| Current classroom management practices are often devoid of empirically based behavioral principles, namely those of operant conditioning, differential reinforcement, and positive praise. In addition to the glaring absence of evidence-based principles, existing classroom management practices lack the consistent implementation of responsive approaches typically used to promote communication and actions that are both respectful and dignified. Responsive practices represent teacher behaviors and actions that endorse a sense of community within the learning environment, consistency with expectations, development of prosocial skills, and a collaborative spirit between teachers and students to serve a common purpose, which is to learn. The purpose of this single-subject design was to determine if a functional relationship existed between the use of the Behavioral Opportunities for Social Skills (B.O.S.S.) intervention and the dependent variables of positive peer interactions and on-task behaviors. Specifically, an initial baseline phase, four additive phases of the B.O.S.S. intervention, and a return to baseline phase were included to make a determination through visual analyses of graphic data. One teacher participant implemented the intervention within an elementary classroom setting to include four student participants. During each phase, observers recorded the number of positive peer interactions using a frequency count tool as additive steps of the intervention were included. On-task behavior was recorded using a momentary time sampling tool. Results indicated that there was a functional relationship between the B.O.S.S. intervention and the dependent variable of positive peer interactions. For the dependent variable of on-task behaviors, an immediacy of effect occurred between the initial baseline phase and the first phase of the intervention. Future research should explore the occurrences of positive and negative remarks made by the teacher to determine if the teacher's word choice affects social and academic outcomes for students. |
