No description available.

The aim of this project was to evaluate the Contingencies for Learning Academic and Social Skills (CLASS) programme in four New Zealand classrooms. Four students with antisocial behaviour were nominated by their teachers to take part in an intervention that included differential attention, increased praise and rewards. Direct observations were made of compliance to teacher instructions, on-task behaviour, teacher praise and teacher instructions. Results indicated that on-task behaviour and compliance to teacher instructions increased during the intervention phase and was maintained during the follow-up. Teachers were also able to increase their rate of praise per hour during the intervention phase and their praise rate remained greater at follow-up than during the baseline phase. In the absence of pre-service and in-service behaviour management training for teachers, the CLASS programme proved to be a useful tool to assist teachers who have to work with children with high rates of antisocial behaviour.

No description available.

The growing strength-based approach to the assessment and intervention of students' social and emotional learning competencies has significant implications for the practice of behavioral consultation in school settings (Zins & Elias, 2007). The current research study utilized four separate multiple baseline case studies across students in order to evaluate the effects of behavioral interventions developed in accordance with either a traditional model of behavioral consultation (Bergen & Kratochwill, 1990), or a proposed strength-based model of behavioral consultation, developed in accordance with the tenets of strength-based assessment as described in Epstein et al. (2003). Dependent variables of interest across both models of consultation included direct observations of student on-task behavior and frequency counts of teachers' use of general praise, behavior specific praise and reprimand statements during specified observational periods. Estimates of social validity regarding teachers' perceptions of the acceptability, effectiveness and feasibility of the interventions developed through both types of consultation were also obtained at the conclusion of each intervention. Results indicated that while behavioral interventions implemented across both models of consultation led to positive improvements in student on-task behaviors and increases in teachers' use of general praise and behavior specific praise statements, teachers engaged in interventions developed through the strength-based model of behavioral consultation had significantly higher rates of behavior specific praise than they did when implementing interventions through the traditional behavioral model. This study adds to the existing literature by providing a detailed description and theoretical blueprint for future researchers regarding how to integrate the growing strength-based movement of assessment and intervention with school-based behavioral consultation initiatives in order to improve the social, emotional and behavioral competencies of individual students, as well as facilitate the establishment and maintenance of positive teacher-student interactions in the classroom setting. / School Psychology