Regina M. Oliver

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.

Special Education Teacher Preparation in Classroom Management: Implications for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.

Special education teachers’ skills with classroom organization and behavior management affect the emergence and persistence of behavior problems as well as the success of inclusive practice for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Adequate special education teacher preparation and strong classroom organization and behavior management skills are critical for teachers of students with EBD. Little research has been conducted to determine the extent to which special education teacher preparation programs provide teachers with adequate instruction on classroom organization and behavior management techniques. Course syllabi from 26 special education teacher preparation programs were reviewed. Results indicate a highly variable emphasis on classroom organization and management between programs. Programs tended to emphasize reactive procedures. Only 27% (n = 7) of the university programs had an entire course devoted to classroom management. The remaining 73% (n = 19) of university programs had content related to behavior management dispersed within various courses. Limitations and implications for special education teacher preparation and inclusive practices are discussed.

Unidentified Language Deficits in Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: A Meta-Analysis

Low language proficiency and problem behavior often co-occur, yet language deficits are likely to be overlooked in children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Random effects meta-analyses were conducted to determine prevalence and severity of the problem. Across 22 studies, participants included 1,171 children ages 5–13 with formally identified EBD and no history of developmental, neurological, or language disorders. Results indicated prevalence of below-average language performance was 81%, 95% CI [76, 84]. The mean comprehensive language score was 76.33 [71, 82], which was significantly below average. Implications include the need to (a) require language screening for all students with EBD, (b) clarify the relationship between language and behavior, and (c) develop interventions to ameliorate the effects of these dual deficits.

Teachers' Reported Knowledge and Implementation of Research-Based Classroom and Behavior Management Strategies.

Teachers’ reported knowledge about and implementation of research-based classroom and behavior management strategies were examined. A total of 160 elementary teachers from two districts in different regions of the same state completed the researcher-developed Survey of Classroom and Behavior Management. On average, teachers reported to be somewhat knowledgeable and to implement somewhat all of the 10 sets of research-based strategies included in the survey. Teachers appeared to be most knowledgeable and more frequently implement prevention practices but less knowledgeable and less frequently implement individualized behavioral intervention strategies. Teachers’ reported knowledge was correlated with their reported use of strategies. There was a significant difference in reported knowledge across the two districts. Implications are provided for areas of future research and for using the survey to identify targets for improved pre-service and inservice training and support.