Rows Versus Tables: an example of the use of behavioural ecology in two classes of eleven‐year‐old children

Antecedent strategies to promote appropriate classroom behavior

“…It is common to see desks in clusters or in groups, and seldom seen are arrangements that follow a more traditional "row" pattern; however, research has indicated that when students' desks are arranged in rows, students are more on-task, talk out less, complete more work, and are generally more engaged with tasks (e.g., Bennett & Blundell, 1983;Wheldall & Lam, 1987). For instance, Wheldall, Morris, Vaughan, and Ng (1981) alternated the seating arrangements from groups of students seated at tables to students seated in rows for two classes of 10-and 11-year-old students, and observed higher levels of on-task behavior. In fact, improvements were strongest for students who showed lower initial levels of on-task behavior.…”

Teacher talk directed to boys and girls and its relationship to their behaviour

“…Levels of on-task behaviour in the secondary sample were virtually identical. In their discussion, Merrett and Wheldall express some surprise at the primary school results noting that teachers tend to report boys being more troublesome than girls and that previous research by Wheldall et al (1981) had shown higher on-task behaviour scores for girls than for boys.…”

Teachers’ Attributions of Causality, Control and Responsibility in Respect of Difficult Pupil Behaviour and its Successful Management

“…Stressing that behavioural approaches needed to take the focus away from the 'consequences' of behaviour and place it more upon the 'antecedents', Wheldall, et al (1981) investigated experimentally the effects of seating arrangements upon pupils' 'on-task' behaviour. Similarly, Bradley and McNamara (1981) argued that a greater attention to such factors as the geography of the classroom, the routine order of the day and the rules of the classroom should always be considered in behavioural interventions.…”