Briefly reviews the research literature concerning the overjustification effect. The effect describes the situation where positive reinforcement reduces one's intrinsic motivation for a behavior, thereby decreasing the probability that the behavior will be repeated. Notes the limitations of this explanation and recommends a broader representation…

This article describes challenges and benefits related to assessment, intervention design, and implementation that are inherent in parent-professional collaboration for positive behavior support. An example is provided of a partnership that resulted in the provision of visual supports to a child (age 4) with autism with severe problem behaviors.…

Effects of 2 home-based treatments to reduce school problems among 10 disruptive intermediate school students were probed. Although the treatment using only positive reinforcement yielded no significant change, a mixed reinforcement treatment brought both a decrease in rates of referrals to the office and decrease in depression rates. (Author/PB)

Four articles in this special section discuss (1) ideas for making discipline a positive experience for child care staff and children (Karen Stephens); (2) scenarios illustrating the power of adult messages to children (Karen Stephens); (3) classroom environments that facilitate positive discipline (Marjorie K. Kostelnik); and (4) strategies for…

Presents study results examining the effectiveness of teacher praise on children's on-task behavior. Describes Canter's Assertive Discipline, its use in Australia, and the basics of a study of the technique. Reports that all teacher subjects increased rates of praising following training, and all but one student improved levels of behavior.…

This article describes the DT Trainer, a software tool and behavioral teaching method which breaks down the learning of a task into small steps, giving the student a very high chance of success. Students are motivated to succeed with this program through ample praise statements and other on-screen reinforcers. (Contains three references.) (CR)

Peers of a socially rejected seventh-grade girl were rewarded for publicly reporting positive aspects of the girl's behavior. Results indicated that positive peer reports reduced negative social interactions to near zero and increased positive interactions to above 70%. In addition, social acceptance ratings of the girl increased from…

This article examines impediments to effective dissemination of training in positive behavioral support, such as school discipline policies and the inadequacy of training models. It suggests ways new information technologies can overcome these obstacles and reviews some new approaches using CD-ROM and online instructional methodologies to advance…

This article provides information for early childhood educators so that they will understand what goes into the task of building positive relationships with children. Having a warm and open relationship with his or her teacher or child care provider is identified as an important protective factor for young children. Empirical evidence for the…

The authors examine positive behavioral support (PBS) as a behavior management intervention that facilitates the development of appropriate and positive behaviors in culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children who are at risk for failure in urban schools. One of the major problems facing urban schools today is the abuse and misuse of…

Research has suggested that the use of effective instructional strategies could be increased through direct intervention. One possible intervention is performance feedback, a simple yet effective method of consultation for influencing teacher behavior. Mortenson and Witt (1998) defined performance feedback as "a method of providing…

The activities in the guide will help you connect the suggestions and strategies in Classroom Motivation from A to Z to your real-life teaching experiences. For each of the 26 chapters in the book, you will find a series of three activities that will help you reflect on your current practices. They ask you to ACT now and turn your classroom into a…

This article provides an overview of the literature on relational aggression of school-aged children and adolescents, with the specific aim of making this information relevant to school settings and education professionals. Relational aggression is discussed in terms of definitions, terms, and the importance of the school context. The literature…

This study presents functional assessment data from two second-grade students with behavior and academic problems. Functional assessment procedures included interview, observation, functional analysis, and intervention. Functional analysis conditions, conducted by the classroom teacher, with coaching from the researcher, indicated multiple…

The point system used at Boys Town is often misunderstood, but the approach is a middle ground between two extremes: one relying on classical behavior modification, the other, rejecting behavior as a starting place for helping children get better. There are two major characteristics of the Boys Town approach: (1) teaching skills, such as…