it could be turned into a blessing in disguise. Regarding students’ disruptive conduct, the paper will look at the underlying causes of the frequency of the phenomenon and put forward a number of effective courses of action that could be taken to surmount it. On the other hand, this paper is meant to serve as an incentive for the aforementioned parties to attach paramount importance to sizable classes and student classroom misconduct, and have every intention of helping teachers manage both predicaments, and it may equally be utilized as a guide to assist them in achieving the same aim. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2015.v5n2p107

Evaluation of Prophet Muhammad’s Techniques in Managing Misbehaviors: Application in Primary School Classrooms

Studies have shown that there is a correlation between troublesome classroom behaviors and a gamut of antisocial, aggressive-disruptive behaviors and psychiatric problems.Student classroom misbehavior is linked to student disengagement which correlates with alienation by peers and truancy. Students who misbehaved were reported to perform worse academically which escalated to other severe problems such as dropping out of school and delinquency. Researchers and academicians have designed and implemented intervention programs to reduce this problem. Good intervention program should meet the set criteria. This study aims to discover whether the techniques used by Prophet Muhammad in correcting mistakes of his companions could be applied in managing misbehaviors of primary school students during teaching and learning process; and to determine whether these techniques met the criteria of a good intervention program. Six relevant hadith on correcting mistakes were selected and analyzed to formulate techniques of managing misbehaviors which were implemented in two primary school classrooms by a trained teacher. This qualitative research examined and analysed journals written by the teacher; and the verbatim transcriptions of two one-hour interview sessions with the teacher to assess teacher’s correct application of the techniques and to discover the impact of the techniques on students’ behaviors. Findings revealed that the techniques used were effective in reducing classroom disruptive behaviors; easy to implement; not disrupting the normal classroom activities; and parsimonious. This study contributes to production of knowledge from Islamic worldview; and contributes to the relevantization project which is the mission of International Islamic University Malaysia.

Evidence-based interventions for adolescents with disruptive behaviors in school-based settings.

Disruptive behaviors in the school setting can threaten the maintenance of optimal learning environments in schools. Challenging behaviors, such as defiance, hostility, and aggression, often define disruptive classroom behaviors. This article presents a clinical review of existing literature on interventions for adolescent disruptive behavior problems in school-based settings and in outpatient mental health settings and makes recommendations around working with adolescents with disruptive behaviors in school-based settings. Many types of interventions are effective; effective implementation is key to good results.

Use of a Behavioral Graphic Organizer to Reduce Disruptive Behavior

Students with challenging behavior spend substantial amounts of time away from instruction due to behavioral problems. Time away from instruction reduces their opportunities for learning, which are critical as these students typically demonstrate academic performance below their same-age peers. After removal from instruction due to behavioral incidents, it may take long periods of time for students to recover enough in order to be prepared to return to class. We used a multiple baseline design to study the effects of a behavioral graphic organizer that is based on Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence analysis. The effects of the graphic organizer on classroom disruptive behavior were measured and analyzed. Visual analysis and descriptive statistics suggested a functional relation between the use of graphic organizer and reductions in disruptive behavior, thus reducing time spent away from academic instruction and teacher rated social validity was positive. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are also discussed.

Mystery Motivator: A Tier 1 classroom behavioral intervention.

This study is an examination of the effectiveness of the Mystery Motivator-an interdependent group contingency, variable-ratio, classwide intervention-as a tool for reducing disruptive classroom behavior in eight diverse general-education elementary school classrooms across seven different schools. The study was conducted using an ABAB, changing criterion design, and the effectiveness of the intervention was assessed for an 8-week period. The frequency of disruptive behavior in all classrooms decreased. Teacher intervention acceptability data indicated seven of eight teachers found the intervention to be acceptable. Overall, data indicated the Mystery Motivator intervention was a powerful intervention for reducing disruptive behaviors in elementary classrooms.

Exploring children’s perceptions of the perceived seriousness of disruptive classroom behaviours

Children’s reports of the perceived seriousness of disruptive classroom behaviours were examined from their own perspective and from their perceptions of their peers’ beliefs about the same behaviour. Two hundred and seventy-six (116 female and 161 male, Mage = 11.00 years, SDage = 1.29) children recruited from a primary and a secondary school in the UK completed measures of the perceived seriousness of disruptive classroom behaviours from their own perspective and also their beliefs about their peers’ perceptions, social desirability and social behaviour. A three-factor structure of disruptive classroom behaviours emerged encompassing: Imprudent behaviours, negative behaviours and expressed emotions. Children judged the disruptive classroom behaviours as more serious compared to how they thought their peers would judge the same behaviour. Gender and age differences also emerged. The findings support the conclusion that children regard disruptive classroom behaviours as more serious than they believe their peers do.