Using the Good Behavior Game to Promote Positive

Using the Good Behavior Game to Promote Positive Behaviour at School Jennifer L. Austin, Ph. D. , BCBA-D University of South Wales

Some Context: Behaviour Problems in Schools • Fighting • Bullying • Verbal abuse toward teachers • Violence toward teachers • Property destruction • Noncompliance • Defiance • Late to class • • Truancy Trespassing Vandalism Tobacco use Drug use Alcohol use Weapons violations Insert your favourite here

Identifying the scope of the problem • Clearly, behaviour challenges at school can range from minor to severe. • However, a recent Offices of Standards of Education (Ofsted, 2014) report indicated the most common form of problematic behaviours were low-level, highfrequency disruptions. • “which wears staff down and interferes with learning” (p. 4)

• The report further found – “newly trained teachers often report(ed) that their initial training contained very little specific guidance as to how to understand manage pupils’ difficult behavior” (p. 12). • These findings are consistent with previous research, which shows that teachers feel they lack adequate skills to deal with common problem behaviours (Latham, 2002; Merrett & Wheldall, 1993).

Where it begins. . .

Where it often ends. . .

When it comes to addressing problem behaviour at school, the stakes are high. • When students behave badly at school, it can affect – learning opportunities and outcomes for students with behaviour problems – learning opportunities and outcomes for other students – teacher satisfaction, stress, and retention

Common Response to Challenging Behaviour: Get Tough! • Tougher rules • Tougher consequences • Zero tolerance • …which perpetuates a culture of punishment.

However…. • If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach. • If a child doesn’t know how to add, we teach. • If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach. • If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we ___. • Problem behaviour needs to be viewed as a skill deficit rather than solely a behavioural excess.

Teaching Appropriate Classroom Behaviour • The first step is figuring out what students need to be doing to help them be more successful at school. No Ms. Barnett liked to go over a few of her rules on the first day of school • It’s better to set fewer expectations that capture many behaviours.

Using the Good Behaviour Game to Teach Classroom Expectations • The Good Behaviour Game (GBG) is a strategy that provides all the essentials of good teaching: – Antecedents to evoke appropriate behaviour – Frequent opportunities to engage in appropriate behaviour – Frequent opportunities for reinforcement – Corrective feedback when necessary • And you get some added bonuses – Encourages children to work as a team – Gives teachers a transferable skill.

Good Behaviour Game Basics • • Teacher sets 3 -4 expectations for good behaviour. Students are divided into teams. Points are awarded during the game. Teams must work together to win the game – Interdependent group contingency – If one member earns a point, the whole team earns a point. – The whole team either wins or loses. • Teams that meet the criterion at the end of the game win the game – The competition is against a criterion, not against each other.

Dividing Students into Teams • The original GBG (Barrish, Saunders, & Wolf, 1969) and subsequent implementations divided the class into two teams. • However, smaller teams might be easier for the teacher to manage. • Whatever strategy you use, make sure there is an equal mix of behavioural difficulties on each team. – i. e. , Don’t put all the most badly behaved kids on the same team!

Awarding Points • The original GBG (Barrish, Saunders, & Wolf, 1969) and subsequent implementations awarded points each time a team member violated an expectation. • In this version, teams with less than a certain number of points win the game. – e. g. , If your team has earned less than five points during the game, you win. • This version is probably the most straightforward and easy to use. – But it also places the teacher’s focus on what the students are doing wrong.

Awarding Points (Option 2) • The GBG also can be played whereby teams earn points for meeting expectations (Groves & Austin, in press; Wright & Mc. Curdy, 2011). • This is a bit more complicated, but – it places the focus on reinforcing appropriate behaviour. – it potentially provides more opportunities for reinforcement during the game.

Playing the Reinforcement Version • Determine how long the GBG will be played and divide that time into equal intervals – For example, if the game is 20 min, then intervals might be 4 min (or less, depending on behaviour) • Determine how many points are necessary to win the game – If there is a total of 5 points available, then set the criterion below that (at least initially) • Use a timer or Motivaider to keep track of the intervals and award points to teams who have met the expectations during the intervals

Keeping Score • Team points are typically visible to the students during the game. • Score keeping can simply be tallies on a white board • Or something more creative. . .

Keeping Score

Winning the Game • At the end of the game, the teacher determines which teams have won and provides a reward to the winning teams. • Usually the reward is relatively small and can be delivered quickly – Edible, sticker, a short game, or bit of free-time • Over time, winning the game (and other natural contingencies) often is enough to maintain appropriate behaviour.

Integrating the GBG into Classroom Routines • When starting the GBG, it is better to have multiple short games spaced throughout the day – This increases the chances of winning – And also avoids “demoralising” teams who didn’t win • Choose times when behaviour tends to be most problematic – but be careful not to start a game contingent on problem behaviour. • Game times can be lengthened as behaviour improves

What does the research say? • There a wealth of studies showing the benefits of the GBG on improving classroom behaviour across a range of age groups – See Flower, Mc. Kenna, Bunuan, Muething, & Vega, R. (2014) and Tingstrom, Sterling-Turner, & Wilczynski (2006) for reviews.

What does the research say? • Research also shows that children who participate in the GBG in primary school are at reduced risks for a range of other problems later in life: • drug and alcohol dependencies, smoking, antisocial behavior (Kellam et al. , 2008) • high-risk sexual behaviors (Kellam et al. , 2014) • suicide attempts and suicidal ideation (Wilcox et al. , 2008)

Some Current GBG Research Evaluating the necessity of teams • Some teachers are reluctant to divide students into teams because they feel their students won’t work well in groups. – They might have histories of not getting along with peers, have poor teamwork skills, etc. • We evaluated team and individual versions of the GBG in a primary PRU

Groves, E. A. , & Austin, J. L. (in press). An evaluation of interdependent and independent group contingencies during the Good Behavior Game. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.

Some Current GBG Research Evaluating peer comments during the GBG • One concern teachers have about the GBG is that the interdependent group contingency will create negative peer pressure on those who don’t behave well – i. e. , threatening, bullying • We are currently evaluating the effects of the GBG on classroom behaviour and peer comments – in a secondary PRU. . .

Groves, E. A. , & Austin, J. L. (in preparation). Evaluating peer interactions during the Good Behaviour Game in a secondary schools for children with behaviour disorders.

Groves, E. A. , & Austin, J. L. (in preparation). Evaluating peer interactions during the Good Behaviour Game in a secondary school for children with behaviour disorders.

Some Current GBG Research Evaluating the GBG at home • Good classroom management shares common features with good core parenting skills – Set clear expectations – Reinforce meeting expectations – Reinforce often • The GBG also has the potential to help siblings engage more cooperatively with one another • We evaluated the GBG as a parenting strategy for two high-risk families who were attending an IY group

Austin, J. L. & Eldridge, J. L (in preparation). The Good Behaviour Game as a parenting strategy in high-risk families.

Austin, J. L. & Eldridge, J. L (in preparation). The Good Behaviour Game as a parenting strategy in high-risk homes.

Want more information? Jennifer L. Austin, Ph. D, BCBA-D School of Psychology University of South Wales jenn. austin@southwales. ac. uk Twitter: @Dr. Jenn. Austin

References • • Barrish, H. H. , Saunders, M. , & Wolf, M. W. (1969). Good behavior game: Effects of individual contingencies for group consequences on disruptive behavior in a classroom. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2, 119 -124. Flower, A. , Mc. Kenna, J. W. , Bunuan, R. L. , Muething, C. S. , & Vega, R. (2014). Effects of the Good Behavior Game on challenging behaviors in school settings. Review of Educational Research, 84, 546 -571. Groves, E. A. , & Austin, J. L. (in press). An evaluation of interdependent and independent group contingencies during the Good Behavior Game. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Tingstrom, D. H. , Sterling-Turner, H. E. , & Wilczynski, S. M. (2006). The Good Behavior Game: 1969 -2002. Behavior Modification, 30, 225 -253. Kellam, S. G. , Brown, C. H. , Poduska, J. , Ialongo, N. , Wang, W. , Toyinbo, P. , … Wilcox, H. C. (2008). Effects of a universal classroom behavior management program in first and second grades on young adult behavioral, psychiatric, and social outcomes. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 95(Suppl 1), S 5–S 28. Kellam, S. G. , Wang, W. , Mackenzie, A. C. L. , Brown, C. H. , Ompad, D. C. , Or, F. , … Windham, A. (2014). The impact of the Good Behavior Game, a universal classroom-based preventive intervention in first and second grades, on high-risk sexual behaviors and drug abuse and dependence disorders into young adulthood. Prevention Science  The Official Journal of the Society for Prevention Research, 15(0 1), 6– 18. Wilcox, H. C. , Kellam, S. G. , Brown, C. H. , Poduska, J. , Ialongo, N. S. , Wang, W. , & Anthony, J. C. (2008). The impact of two universal randomized first- and second-grade classroom interventions on young adult suicide ideation and attempt. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 95 (Suppl 1), S 60–S 73. Wright, R. A. , & Mc. Curdy, B. L. (2011). Class-wide positive behavior support and group contingencies: Examining a positive variation of the Good Behavior Game. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 14, 173 -180.