Errorless Classroom Management: Success-focused Proactive Intervention for Students with Challenging Behavior
Year: 2015
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The current study investigated the use of Errorless Classroom Management (ECM), a proactive, success-focused approach to managing student challenging behavior. With this approach, we trained classroom staff in strategies for building two classroom management skill sets: on-task behavior (involving students' ability to remain focused on and complete academic work) and acquiescent behavior (involving students' ability to give in to the will of a peer when it is appropriate to do so as a means of enhancing peer relations). These behaviors were used as the focus of the intervention because they are considered keystone skills that can lead to broad improvements in other classroom behaviors that are not targeted during intervention. Three teachers from two general classrooms and one special education classroom participated. They were observed throughout baseline and after training to determine whether their classroom management skills changed as a result of the training. As a means of evaluating the effects of the intervention on child behavior, we observed 9 students who exhibited significant behavioral and learning difficulties. Baseline observations of student and teacher behavior began simultaneously for all three classrooms. Using a multiple baseline research design, the training intervention was introduced in a time-lagged manner such that intervention began first for Classroom 1, followed by Classroom 2, then by Classroom 3. Teachers were trained individually through a 1-hour workshop with performance feedback techniques and subsequent feedback sessions on a weekly basis. By the end of intervention, teachers' use of reinforcement (i.e., praise, tangible rewards) and reactive approaches (i.e., reprimands) improved; however, no changes were evident in teachers' use of antecedent approaches (i.e., building rapport, priming). All 9 students demonstrated substantial improvement in on-task and acquiescent behavior. Covariant improvement in student compliance to teacher requests was also evident. Follow-up at 3 months indicated that student treatment gains were maintained. Improvements in teachers' use of reinforcement and reactive approaches were also sustained during follow-up at 3 months.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Olivia Ng
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2602331918