Introduction
In the past several years, the incidence of challenging student behaviors has been increasing. Examples of such behaviors include student violence, poor attendance, disregard towards teachers and their authority, and various other examples of disruptive actions. These behaviors are threatening the long-term success of students in school, their future, and further success in college and at work. Positive behavior support practices represent a solution to these contemporary problems. At the same time, without full cooperation from all teachers and staff members, the success of their implementation will be limited. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of PBS, provide a model of operation as well as two strategies for teachers to use, and offer evidence of its effectiveness in reducing challenging behaviors.
What Is PBS?
PBS stands for Positive Behavior Support. It is a framework developed during the 1980s and gained popularity throughout the 1990s, with an emphasis on empirical research and an in-depth understanding of the causes of problematic and challenging behaviors (Wills et al., 2019). It studies individuals engaged in such practices both separately and as part of the group, seeing behaviors as means of interacting with the internal and external environment. It acknowledges challenging behaviors as imperfect means to specific ends and seeks to address those by providing proper behavioral tools to children to replace these behaviors. As such, the approach is highly universal and can address various issues, ranging from tantrums and aggressiveness to apathy and disregard for teaching authority (Wills et al., 2019).
Effectiveness of PBS
PBS program effectiveness is supported by numerous studies. Gaffney et al. (2019) offer a review of multiple studies dedicated to counteracting school bullying and other negative behaviors. According to the article, PBS practices have achieved a reduction of school bullying by 18-20% and victimization by 15%. These results are supported by Bambara and Kern, which focused on the positive aspects of PBS being implemented in elementary, middle, and high schools. According to their findings, academic performance and attendance have been found to increase between 10-25% over the course of three-month interventions, with a lingering effect long after it was over. Thus, there is plenty of evidence regarding the effectiveness of PBS.
PBS Process
Behavior Support Team
The PBS process involves identifying key stakeholders that affect child development. It includes the family, teachers, friends, therapists, as well as other school personnel (Horner & Sugai, 2019). These individuals can and should collaborate with one another in order to address problematic behavior. Teaming up is the key activity for all interested parties, as none alone could cover all the bases on their own. The discussion of resources, whether material or administrative, is also necessary, as different parties can offer access to those. Finally, it is necessary to plan out an active participation plan that involves all stakeholders, with each being given a specific role to improve the child’s life (Horner & Sugai, 2019).
Person-Centered Planning
The backbone of the PBS process is person-centered planning, with the center being the hopes and dreams of the child in question. It helps identify the strengths of each stakeholder and how they could enhance the collaborative experience while establishing a commitment to support the child and family (Lee & Gage, 2020). It will occur over the course of multiple settings, including home, school, and therapy locations. When considering plans and courses of action to be taken on behalf of the child, graphic records, pictures, and charts are used to guide everyone through the process. The team needs to establish common ground and values, even if they might differ in the application (Lee & Gage, 2020).
Functional Behavior Assessment
Functional behavior assessment is the third step in the PBS process. It concerns itself with the different aspects of the child’s problem behavior. First, it helps identify the types of challenging actions and the purpose behind them. Most children develop problem behaviors to address specific issues in their environment. If the behavior is repetitive, it forms patterns that could be observed and assessed. The consequences of these behaviors are typically negative in some way or measure, either by not solving the existing problems or creating new ones. FBA can be used to acquire a holistic understanding of the issues and develop strategies to address the challenging behaviors exhibited by the student (Lee & Gage, 2020).
Hypothesis Development
A child typically has a very sketchy and incomplete behavioral history. It is the reason why the intervention typically operates on best guesses, which are, in turn, reliant on contemporary observations and literature. Still, child history can provide a proper background for any problematic behaviors exhibited by the child. First-hand accounts from witnesses and the child can offer alternative perspectives into forming hypotheses and confirming/not confirming the initial hypotheses. They are also necessary for forming a support plan for the child (McIntosh et al., 2018).
Behavior Support Plan Development
The support plan development starts with ironing out the working hypotheses, which include descriptions, triggers, consequences, and purposes of behaviors. After that, strategies for addressing or reducing the likelihood of these behaviors are being formulated. Skills that will replace problem traits will have to be taught to the child while demonstrating how they would be more beneficial to the child in the long run. In the event that problematic behaviors continue, the child will be taught the skills to reduce the impact of their negative actions. Finally, a long-term strategy to eliminate challenging behaviors will involve the child, the family, and the surrounding community (McIntosh et al., 2018).
Monitoring Outcomes
It is important to monitor and evaluate the progress of the intervention to correct and adjust the methods if they are not working. The methods of collecting data are typically straightforward. Grades, number of complaints, self-evaluation reports, and peer reports can be used to determine if problematic behaviors continue. If the findings are consistent with the announced goals, then it should continue. Otherwise, the approach needs to be changed. From time to time, the approach needs to be realigned with the long-term visions and goals of the child and their family. Possible solutions need to be supported by data and relevant literature (Simonsen et al., 2019).
Strategies for Teachers
Teachers are some of the primary stakeholders when addressing problematic and challenging behaviors. Having working PBS strategies on hand would improve understanding and trust in the method to achieve success. There are two potential solutions that could be implemented in the classroom. One involves appreciating positive behaviors in children through praise, rewards, or both. The other one is making curricular adaptations with the purpose of optimizing learning and avoiding negative feedback (Simonsen et al., 2019). These solutions will be discussed further in the following slides.
Strategy 1
Appreciating Positive Feedback
The first strategy to engage individuals that exhibit problematic behaviors is to appreciate and promote good behavior. If students have an incentive to behave properly, they might make a conscious or subconscious decision not to engage in problematic actions. Right rewards need to be determined to facilitate this sort of behavior. These could vary from verbal praise to physical rewards, be that grades, sweets, and other things. As time passes by, teachers would need to slowly reduce rewards. In addition, they should engage in variability to keep the students interested. With enough time, the desirable behavior will be normalized, achieving the PBS goals of the program (Burieva, 2020).
Evidence
Evidence suggests that positive reinforcement helps counteract problematic behaviors. Bhatti et al. (2021) state that positive reinforcement is connected with a higher motivation to excel. Apathy and unwillingness to learn are less likely to affect a student showered with praise (Bhatti et al., 2021). This strategy is also associated with improved grades. Fisher et al. (2021) find that the average grades improve by 20% in groups where positive reinforcement is applied versus no intervention at all. Researchers also find that students perceive nonmaterial rewards, such as status and grades, over physical rewards. They often see physical rewards as insignificant and not worth the hassle (Fisher et al., 2021).
Plan of Implementation
Before initiating the strategy, it is necessary to identify the problematic behaviors. These could be, for example, students not being able to sit still in class, being distracted, and distracting other children. The desired behavior is for them to be still and attentive. Positive reinforcement could include something that is received by those who behave without disregarding the problem students. For example, these could include sweets, badges, or better grades (though not by a large margin). The class can be made to know about these measures in advance, so they can internalize and prepare accordingly. Once everything is set, the plan of action could be implemented in class (Scott & Landrum, 2020).
Potential Issues and Solutions
There are some potential hurdles to implementing the proposed plan of action. Students may not be interested in sweets or verbal appraisal as means of facilitating good behavior. Conversing with them and finding out what is important may be necessary to ascertain proper rewards. Another issue may arise from students taking too slow to internalize the behaviors desired by them. Because children have different speeds at which they adopt desired behaviors, it may be required to keep the program going for a prolonged period of time to achieve the result. If neither of these solutions works, a different strategy may need to be applied, depending on the effectiveness of the ongoing solution (Scott & Landrum, 2020).
Strategy 2
Making Curricular Adaptations
Reduced academic performance often results in problematic behavior. Children feel inadequate compared to their peers, which in turn may result in depression, apathy, bullying, and many other challenging attitudes. A teacher would have to adjust in order to reach the student and improve their performance. Adjusting the curriculum may be necessary because the student is lagging behind others and is incapable of continuously understanding new material, making the rift between themselves and others even wider. Providing additional motivation in the form of praise is key to developing self-esteem and confidence. Finally, additional time is necessary to be spent with the student, as without the extra effort, it would not be possible to catch up to the rest of the class (Bunbury, 2020).
Evidence
Curriculum adjustment as an intervention against challenging behavior has been generally found to be effective. Green et al. (2019) find that adjusting the material to the learning needs of a single or a small group of students improves general performance and self-image in the middle to long-term perspectives. Results can be seen as soon as 2-3 months into the program (Green et al., 2019). E-learning has been found to be a useful medium for extra-curricular studying. Online studies are easier to adapt to and allow teachers to reach their students from home, making for a more flexible schedule. Overall, it can be concluded that the proposed solution has a high chance of succeeding.
Plan of Implementation
In order to adjust the curriculum to fit the needs of a particular student, the teacher needs to review their current progress. Usually, grades and test results would provide the necessary information. Observations during class would show how a student is affected by their performance, be that inattentiveness, cheating, or a desire to distract and undermine others. The premise of the strategy is that if a student performs better, they will cease their problematic activities. A teacher would have to find the time to spend with the student to help them catch up without slowing down others. The extra studying sessions need to be accommodating for both the teacher and the student.
Potential Issues and Solutions
One of the major issues with curriculum adjustments is that the student may not be very cooperative. Learning the reasons for such behavior is paramount for making them comply with the program. They might feel inadequate for receiving special treatment or would simply not want to put in the effort. Evaluation of the student and what makes them capable of putting in the effort is required. Family and friends may be recruited to assist in the endeavor. The second issue revolves around finding time for the student to learn. Often neither they nor teachers have enough time to fit in an extra lesson. Splitting one lesson into smaller bits is more flexible but takes more time (Sklar, 2018).
Next Steps
Teachers and administrative staff are asked to provide full cooperation and engagement to the proposed PBS program. Their efficiency will be analyzed in the next three months. If successful, more are going to be added to facilitate programs. Any deficiencies will have to be corrected to reflect what works and what does not. The overarching goal is to eliminate problem behaviors, improve the psychological health of students, and increase their overall academic performance.
Conclusions
As it stands, the school has exhibited a negative trend in student behavior in the past three years. It shows that previous strategies to handle the issue have proven to be ineffective. Teachers are asked to adopt the PBS framework as a means of altering problematic behaviors. Some of the proposed strategies to implement as soon as possible include curriculum adjustments for students that fail their grades, as well as positive reinforcement for classes as a whole. These methods are backed by evidence and are promising to be effective. If not, additional strategies may have to be involved to achieve the desired effect.
References
Bambara, L. M., & Kern, L. (Eds.). (2021). Individualized supports for students with problem behaviors: Designing positive behavior plans. Guilford Publications.
Bhatti, M. S., Iqbal, A., Mukhtar, R., Noreen, S., & Javed, Z. (2021). Studying the role of positive reinforcement for motivation to learn the english language at secondary level in Pakistan. Utamax: Journal of Ultimate Research and Trends in Education, 3(1), 14-20.
Bunbury, S. (2020). Disability in higher education–do reasonable adjustments contribute to an inclusive curriculum?. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 24(9), 964-979.
Burieva, R. (2020). The effectiveness of teaching writing to the students with the technique “rewards and positive reinforcement”. Academic Research In Educational Sciences, 1, 229-232.
Fisher, W. W., Piazza, C. C., & Roane, H. S. (Eds.). (2021). Handbook of applied behavior analysis. Guilford Publications.
Gaffney, H., Ttofi, M. M., & Farrington, D. P. (2019). Evaluating the effectiveness of school-bullying prevention programs: An updated meta-analytical review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 45, 111-133.
Green, J. H., Passarelli, R. E., Smith‐Millman, M. K., Wagers, K., Kalomiris, A. E., & Scott, M. N. (2019). A study of an adapted social–emotional learning: Small group curriculum in a school setting. Psychology in the Schools, 56(1), 109-125.
Horner, R. H., & Sugai, G. (2018). Future directions for positive behavior support: A commentary. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 20(1), 19-22.
Lee, A., & Gage, N. A. (2020). Updating and expanding systematic reviews and meta‐analyses on the effects of school‐wide positive behavior interventions and supports. Psychology in the Schools, 57(5), 783-804.
McIntosh, K., Mercer, S. H., Nese, R. N., Strickland-Cohen, M. K., Kittelman, A., Hoselton, R., & Horner, R. H. (2018). Factors predicting sustained implementation of a universal behavior support framework. Educational Researcher, 47(5), 307-316.
Ray, A. E., Greene, K., Hecht, M. L., Barriage, S. C., Miller-Day, M., Glenn, S. D., & Banerjee, S. C. (2019). An e-learning adaptation of an evidence-based media literacy curriculum to prevent youth substance use in community groups: Development and feasibility of REAL media. JMIR Formative Research, 3(2), e12132.
Scott, T. M., & Landrum, T. J. (2020). Positive Reinforcement in Schools: Logic and Application. Beyond Behavior, 29(2), 67-68.
Simonsen, B., Freeman, J., Swain-Bradway, J., George, H. P., Putnam, R., Lane, K. L.,… & Hershfeldt, P. (2019). Using data to support educators’ implementation of positive classroom behavior support (PCBS) practices. Education and Treatment of Children, 42(2), 265-289.
Sklar, D. P. (2018). Implementing curriculum change: choosing strategies, overcoming resistance, and embracing values. Academic Medicine, 93(10), 1417-1419.
Wills, H. P., Caldarella, P., Mason, B. A., Lappin, A., & Anderson, D. H. (2019). Improving student behavior in middle schools: Results of a classroom management intervention. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 21(4), 213-227.