Teachers play a large role in determining whether or not the classroom climate experienced by students is positive, especially through their visible emotional behaviors (i.e., neutral, positive, and negative emotional expressions). Research suggests that teachers make specific contributions to the classroom emotional climate in actions such as…

When student achievement is assessed, we seek to elicit a student's maximum performance -- a goal requiring the assumption that the student is fully engaged. Otherwise, to the extent that disengagement occurs, test performance is likely to suffer. Effectively managing test-taking disengagement requires an understanding of the testing conditions…

Numerous studies suggest a correlation between a school's physical environment and children's academic success. A variable within the classroom environment that has received little attention in the literature is the interior lighting. It is known that higher levels of correlated color temperature (CCT) lighting influence worker productivity in a…

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a common neurobehavioral disorder in childhood, negatively impacts academic and social functioning, both of which later influence adulthood (Bose, 2013). This action research study focuses on comparing the prevalence of on-task and off-task behaviors exhibited by elementary age students diagnosed…

Many classrooms are beginning to substitute standard chairs with therapy balls, which help to improve students' focus and classroom performance, according to teacher and student reports. Researchers conducted an observational study in a classroom at a local elementary school that implemented therapy balls. For each hour-long observation, three…

The purpose of study 1 was to characterize energy expenditure (EE) during academic subjects and activities during an elementary school day. Children in 2nd-4th grades (N = 33) wore the SenseWear Armband (SWA) for five school days to measure EE. Teachers' logs were compared to SWA data to extract information about EE throughout the day. Energy…

Researchers observed pre-kindergarten through second-grade public school classrooms, specifically noting child-centered and teacher-directed pedagogical approaches, by simultaneously examining: (a) student behavior and activities, (b) teacher instructional orientation and rationale, and (c) overall classroom environment. Dissimilar to previous…

Background: Acute physical activity breaks lasting 10--60 min have been related to positive effects on student focus and academic performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of repeated brief physical activity-infused academic lessons (1-5 min) on student retention and on-task behavior. Methods: One class from each K-2 grade…

Few studies examine the classroom behavior of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in comparison with classroom peers and which teaching formats best support classroom engagement. Observations (N = 312) of second- and fourth-grade students with ADHD and their randomly selected classroom peers were conducted using a…

A functional assessment-based intervention (FABI) was designed and implemented to increase the on-task behavior of David, a second-grade student in a general education classroom. David attended an elementary school that used a comprehensive, integrated, three-tiered (CI3T) model of prevention. The school's principal nominated David for Project…

Classrooms are complex societies. Teachers are the leaders of these societies and the way they exercise their leadership abilities greatly affects the interactions that take place between teachers and students as well as interactions between the students themselves. These interactions, both social and instructional, have a great impact on the…

An alternating treatments design was used to investigate the effects of three types of opportunities to respond (i.e., individual, choral, and mixed responding) on sight words and syllable practice in six elementary students with behavioral problems. During the mixed responding condition, five out of six students demonstrated a lower rate of…

Although there is a growing body of literature on the use of functional analysis in schools, there is a need for more demonstrations of this technology being used during the course of typical instruction. In this study, we conducted functional analyses of disruptive and off-task behavior in a reading classroom setting for 3 participants of typical…

The purpose of this action research project report was to decrease off-task behavior through a dot/point reward system and portfolio reflections. Students involved in this research were in second, fifth, and sixth grade. There were a total of 85 student participants and 35 teacher participants. The dates of this research began on September 4, 2007…

Teaching self-management strategies to students with emotional behavior disorders is important in improving on-task behavior in the classroom. The problem in teaching students with emotional behavior disorders is that they often have trouble staying on task or staying focused, which causes disruption of the class. The purpose of the study is to…