Cognitive and Behavioral Interventions in the Schools by Rosemary Flanagan Korrie Allen & Eva Levine

Author:Rosemary Flanagan, Korrie Allen & Eva Levine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer New York, New York, NY

Gaps in Behavior Management Training

The results of studies conducted on the effect of using evidenced-based classroom behavior management strategies demonstrate that teachers can significantly alter student behavior. Research demonstrates that teachers are not adequately trained to address negative behavior in the classroom (Hamre, Pianta, Downer, & Mashburn, 2008), particularly planned ignoring and time-out. This could be due to inadequate knowledge of the procedures and how one troubleshoots such procedures (see Witt, VanDerHeyden, and Gilbertson (2004) for a discussion) rather than a complete lack of preservice and professional development training, a condition often resulting from one-time in-service programs. Alternatively, this may be a function of personal preference for a strategy—or (emphasis added) the ease of carrying it out. While it is good practice to first utilize positive strategies that utilize positive reinforcement, there are behaviors, situations, or individuals that respond better to strategies that incorporate negative reinforcement or punishment. Unfortunately, this tends to occur far more with ODD and CD compared to other disorders. This is most likely related to the tenacity of the problem as well as the child’s hope or expectation that the teacher will not force the issue. Moreover, adults applying behavior management strategies based on negative procedures can become frustrated because the behavior almost always becomes worse before it improves, as is common to extinction procedures (Kazdin, 2001).

School psychologists and mental health providers have the training that can be used to promote better understandings of behavioral intervention principles among teachers. In regard to in-service training, schools frequently offer teachers 1 or 2 h of what equates to foundational knowledge about a specific classroom strategy. Conditions do not often exist that allow for follow-up, in-depth understanding, practice, and supervision. Unfortunately, when a strategy that contains a negative component is misused, the incidence of the problematic behavior may increase rather than decrease. Teachers would benefit from guidance from school psychologists and with the theoretical knowledge to allow them to identify when an intervention strategy is progressing, as it should. For example, teachers may get frustrated if a child’s behavior is not changing as rapidly as desirable. School personnel may reinforce a positive behavior and expect immediate change as they would expect with reading remediation. Change takes time, particularly when children are expected to change behavior that they have little intrinsic motivation to modify. Too often, behavior modification plans fail because there is the perception that conceptual underpinnings to an intervention are straightforward and obvious and that therefore the change in behavior will be easily and quickly achieved. Regular consultation and follow-up by the school psychologist is one possible solution in encouraging longer-term commitment to interventions and achieving optimal outcomes.

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