Date of Award

Summer 8-2016

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Keith Radley

Committee Chair Department

Psychology

Committee Member 2

Daniel Tingstrom

Committee Member 2 Department

Psychology

Committee Member 3

Evan Dart

Committee Member 3 Department

Psychology

Committee Member 4

Christopher Barry

Committee Member 4 Department

Psychology

Abstract

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is an interdependent group contingency designed to address behavioral concerns. The vast majority of published findings on the GBG have supported its effectiveness in decreasing disruptive behavior in classroom settings. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and the social validity of a positive variation of the GBG in which teachers were asked to use ClassDojo to manage each team’s progress. ClassDojo is a computer-based program that enables teachers to track student behavior and monitor progress by way of a virtual system. Dependent variables included class-wide disruptive and academically engaged behavior (AEB), teachers’ ratings on the Behavior Intervention Rating Scale (BIRS), and the rate of teacher praise statements delivered in each phase. Overall, results indicated that a positive variation of the GBG with ClassDojo was effective at reducing disruptive behavior, increasing AEB and was rated as socially valid. Additionally, when the GBG was in place, increases in the amount of behavior specific praise statements delivered were observed across all three classrooms.

Masters thesis: http://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/82/

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