Classroom Interactions of Children with Behavior Disorders

TLDR

The study aimed to identify the social stimuli linked to prosocial and inappropriate behaviors in children with severe behavior disorders. Researchers observed 38 students (aggressive and nonaggressive) across 19 classrooms, coded all teacher and peer interactions, pooled the data, and applied lag sequential analysis to determine significant antecedent and subsequent social responses. Findings revealed that teacher mands were followed by student compliance, positive teacher consequences for prosocial behavior were rare, and all significant antecedent and subsequent stimuli of aversive behaviors were identified, supporting the reciprocal‑coercive interaction hypothesis.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify significant social stimuli that were associated with prosocial and inappropriate behavior of children classified as severe behavior disordered (SBD). Two children from each of 19 classrooms–10 from integrated and 9 from segregated special classrooms (for children with SBD)–were observed. One student in each classroom was defined as aggressive and one student was defined as nonaggressive. The selection yielded four groups: integrated nonaggressive without SBD ( n = 10), integrated aggressive and SBD ( n = 10), segregated aggressive and SBD ( n = 9), and segregated nonaggressive and SBD ( n = 9). An exhaustive behavioral coding system was used to record sequentially the social responses between target students and their teachers and peers. The data from each group were pooled for analysis. Lag sequential analysis was used to identify the significant antecedent and subsequent social responses of each code for each group. The results indicated that most of the teacher/child interactions were composed of teacher mands followed by student compliance, with teacher positive consequences for prosocial behavior rarely occurring. All significant antecedent and subsequent social stimuli of students' aversive behaviors were identified. Results are discussed in relation to the reciprocal–coercive interaction hypothesis (Patterson & Reid, 1970), with implications for additional research.