Multilevel exploration of factors contributing to the overrepresentation of black students in office disciplinary referrals.

Although there is increasing awareness of the overrepresentation of ethic minority students—particularly Black students—in disciplinary actions, the extant research has rarely empirically examined potential factors that may contribute to these disparities. The current study used a multilevel modeling approach to examine factors at the child (e.g., teacher-rated disruptive behavior problems) and classroom or teacher levels (e.g., teacher ethnicity, level of disruptive behavior in classroom) that may contribute to the overrepresentation of minority students in office disciplinary referrals (ODRs). Data come from 6,988 children in 381 classrooms at 21 elementary schools. The analyses indicated that even after controlling for the student's level of teacher-rated behavior problems, teacher ethnicity, and other classroom factors, Black students were significantly more likely than White students to receive ODRs. Results also suggested that ethnic match between students and their teachers did not reduce the risk for referrals among Black students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The use of functional analysis to develop peer interventions for disruptive classroom behavior.

Evaluated the effectiveness of a peer intervention for disruptive behavior that was based on the results of a prior classroom based functional analysis. Four 7–9 yr old males who exhibited disruptive classroom behavior participated in the study. Results of a functional analysis suggest that peer attention rather than teacher attention or escape/timeout is associated with the most disruptive classroom behavior. An intervention based on peer attention for appropriate behavior, and extinction of peer attention for disruptive behaviors, reduced disruptive behaviors to zero for all 4 Ss. The successful fading of peer reinforcement is demonstrated, and previous classroom based functional analyses of the differential effects of teacher attention, peer attention, and timeout/escape for verbal children of average intellectual functioning was replicated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-administered videotape therapy for families with conduct-problem children: Comparison with two cost-effective treatments and a control group.

Parents of 114 conduct-problem children, aged 3–8 years, were randomly assigned to one of four groups: an individually administered videotape modeling treatment (IVM), a group discussion videotape modeling treatment (GDVM), a group discussion treatment (GD), and a waiting-list control group. Compared with the control group, all three treatment groups of mothers reported significantly fewer child behavior problems, more prosocial behaviors, and less spanking. Fathers in the GDVM and IVM conditions and teachers of children whose parents were in the GDVM and GD conditions also reported significant reductions in behavior problems compared with control subjects. Home visit data indicated that all treatment groups of mothers, fathers, and children exhibited significant behavioral changes. There were relatively few differences between treatment groups on most outcome measures, although the differences found consistently favored the GDVM treatment. However, cost effectiveness was the major advantage of the IVM treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of behavioral problem analysis versus instructional environment information on teachers' perceptions.

Compared 2 types of problem analysis information for their effects on 48 regular education teachers' problem attributions, ratings of acceptability, and preferences for intervention alternatives. Ss were given problem analysis vignettes containing either behavioral or instructional environment information after watching a videotape of a 2nd-grade girl exhibiting classroom behavior problems. Instructional environment information led to more problem attributions involving conditions in the classroom. Behavioral information led to more problem attributions concerning student characteristics and behavior and remote contextual variables. Ss in both informational conditions preferred instructional modification as a means of responding to the student's problems. Ratings of the intervention categories correlated significantly with Ss' problem attributions, perceptions of problem severity, and perceived likelihood for resolution in the classroom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-administered masturbation training in the treatment of primary orgasmic dysfunction.

30 married and 30 single nonorgasmic women (mean age 29 yrs) participated in a clinical outcome study of sexual dysfunction. Ss were randomly divided into 3 groups: videotape modeling, written instructions, and waiting-list control. Both treatment procedures involved a 6-wk, self-administered masturbation-training program. After the pretest interview, treatment was carried out without direct contact with the experimenter. Of the Ss receiving treatment, 60% became orgasmic by the end of the treatment period. Four additional married Ss became orgasmic by the time of the 1-yr follow-up. For those Ss who failed to transfer orgasmic capacity to coital intercourse, the role of partner dysfunction is discussed. Although no significant differences were found between the videotaped modeling condition and the written instructions group, the overall effectiveness of the treatment compares favorably with other treatment programs. With respect to cost–benefit assessment, however, the self-administered treatment is clearly superior. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Classroom Management in Elementary Mainstreaming Classrooms.

The goals of this research were (a) to determine if teachers who were trained in the Utah State University Classroom Management Program changed their use of specific skills more than did comparable control teachers and (b) to determine if students in experimental classrooms made greater changes in ontask and deviant behavior than did comparable students in control classrooms. The study employed a control group design with pre- and postobservations of teacher and student behavior. A total of 39 elementary school teachers in mainstreaming classrooms were randomly assigned to two groups. Experimental teachers were trained in the classroom management program, whereas the control teachers were trained in a similar program of the same duration that covered different teaching skills. The student sample consisted of 322 students selected from participating classrooms and included subsamples of handicapped and minority students. Analysis of covariance of 16 teacher behaviors found that experimental teachers were superior to control teachers in nine behaviors. Experimental students obtained significantly more favorable posttreatment means than did control students for on-task, mildly deviant, and seriously deviant behavior. Most comparisons between handicapped and racial student subgroups were not significant. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Classroom context and teachers' perceptions of problem behaviors.

73 teachers of kindergarten to 8th grade viewed disruptive- or nondisruptive-context videotaped vignettes and rated each portrayal in terms of severity, manageability, tolerance, and contagion to investigate the effects of context on Ss' perceptions of 5 problem behaviors (blaming, poor peer cooperation, negative aggression, inattention, and failure anxiety). ANCOVA showed that contagion yielded significant differences (stronger within the disruptive context), suggesting that the target child was held responsible for the classroom disorder. Correlational data explained the relationship between the 4 areas, suggesting a dichotomy between quality (type of behavior) and quantity (degree or severity of behavior) for interpreting perceptions. Low tolerance was associated with higher levels of severity and more outer-directed behaviors. Contagion had more active, observable components and was related more to the qualitative dimension. Manageability (also active, observable, and teacher centered) was strongly influenced by quantitative factors (greater extremes of atypical behavior). (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teacher–student interactions: Effects of student race, sex, and grade level.

Studied quantitative and qualitative differences in students' initiating behaviors, teachers' verbal feedback, and students' available response opportunities in 63 classrooms in relation to student race (Black or White), sex, and grade level (kindergarten through 5th grade). There were 430 White males, 311 White females, 296 Black males, and 291 Black females. Interactions were collected using an observation system, and data were standardized for each classroom to account for the representation of each of the 4 sex/race categories. Results indicate that male students initiated more positive and negative interactions with teachers than did female students. Quantitatively, White female students at both the lower-elementary (LE) and the upper-elementary (UE) levels received less teacher feedback than did students in the other sex/race categories. Black female students received less teacher feedback in the UE grades than in the LE grades, as was the case for White female students. Qualitative differences in feedback indicated that male students received more negative and nonacademic feedback than did female students and that UE female students received less academic feedback than did UE male students. Findings show that UE Black female students were provided fewer opportunities to respond in the classroom than were LE Black female students. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disruptive school behavior and concepts of social convention in early adolescence.

Studied 22 7th- and 8th-grade students who had engaged in disruptive behaviors that involved violations of classroom regulations and defiance of authorities and 20 nondisruptive students. Both groups were administered an interview assessing concepts of social conventions, within a sequence of developmental levels. Disruptive Ss were reinterviewed 1 yr later, and behavioral records were reassessed. Disruptive school behavior was partially related to thinking (Level 4) characterized by rejection of conventional regulation; this preceded systematic conceptions of the role of conventional regulation in social organization (Level 5). At 1st testing, a greater proportion of disruptive than nondisruptive Ss displayed Level 4 thinking. One year later, 13 of the 20 originally disruptive Ss no longer displayed disruptive behavior. All Ss disruptive at Time 2 had not changed to the next level whereas the majority of those no longer disruptive shifted to the next level. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between peer-play interactions in the family context and dimensions of school readiness for low-income preschool children.

Relationships between parental report of children's peer play at home and indicators of children's school readiness were examined. Behavior ratings and observational data were collected for 242 preschool children from a large urban Head Start program. Relationships between children's home-based, peer-play behaviors and 4 measures of children's classroom behaviors (i.e., school-based peer play, approaches to learning, self-regulation, and behavior problems) were analyzed using bivariate correlational and multivariate methods. Play competencies exhibited in the home environment were significantly associated with prosocial behavior in the classroom, motivation to learn, task persistence, and autonomy. Disruptive or disconnected play behaviors were significantly related to patterns of disruptive and dysregulated experiences in the classroom with peers and with the learning process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relative effects of modeling and role playing in the treatment of avoidance behavior.

Investigated the efficacy of symbolic modeling and role-playing therapy in the reduction of avoidance behaviors in 48 undergraduates. Carefully selected snake-phobic Ss were administered either self-regulated symbolic modeling, self-regulated role-playing instructions, or exposure to a snake-only videotape, or they received no treatment. After brief treatment periods role-playing Ss demonstrated significantly greater reductions in avoidance behavior than Ss in the modeling and control conditions. Subjective fear ratings reported before and during task performance on a behavioral approach test were significantly lower for role-playing Ss than for modeling Ss following treatment. Posttreatment attitude measures showed that role-playing Ss held significantly more positive attitudes toward harmless snakes than Ss who had undergone the symbolic modeling procedure. A 2-mo follow-up suggested that treatment gains had been maintained for both behavioral and subjective reports. Findings provide compelling evidence that a self-administered role-playing procedure can effect rapid and enduring changes within a variety of dependent variable measures associated with avoidance. Findings are explained in terms of the behavioral modality (covert-overt) toward which a treatment is directed. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Home-based reinforcement programs designed to modify classroom behavior: A review and methodological evaluation.

Reviews and evaluates current research on the use of home-based reinforcement programs to modify both disruptive and academic behaviors in the classroom. This treatment program has been used with a variety of students, settings, and behaviors, and the results have been positive. However, the conclusions concerning the effectiveness of home-based reinforcement programs are limited because of the methodologies used in the studies. Appropriate designs were used in less than two-thirds of the studies, monitoring of home and school programs rarely has occurred, and multiple-outcome measures have been ignored. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emotional transmission in the classroom: Exploring the relationship between teacher and student enjoyment.

In this study, the authors examined the relationship between teacher and student enjoyment. Based on social–cognitive approaches to emotions, they hypothesized (a) that teacher enjoyment and student enjoyment within classrooms are positively linked and (b) that teacher enthusiasm mediates the relationship between teacher and student enjoyment. Self-reported enjoyment of mathematics classes was available from 1,542 students from 71 classrooms at 2 time points (Grades 7 and 8). At Time 2, mathematics teachers’ reports of their enjoyment of teaching were available (N = 71), as well as student ratings of teacher enthusiasm. The findings were in line with theoretical expectations. Multilevel structural equation modeling showed that teacher and student enjoyment were positively related even when the authors adjusted for students’ previous-class levels of mathematics enjoyment, and that the effect of teacher enjoyment on student enjoyment was mediated by teacher enthusiasm. Discussion centers on the practical implications for affective interactions in the classroom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mediating Teacher Liking and Moderating Authoritative Teachering on Chinese Adolescents' Perceptions of Antisocial and Prosocial Behaviors.

The authors present a model of adolescents' peer relations in the classroom that integrates 3 social processes involving the adolescent students, the classroom teacher, and peers. One of the hypotheses was that teacher liking of students mediated the relation between students' social behaviors (e.g.. antisocial disruption and prosocial leadership) and peer acceptance. This mediating teacher influence was also hypothesized to be moderated by the extent to which adolescent students perceived their teacher to be authoritative in teachering. These hypotheses were tested and supported on the basis of a sample of 659 Chinese middle school students. A discussion of these results focuses on the classroom teacher as a social context in the study of children's social interactions in the classroom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teacher judgments concerning the acceptability of school-based interventions.

Investigated the influence of behavior problem severity, interventionist, and modality of case presentation on teacher's judgments of school-based interventions. 54 regular and special education teachers attending a university summer course used an intervention scale and the Semantic Differential to rate all possible combinations of 2 interventions (principal or teacher implemented) applied to 2 behavior problems (daydreaming and destruction of others' property). Ss read about or viewed a videotape of a 5th-grade boy engaging in 1 of the 2 problem behaviors. An ANOVA of Ss' ratings of intervention acceptability showed that behavior problem severity and interventionist significantly affected Ss' judgments of intervention acceptability. Findings show that interventions that could be implemented by the teacher were more acceptable. In addition, Ss rated interventions as more acceptable when applied to behavior problems of greater severity. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teacher verbal and nonverbal behavioral expression toward selected pupils.

Using the context of pupil-initiated questions, selected verbal and nonverbal behaviors of teachers were investigated. 12 secondary school teachers in individualized classroom settings were asked to select 4 students subsequently labeled accepted, concerned, indifferent, and rejected. Teacher verbal behaviors were recorded with the Observation Schedule and Record 5V. Teacher–pupil interpersonal distance was recorded with the kinesthetic scale of the proxemic notation system (E. T. Hall, 1963). The 44 pupils selected completed the Describe Your School Inventory, a measure of pupil attitudes. Results show that school attitudes differed significantly between pupils labeled accepted, concerned, indifferent, and rejected. No significant differences were found in teacher behaviors toward these pupil groups. The usefulness of the situational context approach to the investigation of teacher behaviors is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Who's in, who's out: Examining race, gender and the cohort community.

Many teacher education programs have adopted a cohort structure which offers attractive administrative and organizational benefits while promoting classroom community. This study examines one urban teacher preparation program that employed a cohort model. Using focus groups and survey data, this mixed methods study compared results on the basis of race and gender. Findings suggest that while the cohort structure created a strong classroom community among the majority of students, specific minority populations in the program (men and students of color) were excluded from the social benefits associated with the cohort model. This study identified active social systems of silencing and exclusion and outlines implications for hiring practices, curriculum, and faculty development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of videotape training inputs on group performance.

Assigned 135 university students to 5 experimental conditions-no verbal instructions, verbal instructions, videotape feedback, videotaped model presentation, videotaped feedback and modeling. Results show that groups which were exposed to videotape training inputs performed significantly better than did control groups. Specifically, videotape model presentations resulted in significant performance improvement, and the addition of videotape feedback to modeling resulted in a significant but relatively small incremental performance improvement. Videotape feedback alone did not result in significant performance improvement. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peer observation of student behavior in elementary school classrooms.

Assessed the nature of conceptual schemas used by elementary-school children in observing the behavior of peers and compared the dimensions to those derived from teacher observations of similar student behaviors. Results suggest that while teachers are sensitized to the differences in classroom events reflecting academic achievement and those reflecting conformity to rules, students are more sensitive to phenomena reflecting social behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)