Geoff Colvin

The School Bully: Assessing the Problem, Developing Interventions, and Future Research Directions

A growing concern exists among educators regarding the prevalence and impact of bullying behavior in the public schools. This behavior has serious repercussions for school climate and school safety in general. In addition, strong indicators suggest bullying behavior appears to be a precursor for community violence. Studies indicate that educators are not fully aware of the prevalence or the seriousness of bullying behavior in schools. A need exists to assess systematically the extent to which bullying behavior may be present in a given school. The critical features of several bullying assessment instruments were examined. In response to the growing concern regarding bullying, a large number of programs designed to address bullying are emerging. However, it is recommended that before selecting a program three criteria should be considered: the program (a) is supported by research; (b) is based on sound behavioral principles; and (c) emphasizes teaching prosocial behavior to replace bullying behavior.

Using Observational Data to Provide Performance Feedback to Teachers: A High School Case Study.

Educators face ongoing pressure to improve student outcomes, especially with regard to academic achievement and social behavior. One viable strategy for supporting and improving instructional practices is to conduct classroom observations and provide performance feedback. Researchers have shown performance feedback to be effective in the workplace, institutions, and educational settings. The present case study on a high school teacher provides preliminary promising information of the relevance and effectiveness of the combination of a classroom observation and a performance feedback process that focused on the relations among 3 key variables: classroom instructional settings, instructional practice, and classroom student behavior. The authors used a process based on the observational data that identified when students were off task and pinpointed the corresponding setting categories and the teachers instructional actions. The authors provided performance feedback to the teacher on the basis of these findings. Then, the teacher made changes in the identified setting categories and teacher actions, resulting in substantial gains in class engagement and a reduction in problem behaviors.

The Effects of a Peer-Mediated Self-Evaluation Procedure on the Recess Behavior of Students with Behavior Problems

The trend in elementary schools to shift recess supervision from certified staff to classified staff has weakened the quality of recess supervision. One approach to remedy this problem is to rely more on the students themselves. The purpose of this study is twofold: (a) to investigate the effects of a self-evaluation procedure on the recess behavior of students with behavior problems and (b) to determine whether the use of peers in the procedure facilitates the generalization of behavioral gains. Following the baseline, a peer-mediated self-evaluation procedure was introduced in the morning recess period according to the time-lagged procedures required by a multiple baseline across subjects design. Results revealed that the procedure produced clear improvements in the recess behavior of the target students. These improvements were maintained throughout all experimental conditions as the self-evaluation procedure was systematically faded. In addition, the treatment effects generalized to an afternoon recess period.

Behavior Supports in Nonclassroom Settings

The focus of the three-tier approach of positive behavior support (PBS) in nonclassroom settings is to provide proactive supports that include early detection and intervention at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. The logic of this approach rests on putting proactive structures in place and then monitoring student response. If many students are demonstrating problems, then the universal features of the setting need to be adjusted. Yet, even when effective primary prevention systems are in place, a few students may still fail to respond appropriately and will require more intensive interventions at the secondary or tertiary level to promote behavioral competence. Thus, a continuum of interventions is implemented across nonclassroom, classroom, and individual student support systems to support students who do not respond to universal procedures. Although each of these systems has unique features, they overlap and have an impact the others (Crone & Horner, 2003; Todd, Horner, Sugai, & Colvin, 1999) as represented in Fig. 21.1.