Specific Strategies and Interventions to Decrease Problem Classroom Behavior in an
Alternative Learning Center
Sharon A. Woods
July 2003
The purpose of this study was to explore specific classroom interventions that produce
positive behaviors for students with behavior problems. This study was done in 2003
with sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students who attended an urban alternative middle
school. A descriptive survey was used to record interventions that teachers used to
modify students’ classroom behavior. Five class sessions per teacher were observed for
45 minutes each. The observations occurred in the morning and the afternoon. The
observer monitored the use of 10 behavior interventions while observing the instructional
sessions. A total tally helped to determine which interventions provided positive support
for students with behavior problems. The teachers who used the interventions had a
significantly higher impact on behavior management than those who did not use them.