The Good Behavior Game and Tootling are two intervention techniques rooted in behavioral theory that are widely used for class wide behavior management purposes. Few studies have evaluated the use of these classwide behavior management interventions with the addition of a technological component or when applied to a post-secondary education setting. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the effects of the Good Behavior Game with ClassDojo and Tootling with ClassDojo for increasing academic engagement and decreasing problem behavior in a post-secondary classroom. Participants included emerging adult students (19-24 years-old) with intellectual disabilities in a Comprehensive Transitional Program at a major university. An alternating treatment design was implemented to compare the intervention conditions to both a baseline and an ongoing control conditions. Results, limitations of the study, implication for practice, and future research are discussed.

Corporal punishment is a common practice that has been employed in classrooms in Jamaica for many years. This practice, as it is used to manage classroom behavior, although viewed as valuable by some, presents extremely detrimental effects. This study outlines positive approaches to classroom management to provide Jamaican classrooms with alternatives to corporal punishment. This is done by investigating the effectiveness of two Applied Behavior Analysis techniques, the Good Behavior Game and Differential Reinforcement of Low Rate Response, on disruptive behavior in a third grade classroom in a rural school in Jamaica. Results from the implementation of both procedures display positive outcomes and reveal that positive approaches to classroom management are effective in improving disruptive behavior. These procedures demonstrate the effectiveness of promoting positive behavior and refrain from utilizing corporal punishment. Such strategies also motivate students, increase instructional time, are cost efficient, and can be easily implemented by teachers. / Urban Education

Three interventions using public posting and review of client data in order to increase the effectiveness of staff implementation of functional communication training (FCT) within a school setting were compared. These interventions included: public review and posting of client data, public review and posting of client data paired with a coded shape for each staff member, and public review and posting of client data paired with a coded shape for each staff member with added reinforcement incentives. There were three student participants and three staff participants. For two student participants, FCT increased from baseline through intervention phases and staff were more likely to implement functional communication training during the final phase where reinforcement was added for the staff. Added reinforcement increased staff implementation of FCT paired with public review and posting of client data. For the third participant, results varied, but staff implemented the most during the public review and posting phases compared to baseline and reached a mean of 10 responses per session. There was also a negative correlation between functional communication responses (FCR) and challenging behaviors for two participants. This supports previous research and demonstrates the value of functional communication training as a behavior intervention tactic. / Applied Behavioral Analysis

Schools are facing challenges in their efforts to educate children appropriately and safely. Students who demonstrate inappropriate, anti-social, and/or disruptive behaviors are becoming more prevalent. School personnel are dealing with disruptive behaviors that occur more frequently and that affect staff and student safety. Additionally, the lack of discipline or management of disruptive behaviors has been identified by the public as the most persistent and possibly the most troublesome issue facing schools ( Cotton, 2001; Elam, Rose, & Gallop, 1998; Fitzsimmons, 1998; Killion, 1998). An assumption in managing problem behaviors in many urban schools is that punishment will change behavior. According to Skiba and Peterson (2000), severe and penalizing disciplinary policies frequently produce a negative school environment rather than improving student behavior. In general, urban schools across the nation rely on suspensions, loss of privileges, reprimands, and or expulsion as means of discipline. Unfortunately, these reactive consequences only help a small number of children learn to "comply with general expectations" and are insufficient for many students who exhibit more challenging behavior problems. This study examines the disciplinary practices being used in two urban middle schools to control disruptive behavior of students. It will reveal what aspects of certain disciplinary practices are viewed as helpful as well as areas needing improvement. It will also give insight into whether selected urban school principals and other stakeholders are using proactive strategies and techniques demonstrated in the research literature as being the most effective in terms of changing inappropriate behavior. Undertaking this study through the application of qualitative research methods of inquiry as a study using interviews, examining relevant documents, and observations will allow me an opportunity to explore my personal reactions to the defined disciplinary practices in the identified schools. / Ed. D.

In this dissertation, I investigated job satisfaction from a dynamic perspective. Specifically, I integrated the momentum model of job satisfaction with the affective shift model and crossover theory in an effort to move beyond traditional, static conceptions of job satisfaction and other constructs. Recent research and theoretical development has focused on the meaning of job satisfaction change for workers and how such change impacts their decisions to leave an organization. To extend this line of inquiry, I posited hypotheses pertaining to: (a) job satisfaction change with respect to positive work behavior (i.e., organizational citizenship behavior, family-supportive supervisor behavior); (b) the potential moderating effect of changes in negative work events (i.e., job demands, interpersonal conflict) on the relation between job satisfaction change and turnover intentions change and positive work behavior; and (c) the crossover of job satisfaction change from managers to employees and the potential underlying behavioral mechanisms. An archival dataset collected by the Work, Family & Health Network was used to investigate the aforementioned phenomena. Data were collected at two time points with a six-month interval via face-to-face computer-assisted personal interviews from individuals working at 30 facilities from a U.S. extended-healthcare organization. In total, data from 184 managers and 1,524 of their employees were used to test hypotheses. Data were analyzed using multilevel structural equation modeling. In an extension of the momentum model, I found that managers’ job satisfaction change positively related to changes in employee reports of their FSSB; in addition, I replicated prior findings in which job satisfaction change negatively related to turnover intentions change. Furthermore, based on my integration of the momentum model and the affective shift model, I tested the proposition that changes in negative work events (i.e., job demands, interpersonal conflict) would moderate the relationship between changes in job satisfaction and focal outcomes. For certain operationalizations of negative work events, hypothesis testing revealed significant interactions with respect to changes in all three outcomes: turnover intentions, OCB, and FSSB. The form of the interactions, however, deviated from my predictions for models including changes in turnover intentions and OCB, although my predictions were supported for models including changes in FSSB. In my integration of the momentum model and crossover theory, the associated hypotheses were met with very limited support. Specifically, the relationship between managers' job satisfaction change and employees' job satisfaction change approached significance, but the relationship between managers' level of job satisfaction and their employees' subsequent level of job satisfaction did not receive support. Similarly, the proposed mediational mechanisms (i.e., managers' OCB and FSSB) of these crossover relations went unsupported. In sum, while my contributions to the momentum model and the affective shift model were notable, my proposed integration of the momentum model and crossover theory was met with limited support. Overall, findings from this dissertation yield important implications for both theory and practice, as they may draw more attention to changes in job satisfaction, as well as the potentially beneficial role of changes in perceived negative work events.

The current study examines the effects of an online workshop pertaining to classroom behavior management on teacher self-efficacy, attitudes, motivation, knowledge, and practices. In addition, information about teacher utilization of the Internet, their opinions about professional development, and experiences with classroom management were collected. Participants included 57 1st through 5th grade special and regular education teachers. Eligible teachers were those who teach an academic subject and had at least one child in the classroom they considered as disruptive. Teachers were randomized to either a training or waitlist group. Classroom observations of teacher practices and questionnaires were utilized. Teachers in the training group participated in two assessment points, baseline and post-workshop, and received access to the online course immediately following the baseline assessment. Teachers in the waitlist group participated in three assessment points, baseline, post-workshop, and follow-up, and received access to the online course immediately following the post-workshop assessment. Findings show that all teachers had access to the Internet at home and at school and used it on a daily basis. The majority of teachers indicated having some past training on all the techniques that were presented in the online workshop. All teachers expressed satisfaction with the workshop, indicating that it should be offered again. Post-workshop, findings showed significant group differences in knowledge with a large effect for the training group scoring higher than the waitlist group on a quiz. Secondly, group differences in self-efficacy, knowledge, and attitudes with teachers’ past-training as a moderator, was examined. Past-training was not found to be a significant moderator of self-efficacy, knowledge, or attitudes. However, the main effect for training group was significant for attitudes. In addition, teacher attitudes, but not knowledge and self-efficacy, significantly predicted motivation to implement. Next, the moderating effect of barriers on motivation and classroom management skill implementation was examined. Barriers were not found to be a significant moderator. Lastly, the training group was observed to be significantly more effective at giving commands compared to the waitlist group. The current study demonstrates the potential of a low-intensity online workshop on classroom management to enhance the accessibility of teacher professional development.

Adults with developmental disabilities that live in large residential settings experience complications due to problem behavior when attending routine medical/dental appointments. This may result in sedation for clients for even the most routine medical/dental appointments. The purpose of this project was to develop a comprehensive staff training program that incorporated best practices to teach direct-support professionals behavior management techniques and best practices for transporting clients to and from routine medical/dental appointments. 4 direct-support professionals at a large residential care facility participated in this project. Multiple probes were conducted utilizing standard role-play exercises to evaluate caregiver acquisition of 16 specific skills related to client information, best practices for client transport, and behavior management. The results indicated that behavior skills training (BST) resulted in caregiver acquisition of all 16 skills during role-play exercises.

In 2016, over 47,000 youths in the state of Florida were served by the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) probation services. While on probation, these youths were exposed to 2 different, and potentially conflicting disciplinary management systems. Youth are under the authority of juvenile probation officers (JPOs), who are bound to a consequence-based management approach. This approach is guided by negative reinforcement. The youths are simultaneously engaged with staff from diversion programs, many of which are strengths-based and guided by positive reinforcement. According to the ecosystemic complexity theory of conflict, exposure to incongruent systems can have negative effects such as confusion and ineffectiveness. By applying a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, I explored the responses to this convergence point from the perspective of 9 strengths-based school counseling staff members who supervise the youth that navigate between these 2 different behavior modification systems. This sample of 9 staff members also work directly with JPOs. Data were collected using iterative versions of semistructured interviews and analyzed using content analysis. Findings revealed that conflict did exist at the convergence point, and that cohesion, on varying levels, also existed, and that solutions to the philosophical incompatibility have emerged. This research contributes to social change by illuminating the possible conflict inherent in implementing incongruent approaches to behavior management, which may inform policymakers regarding program management for juvenile justice.

No description available.

The Medicaid Home and Community Based Services Waiver (HCBS) funds services for people with developmental disabilities in community based group homes. The purpose of the Medicaid HCBS Waiver is to: (1) support alternatives to institutions, (2) promote independence, (3) maximize functioning, and (4) support community integration. Direct care staff members have primary, day to day contact with people with developmental disabilities living in group home settings. Residential agencies for people with developmental disabilities have the responsibility to train direct care staff in the use of effective teaching strategies in order to realize the purpose of the Medicaid HCBS waiver. Direct care staff's knowledge of effective teaching strategies will afford people with mental retardation an opportunity for greater independence and help them achieve their maximum potential within the community. This study set out to evaluate what factors were related to direct care staff members' knowledge of effective teaching strategies. The factors investigated include agencies use of evidence based staff training practices, feedback as a performance management strategy, and Certified Behavior Analysts involvement with the training and support of direct care staff. A random sample of 294 direct care staff members who work in 55 different group homes throughout the State of Florida participated in the study. Direct care staff members' average score on the knowledge of effective teaching strategies quiz was 23.31 out of 50 questions. The maximum score achieved was 43. These findings indicated that the direct care staff members generally did not demonstrate knowledge of effective teaching strategies. The findings of this investigation demonstrated a statistically significant positive relationship between direct care staff members who received empirically derived staff training and knowledge of effective teaching strategies. Additionally, the investigation found a statistically significant positive relationship between the behavior analyst involvement and direct care staff members' knowledge about how to teach. The investigation failed to identify a statistically significant relationship between performance feedback and knowledge about how to teach. This research is important to policy formulation as it relates to the efficient and effective delivery of supports for people with developmental disabilities.