Effects of and preference for student‐ and teacher‐implemented good behavior game in early elementary classes

Abstract

Disruptive behavior during instruction is a common problem in elementary classrooms. One intervention to reduce disruptive behavior is the Good Behavior Game (GBG). In this study, the students of 2 early elementary classrooms experienced 3 versions of the GBG: experimenter‐implemented, teacher‐implemented, and student‐implemented. The effects of the GBG on disruptive behavior and peer interactions were evaluated using a combined reversal and multielement design. Student preference for conditions was assessed via a group arrangement of a concurrent‐chains preference assessment. All versions of the game reduced disruptive behavior compared to baseline, but the rate of disruptive behavior was slightly higher during the teacher‐implemented sessions in Class 1. Few peer interactions occurred during the game; however, negative interactions increased slightly in both classes during the GBG. Students overwhelmingly preferred the student‐implemented version of the game. This study provides support for student implementation of the GBG and offers an approach to student shared governance in the classroom.

A review of the concurrent‐chains arrangement to assess intervention choice: 2018–2023

“…Those articles were not included in this review because the terminal link did not include exposure to an intervention (but rather access to the stimuli). Two of the 82 articles used a group‐oriented concurrent‐chains arrangement to assess preference for variations of the Good Behavior Game (Peltier et al, 2023; Vargo & Brown, 2020). Although these are worthwhile applications of a concurrent‐chains arrangement, these articles were not included in the present review.…”