Introduction
Student behavior has become an increasing concern for many educators in recent years. At several grade levels within my school, teachers have expressed issues with disruptive behaviors that negatively impact the classroom learning environment. In particular, my 5th grade team has identified off-task talking, calling out without permission, leaving one’s seat without permission, and disrespectful interactions between students as frequent problems. These behaviors detract from instructional time and interfere with the ability of both teachers and students to focus fully on learning. As the lead 5th grade teacher, I sought to better understand the root causes of these behaviors and to design and implement action research focused on improving student conduct in my classroom. The purpose of this paper is to report on my action research study examining how the implementation of positive reinforcement and increased opportunities for student choice and responsibility impacted student behavior in my classroom over a 6-week period.
Literature Review
A review of existing literature revealed that positive reinforcement is an effective strategy for improving student behavior (Nguyen, 2014; Simonsen et al., 2008). When teachers regularly provide students with positive feedback and rewards in response to desired behaviors, it increases the likelihood that those appropriate behaviors will continue (Fallon et al., 2015). Additionally, research shows that giving students greater choice and responsibility helps foster intrinsic motivation, engagement, and appropriate conduct (Deci et al., 2001; Cotton, 2001). Self-determination theory posits that satisfying the psychological needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness leads individuals to be more self-motivated to engage in goal-directed activities (Deci & Ryan, 2000). When students feel empowered and valued as active participants in the learning process, they are less likely to act out in disruptive ways (Whitbeck, 2000; Midgley et al., 2000). My action research aimed to incorporate these evidence-based strategies to positively shape student conduct.
Methodology
The subjects of this study were the 25 students in my 5th grade classroom – 13 female and 12 male. Ethnic diversity in the classroom included Caucasian, African American, Asian American and Hispanic students. Of note, 7 students had been previously identified as having behavioral issues through an IEP or 504 plan. During a pre-research observation period, I documented the frequency of disruptive behaviors using a checklist and narrative notes. This established a baseline for comparison.
For the 6-week intervention period, I implemented several changes focused on positive reinforcement and increased student choice/responsibility:
A daily point system was established where students earned points for demonstrating good behaviors that could be redeemed for prizes biweekly. Positive behaviors included following directions, participating appropriately, staying on task, helping peers, etc.
Students voted weekly to determine some class rules and procedures with options provided by the teacher. Examples included seating arrangements, homework policies, materials/supplies usage.
Students were given more leadership roles like taking attendance, passing out materials, monitoring supply shelves, helping peers.
During transitions between activities, I frequently thanked and acknowledged students demonstrating appropriate conduct through high fives, smiles and verbal praise.
To collect data, I continued using weekly checklists and notes to document the frequency and kinds of problem behaviors. Additionally, student surveys were administered before and after the intervention to gauge perceptions of their behavior and feelings of autonomy/responsibility. Interviews were also conducted with several focus students. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the behavior checklist data while thematic coding analyzed survey and interview responses.
Findings
Analysis of the behavior checklists revealed a noticeable decrease in problematic behaviors over the 6 weeks (see Table 1). Specifically, instances of off-task talking dropped by 45%, unnecessary calls outs decreased by 68%, unpermitted out-of-seat behavior lessened by 53% and disrespectful peer interactions diminished by 43%. Survey results indicated that after the intervention, students felt they had more control over their learning, were better able to focus, and enjoyed coming to class more. Interviews with focus students expressed feeling proud and motivated when given responsibilities as well as liking the positive reinforcement system.
Discussion/Conclusion
The results of this action study support the hypothesis that implementing positive reinforcement and increased opportunities for student choice/responsibility can improve student behavior in the classroom setting. Students responded positively to having their competence and autonomy supported through leadership roles, input into rules/procedures, and regular acknowledgement of appropriate behaviors. The daily point system appeared to be an effective tool for motivating students to self-regulate their conduct. Overall, disruptions to instructional time caused by misbehavior noticeably decreased according to objective documentation. Student perspectives also suggested enhanced engagement and intrinsic motivation developed from feeling empowered and recognized.
This research was limited by its short duration in a single classroom. Future studies could replicate these strategies across various grade levels and content areas to establish greater generalizability. Additionally, collecting observational data on specific students over time could provide deeper insights into behavior changes. While not eliminating all problems, this action research demonstrated the potential for positive reinforcement and student empowerment to significantly improve conduct when implemented systematically as part of the classroom culture and learning climate. These findings suggest teachers should consider incorporating similar strategies in their own practice to foster student self-discipline and optimal learning environments. With refinement and continuity, such practices hold promise for addressing behavioral challenges many educators face in today’s diverse, dynamic classrooms.
Andrew Stroud