Supported Evidence or Evasive Effervesce?
Kathy Mott
Tara Sladek-Maharg
Cindi Spaulding
Karen Zopatti

“ The effectiveness of classroom management has a direct impact on student behavior. Student behavior can impact the quality of student achievement. The more effective classroom management strategies are, more effective teaching can take place and therefore better student learning can occur.”
- Joe S. Valdivia
(Marygrove College)

Positive reinforcement is:
 the offering of desirable effects or consequences for a behavior with the intention of increasing the chance of that behavior being repeated in the future
 verbal praise, token economies, a smile or
“high five”

Montarello & Martens (2005)
Sample size:
4 Fifth Grade Students
Purpose: effectiveness of a token economy on the completion of math papers
Findings: treatment ratings m=3.75 baseline condition m=3.5
Validity threats: small sample size (4)

Lassen, et al (2006)
Sample size:
3 year longitudinal study of an urban middle school
Purpose:
How positive reinforcement reduces problem behaviors and increases academic functioning
Behavioral Findings:
Cronbach’s alpha = .77
ANOVA suspensions per student
(baseline to year 3)
F=1.98, p‹.01
ANOVA longterm suspensions per student F=1.19, p‹.01
Academic Performance Findings:
Kansas State Assessments
(7 th
8 th
Grade – Reading
Grade
– Math)

Bohanon, et al (2006)
Sample size:
1,800 high school students
Purpose:
Assess the application of school-wide PBS in an urban high school setting
Findings:
High levels of reliability (

.96)
Test-retest reliability (97.3% ave. agreement on items)
Interobserver agreement 99%
Construct validity (Pearson r =.75, p

.01)
Sensitivity to change (t = 7.63, df = 12, p

.001)
“Initial data suggest[s] that school-wide implementation of PBS in high school settings may be very beneficial to students and school personnel in terms of reduction in ODRs (and hence increased instructional time)”
Bohanon, et al (2006)

Walker, et al (2005)
Sample size:
72 students, 3 elementary schools
Purpose:
Examine the functioning of students within established PBS systems
Findings:
Reported reliability for the SSRS ranges from .78 to .94
Test-retest reliability (.84 to .93)
One way ANOVA
Significant and non-significant interactions
Threats:
Small sample size
Variance among school demographics

Begent & Martens (2006)
Sample size:
Master’s level primary, secondary, and special needs teachers in training
Purpose:
Addressing prompting, reinforcement, and record keeping
Findings:
Teachers in training receive little training in behavioral practices, assessment strategies or instructional programs

Negative Behavior:
1) Becoming an increasingly problematic issue in elementary schools
(Kilpatrick, 1992; Bennett, 1999; Lickona, 1992).
2) Effects student achievement
(Kilpatrick, 1992; Bennett, 1999; Lickona,
1992, Valdivia, n.d.)
3) New teachers are often ill-equipped
(Lassen et al, 2006).

The Research Problem/Justification of the
Problem
Teacher-education programs must effectively prepare teachers to deal with behavioral concerns to ensure on-task behavior and optimal academic achievement.

1) The literature includes extensive information related to the efficacy of in-service teaching training programs using positive reinforcement…
(Lassen et al, 2006; Montarello & Martens, 2005; Begeny & Martens, 2006; Heilbrun & Waters,1968; Reid, 1996;
Papanastasiou, 2002)
2) However, there is little discussion about preservice training for teachers involving researchbased interventions grounded in positive reinforcement strategies
(Begany & Martins, 2006).

Teacher-Training Program Directors should be aware of the behavioral and academic benefits to students of teachers participating in pre-service, positive reinforcement behavior management strategy training.

Independent Variable: A pre-service teachertraining program emphasizing various research based interventions based on positive reinforcement.
Dependent Variable : Decreased negative behavior
(office referrals, suspensions, expulsions).

Target Population and Sampling Technique
1) Pre-service teachers , with student-teaching placements in schools with similar demographics relating to:
1) socioeconomic status
2) academic achievement
3) level of negative behavior (office referrals, suspensions, expulsions).
2) Nonrandomized sampling will be used to ensure school demographics and data are mostly homogenous and match the desired criteria.

A quantitative experimental betweengroup design will be used to assess the effect of the pre-service teacher-training program by comparing the experimental group to the control group.

Internal Threats to Validity:
1) history
2) maturation
3) compensatory equalization
4) implementation
5) lack of random sampling
6) resentful demoralization

External Threats to Validity:
1) lack of explicit description of the experimental treatment
2) novelty and disruption effects

Quantitative Method Used to Analyze
Hypothesis Testing
Ho: There is no difference in frequency of negative behavior between the control group and the experimental group.

The experimental group receiving the intervention will decrease frequency of negative behavior.

It may be of interest to conduct further research involving a second dependent variable, increased academic achievement .
Ho: There is no difference in academic achievement between the control group and the experimental group.

Begent, J.C., & Martens, B.K. (2006). Assessing preservice teacher’s training in empirically-validated behavioral instruction practices. School Psychology Quarterly, 21, 262-285.
Bennett, W. J., Finn, C. E., & Cribb, J. T. E. (1999). The educated child: a parent's guide ﾊ from preschool through eighth grade. New York: Free Press.
Bohanon, H., Fenning P., Carney, K.L., Minnis-Kim, M.J., Anderson-Harriss. S., & Moroz, K.B., et al. (2006)
Schoolwide application of positive behavior support in an urban high school: A case study. Journal of
Positive Behavior Interventions, 8 ( 3), 131-145.
Kilpatrick (1992). Why Johnny can't tell right from wrong. New York: Simon & ﾊ ﾊ ﾊ ﾊ Schuster.
Lassen, S.R., et al. (2006). The relationship of school-wide positive behavior support to academic achievement in an urban middle school. Psychology in the Schools, 43, 701-712.
Lickona (1992). Educating for character: how our schools can teach respect and ﾊ ﾊ ﾊ ﾊ responsibility. New York,
N.Y: Bantam.
Montarello, S. & Martens, B.K. (2005). Effects of interspersed brief problems on students’ endurance at completing math work. Journal of Behavioral Education, 14. 249-266 .
positive reinforcement. (n.d.).
Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.7)
.
Retrieved July 11, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/positive reinforcement
Sailor, W. et al. (2006). Anchoring school wide positive behavior support in structural school reform. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities. 31, 18-30
Walker, B., Cheney, D., Stage, S. & Blum, C. (2005). Schoolwide screening and positive behavior supports:
Identifying and supporting students at risk for school failure.
Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 7
( 4), 194-204.