Immediate and distal effects of the good behavior game

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is a classroom behavior management procedure that has been shown to be effective in reducing disruptive behavior across many settings and populations (Flower, McKenna, Bunuan, Muething, & Vega, 2014). We investigated the effects of the GBG on student and teacher behavior in two classrooms containing fourth- to eighth-grade students in an alternative school for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Results indicated the GBG reduced disruption and increased the teacher's use of praise relative to reprimands. Social validity measures, collected from both teachers and students, indicated strong approval of the GBG.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Effects of the Good Behavior Game on student and teacher behavior in an alternative school

Rubow

Vollmer

Joslyn

2018

“…Following a slight delay, a decrease in both variability and level of disruptive behavior occurred every time the experimenter implemented the GBG. These results replicate results of previous research evaluating the GBG with young children (Donaldson et al, ; Donaldson et al, ; McGoey et al, ; Tanol et al, ) while extending the generality of the intervention to a new population and setting (i.e., preschoolers in a structured learning activity). Given that research suggests that problem behavior originating in the preschool years persists over time (Breitenstein, Hill, & Gross, ; Del'Homme et al, ) and is associated with poor academic outcomes in subsequent school years (Bulotsky‐Shearer & Fantuzzo, ), preschool administrators should consider using the GBG to address problem behavior occurring in these early years.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Comparison of components of the Good Behavior Game in a preschool classroom

Foley

Dozier

Lessor

2018

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is an effective intervention package for decreasing disruptive behavior in various populations and environments. There is, however, limited research evaluating the GBG with preschoolers. Furthermore, few studies have evaluated the effects of components of the GBG, and of those that have, most have done so only after exposure to the GBG package. We evaluated the effects (a) of the GBG on disruptive behavior of preschoolers during group instruction and (b) the major components of the GBG before and after implementation of the GBG package (c) at both the group and individual level. Results suggest that the GBG package was necessary for decreasing disruptive behavior. However, after exposure to the GBG, a response‐independent contingency was effective for maintaining low levels of disruptive behavior at both the group and individual level.

“…We selected scented lip balms as the reward for several reasons. First, we observed the effectiveness of using these scents with kindergarten students in a previous study (e.g., Donaldson, Wiskow, & Soto, ). Second, students emitted statements suggesting the scents were preferred (e.g., “I want orange!” “Smell mine!”).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 89%

The Good Behavior Game in preschool classrooms: An evaluation of feedback

Wiskow

Matter²,

Donaldson

2018

Self Cite

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is a popular group contingency implemented to decrease disruptive behavior in classrooms. However, despite numerous replications of the GBG, there are few direct comparisons evaluating the effectiveness of specific components of the GBG. In the present study, we directly compared the type of feedback delivered during the GBG on the effectiveness of the GBG to reduce disruptive behavior in two preschool classrooms. Results showed that delivering vocal feedback (e.g., "raise your hand") alone or in combination with visual feedback (i.e., hatch marks) was superior to no feedback or visual feedback alone during the GBG. These results suggest that different variations of the GBG are not equally effective and that a collection of effective procedural variations from which teachers can choose would be beneficial.