As children reach adolescence, peer groups gain special power to influence their behavior, and young people tend to adapt their behavior to fit group norms. When students engage in bullying, alcohol and drug abuse, and other behavior, those in their peer group are more likely to engage in those behaviors as well. The authors sought to evaluate…

Although there is a strong legislative base and perceived efficacy for multidisciplinary team decision making, limited evidence supports its effectiveness or consistency of implementation in practice. In recent research, we used the Decision Observation, Recording, and Analysis (DORA) tool to document activities and adult behaviors during positive…

This study describes how a graduate student in counseling and guidance worked with a team of teachers in implementing a group-contingent reinforcement system with first graders. The group contingencies proved highly effective in increasing the percentage of work completed and reducing disruptive responses. (Author)

Misbehavior rate in classes of institutionalized retarded adolescents dropped when consequences were administered to the entire class for individual misbehaviors. (KW)

The present investigation employed an alternating treatments design to (1) examine the efficacy of group contingencies in the reduction of disruptive behavior, and (2) compare the effects of independent, interdependent, and dependent group contingencies in the reduction of disruptive behavior in adolescent males identified with serious emotional…

The consequences of gender social and learning interactions in the classroom are of interest to parents, policy makers, and researchers. However, little is known about gender peer effects in schools and their operational channels. In this paper, we estimate the effects of classroom gender composition on scholastic achievements of boys and girls in…

The application of behavioral technology to integrate individual needs for growth and development of secondary students with the organizational goals of the schools is discussed. It is emphasized that learning designs in the school should be utilized to give teachers, pupils, and administrators an opportunity in varied group mixes to participate…

This paper reports the findings of a field test of the motivational-instructional procedure group conferences to promote self-directed prosocial behavior. The field test was carried out in eight Wisconsin multiunit schools. Each school or unit developed its own list of prosocial behaviors which was used to measure the progress of all pupils.…

The classroom management techniques of elementary school teachers were observed to determine their effectiveness in promoting desirable on-task behavior on the part of pupils. Seven approaches to class management were used as a framework for observation--authoritarian, behavior modification, common sense, group process, instructional emphasis,…

The study reported in this paper focuses on teacher perceptions of students' affective or noncognitive behavior in the classroom. Elementary school teachers were asked to describe in writing five events or situations involving students that they judged to be fairly typical and that had occurred in their classrooms. The emphasis was upon events…

The Group-Oriented Adapted Levels System teaches students with behavior disorders the skills needed for being members of a successfully functioning peer group, while providing the classroom teacher with an effective classroom management approach. Student behaviors are mediated by peers; students work toward a common goal; and opportunities are…

This paper describes Peer Culture Development, Inc., a private, non-profit agency which provides a school-based delinquency prevention program to public schools. The basic components of the program are described along with the selection and role of student leaders in the program. The dynamics of the group meetings are discussed and seven…

This report focuses on what is known about the development and control of human behavior that is relevant to school teachers. It examines and summarizes several approaches to behavior management--behavior modification, group dynamics, Glasser's reality therapy approach, the Adlerian approach espoused by Dreikurs, Kohlberg's theory of moral…

Suggests looking at group dynamics when managing conflicts between children in the classroom. Uses an example from the classroom to demonstrate how teachers can facilitate safe and fair conflict management, increase cooperative behavior, and, as a result, contribute to children's self-esteem. Discusses careful observation in the classroom,…

This handbook is a course of study to teach teachers at all grade levels to understand, implement, and teach to their students the causal approach to human behavior. Although the major portion of the handbook is based on the concepts of Ralph H. Ojemman's causal approach to behavior, and the curricular materials are presented to explain this…