Date of Award

Summer 8-2012

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Daniel Tingstrom

Committee Chair Department

Psychology

Committee Member 2

Joe Olmi

Committee Member 2 Department

Psychology

Committee Member 3

Brad Dufrene

Committee Member 3 Department

Psychology

Committee Member 4

Heather Sterling

Committee Member 4 Department

Psychology

Abstract

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) has been widely supported as an effective intervention to alter a variety of target behaviors, in various settings, with varying age groups; however, there are areas warranting further investigation. Prior to the present study, no study has examined the GBG’s effectiveness in decreasing disruptive behaviors while increasing appropriate academic behaviors within a preschool population. The present study adds to the literature base by investigating the GBG’s effectiveness in simultaneously decreasing classroom disruptive behaviors while increasing appropriate behaviors. A multiple baseline design across three Headstart classrooms was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the GBG on decreasing disruptive behavior while increasing academic engagement. Findings showed that the GBG decreased disruptive behaviors and increased academic engagement within three Headstart classrooms. Additionally, the GBG decreased disruptive behavior for three target students and increased academic engagement for two target students. Therefore, the study demonstrated that the GBG could be successfully used with a preschool population to decrease disruptive behavior while increasing academic engagement.

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