Topic > The Good Behavior Game in the Classroom

The article “Effects of the Good Behavior Game Across Classroom Contexts”, written by Brittany Pennington and Jennifer J. McComas, published in The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, in the winter edition from 2017, explores the impact that good behavior play has on children's positive behaviors in a school context. Pennington and McComas describe Good Behavior Games as something a teacher does, where they divide the class into smaller groups and award points for each time they focus on their responsibilities as a group or conform to established rules. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Teachers have the ability to manipulate the structure of the point system to essentially praise good behavior or give incentives to avoid problem behavior. Trained observers spent a total of 7 weeks in this particular school, visiting 3 out of 5 days. They focused on 3 students, a girl and two boys, all approximately 8 years old, of Native American descent and diagnosed with or at risk for a disorder behavioral emotional. They come from a school in the city where it is implied that students come from low-income families. Observers chose two different times to record data, during the start of their “Morning Meetings” and their “Math Rotations.” Each child showed a significant increase in positive behaviors while there was a chance to win a prize, while once the game was over they returned to their normal behaviors. The results of this study showed that the game increases positive behaviors but once the game ends, their efforts to stay focused and follow the rules cease. Pennington and McComas suggest introducing a new reinforcer that can branch out and have meaning in other aspects of an individual's life in order to prolong the effects of the game. Although the article only focuses on 3 children and this may cause many limitations. Individuals are unique and no one handles certain situations and environments the same way, so the good behavior game may not be effective for everyone (Pennington, & McComas, 2017).