A Positive Version of the Good Behavior Game in a Self-Contained Classroom for EBD: Effects on Individual Student Behavior

A within-participant withdrawal design was used to examine the effects of a positive version of the Good Behavior Game (GBG) for three students in an elementary special education classroom for students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD). Results indicated immediate improvements in disruptive behavior and academic engagement for all three students when the GBG was implemented which was generally replicated in the second intervention phase for academic engagement. Tau- U effect sizes ranged from .76 to .95 indicating large and very large effects for both behaviors for two students and academic engagement for the third student, but Tau- U for the third student’s disruptive behavior was .32 (considered not effective). Two students exhibited slight decreasing trends in academic engagement behavior and increasing trends in disruptive behavior near the end of intervention phases. A preliminary within-session analysis also suggested students’ behavior was generally better in intervention phases both during and not during the GBG when compared with their baseline levels of behavior. Social validity information suggested generally positive teacher and student perceptions about the GBG initially, with less positive student perceptions 10 weeks following the conclusion of the study. The teacher reported implementing the GBG 5 times over the 10 weeks following the conclusion of the study.

Children’s mental health in different contexts: Results from a multi-informant assessment of Estonian first-grade students

The current study sought to investigate the agreement between teachers and parents about the mental health of first-grade students, the factors that affected this agreement and the associations between measures completed by students, parents and teachers. The investigation used baseline data collected during the PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX GBG) effectiveness study in 42 Estonian schools (N = 708). Information was collected about externalizing and internalizing difficulties and prosocial behaviour, and about inhibitory control. Our research showed higher agreement between parents and teachers about externalizing behaviour and lower agreement regarding prosocial behavior and emotional problems. Inhibition was correlated with teacher-rated questionnaires, but not with parents’ responses. Sociodemographic factors influenced the agreement between teachers and parents somewhat differently. This study highlights the importance of a multi-informant approach in students’ mental health assessments, as some problems might be less observable in certain environments or by some respondents. The practical implications of these findings are discussed and suggestions are provided for the development of a school-based mental health screening system.

Good Behavior Game: History and Modern Trends. Part 2

The Good Behavior Game is a procedure aimed to change the behavior of all members of the student group through an interdependent group contingency. The issues regarding maintenance and generalization of the changes, produced by the Game, including possible support tactics and generalization tactics are discussed in present paper. The cross-cultural aspects of the application of the procedure are also described, as well as the information about what kind of reaction the application of the procedure evokes in teachers and what changes occur in their behavior. Some possible modifications of the procedure are presented, among which are the Caught Being Good Game, the Good Inclusion Game and the Good Student Game.