Joseph H. Wehby

Exploring the Relationship Between Increased Opportunities to Respond to Academic Requests and the Academic and Behavioral Outcomes of Students with EBD: A Review

The purpose of this article is to review the literature and examine the effect of increased opportunities to respond to academic requests (OTR) on academic and behavioral outcomes of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). The studies reviewed suggest that increased rates of OTR result in higher task engagement and academic achievement and in lower rates of inappropriate classroom behaviors. However, descriptive research in classrooms for students with EBD suggests that teachers rarely provide adequate OTR. Implications of these findings and future research needs are discussed.

A multiple option observation system for experimental studies: MOOSES

The purpose of this article is to outline the development of the Multiple Option Observation System for Experimental Studies (MOOSES), a flexible data collection package for applied behavioral research. Several data collection options are available to users of MOOSES. Event-based recording, interaction-based recording, duration recording, and interval recording are available to the users and can be used individually or together, depending upon the research question. The collection program can incorporate any of the keys on the keyboard. Function keys on the top or side are used for toggle (duration states) type data collection. Types of analysis include frequency and duration of discrete events, frequency of general behavior states, frequency and duration of events within behavioral states, percent interval analysis, sequential analysis, and interobserver agreement. Data obtained from MOOSES is easily incorporated with other data for further statistical analysis with standard statistical packages or popular spreadsheet programs. Applications of MOOSES and its uses in social interaction research are presented. Comparisons with other similar systems are provided.

A Descriptive Analysis of Aggressive Behavior in Classrooms for Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

The present study extends previous research describing classroom interactions of children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Direct observation and sequential analytic techniques were used to (a) identify naturally occurring rates of aggressive behavior for 28 elementary school-aged children identified as EBD; (b) classify naturally occurring antecedents and consequences of these childrens aggressive behavior toward teachers, peers, and property; and (c) describe prevalent and predictive sequences of behaviors resulting in aggression. Results indicated low rates of positive social interactions characterized the daily classroom ecology of students displaying aggressive behavior. Implications for the assessment of low rate but problematic behaviors are discussed in regard to current developments in functional assessment techniques and the possible role of setting events in classroom aggression.

Academic Instruction for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

1. The term means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree, which adversely affects educational performance: (a) An inability to learn which cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors; (b) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers; (c) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances; (d) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression; or (e) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems. 2. The term includes children who have schizophrenia. The term does not include children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance. (Section 300.7(b)(9))

Teaching Practices in Classrooms for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: Discrepancies between Recommendations and Observations:

An important issue in the study of classrooms for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) concerns understanding teacher behavior and the teacher-student interaction patterns as coactive forces in the development and maintenance of problem behavior. Recent descriptive work in the area of teacher-student interactions suggests that teachers are employing less than optimal teaching practices. This article highlights a number of recommended best teaching practices, selectively reviews the research literature on teacher interactions in classrooms for students with E/BD, provides a possible interpretative framework for the apparent discrepancies, and makes recommendations for future research in this area.

Examination of the Relationship Between Teacher Praise and Opportunities for Students with EBD to Respond to Academic Requests

Providing students with opportunities to respond to academic requests (OTR) and praise have been identified as effective teaching practices. Because academic difficulty is a primary characteristic of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), receiving adequate OTR and praise are crucial for ameliorating their academic deficits. Although a relationship between rates of OTR and teacher praise has been suggested, the nature of this relationship is largely unknown.The purpose of this article was to investigate this relationship through an examination of the significance and magnitude of the relation between teacher praise and OTR in classrooms for students with EBD using time-window sequential analysis. Results suggested that (a) a summary-level relationship represented by a significant positive correlation and (b) a significant sequential association existed between teacher praise and OTR. Implications for future research and study limitations are discussed.

Using Teacher Praise and Opportunities to Respond to Promote Appropriate Student Behavior

ABSTRACT Teachers’ successful provision of levels of support to prevent and reduce problem classroom behaviors requires skillful application of research-based classroom and behavior management strategies. Among others, 2 teacher-centered strategies have been shown to decrease students’ inappropriate behaviors and increase their appropriate behaviors: the delivery of teacher praise as positive reinforcement for students’ appropriate behavior and the provision of high rates of opportunities for students to respond (OTR) correctly to academic questions, tasks, or demands. Consistent and appropriate use of teacher praise and increased OTR may serve as an important 1st step to establish predictable and positive classroom contexts that promote successful primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention and intervention supports. The authors present guidelines for increasing teachers’ effective use of praise and OTR as a preventative measure for reducing problem behavior and increasing appropriate behavior in urban classroom settings.

The Impact of Comprehensive Reading Instruction on the Academic and Social Behavior of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

The reading difficulties of children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have been well documented. In addition, it has been noted that reading difficulties are frequently correlated with antisocial behavior. Unfortunately, there is little empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of comprehensive reading interventions with this population of children.This study examined the effectiveness of a modified version of the Open Court Reading curriculum (Adams etal.,2000) combined with Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) with 2 groups of children with EBD. Results show moderate gains in reading achievement for individuals in each group in the areas of nonsense word fluency, sound naming, blending, and segmenting. However, improvement in standardized scores was not observed. In addition, an impact on observed problem behavior was not observed. Findings suggest that this combined approach may be promising in improving the reading achievement of students with EBD. Limitations and direction for future research are discussed.

Academic, Social, and Behavioral Profiles of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Educated in Self-Contained Classrooms and Self-Contained Schools: Part I—Are They More Alike than Different?:

It is assumed that students with EBD who have more severe deficits in academic, behavior, and/or social domains are placed in more restrictive settings. However, this assumption has not been empirically tested. This study compared students educated in self-contained classrooms to students educated in a self-contained school to determine if the academic, behavioral, and social deficits of students educated in the more restrictive setting actually have greater deficits. Results indicated that students educated in self-contained classrooms had higher academic skills than students educated in a self-contained school as measured by standardized and curriculum-based measures. However, teacher report data did not support these findings. Although there were some behavioral differences in students educated in these two settings, there were no differences in social skills, which were also assessed using teacher reports. Collectively, these variables explained a substantial amount of the difference (43% of the variance) between the students educated in these two settings. Limitations and directions for future research are offered.

Effects of Choice-Making Opportunities on the Behavior of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.

Students with emotional or behavioral disorders (E/BD) typically experience academic and social difficulties in school settings. One intervention, opportunities to make choices, has been implemented for students with E/BD to address inappropriate behaviors. Three elementary-aged students with E/BD from a self-contained special education classroom participated in this study. A multiple-baseline, across-students, single-subject design was used to compare the effects of Choice and No Choice conditions on multiple academic and social behaviors. All study sessions were conducted during regularly scheduled math activities in the special education classroom by the classroom teacher. Results suggest that opportunities to make choices during academic situations positively affected the academic and social behaviors of two of the three students. Limitations of and future research directions for opportunities to make choices for students with E/BD are provided.