Incentive Based Behavior Management in Urban Students

Diagnosedwith Attention Deficit Hyperactivity

Disorder

Candace Millercmiller35@schools.nyc.govSchool for the Urban Environment

IntroductionI will research incentive-based behavior management, with a focus on its

effect on urban students diagnosed with ADHD. Recurring instances of negative behavior that I have in my science classes often involve a group of students who are all diagnosed with ADHD. Due to their lack of consistent medication and/or therapy, they tend to display behaviors that interrupt their education. This has led me to brainstorm ways in which I can help them improve their behavior in a meaningful and effective way. I find that these students have a lot of energy that, when misplaced, can create a volatile environment for themselves and the general classroom culture. Instead of punishing them, I have had conversations with them in order to determine the best course of action. With that, I have implemented an incentive-based behavior reward system called Class Dojo.

School for the Urban EnvironmentThe School for the Urban Environment, or UE, is a middle school located between two low-income

housing projects in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. UE is a Title I school that serves the underprivileged minority community of the surrounding area. Many of our students are first-

generation Americans who are living below the poverty line and are in single-parent households.

Population of School: ~75 total students

School Ethnic Background: UE consists of a student body that is 65% Black, 30% Hispanic, and 5% Asian.

% of Students receiving free or reduced lunch: 100% of students receive free lunch

Research QuestionCan implementing an incentive-based behavior

management program for urban students diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder positively influence their behavior and academic performance?

Research Methods I utilized CLASS DOJO, a behavior/attendance tool.

Positive and negative behaviors are quantified (as shown).

Each student gained and/or lost points based on their daily behavior during class.

I announced when I gave positive and negative points, with immediate verbalization (reprimand or praise).

The data was compared to their total average for assessments that month.

Research Methods Students took weekly surveys (as shown) that determined their self

rated behavior.Survey scaled 1 - 10 (1 = I did not do well at all; 10 - I did an amazing job at being a

great student) and the points were averaged for that month.

I compared the data to determine if there is a correlation with Dojo Points, average grades, and the self reported behavior rating survey.

Class Dojo Behavior Point System

Female, 6th Grade, 12

MonthPoints Gained

Points Lost

MonthlyTotal

Self-Rated Behavior

1-10

Total Average

Grade(of 100)

Student A September 145 96 49 6 70

October 170 77 93 8 82

November 120 69 24 2 54

December 215 11 204 11 85

Female, 6th Grade, 12

MonthPoints Gained

Points Lost

MonthlyTotal

Self-Rated Behavior

1-10

Total Average

Grade(of 100)

Student B September 200 110 90 5 72

October 170 83 87 7 68

November 298 98 200 9 82

December 409 39 370 10 91

Male, 6th Grade, 15

MonthPoints Gained

Points Lost

MonthlyTotal

Self-Rated Behavior

1-10

Total Average

Grade(of 100)

Student C September - - - - -

October 104 74 30 4 38

November 156 90 66 7 54

December 220 36 184 10 65

Male, 7th Grade, 13

MonthPoints Gained

Points Lost

MonthlyTotal

Self-Rated Behavior

1-10

Total Average

Grade(of 100)

Student D September 101 23 78 4 75

October 94 62 32 4 70

November 200 43 157 7 85

December 184 34 150 6 82

Assertations● The subjects improved their behavior as the study progressed.

○ Compared to the final month of data collection, the number of Dojo points that each student lost is less than the number of points that they lost in the beginning of data collection. The self-reported behavioral changes also pointed to an improvement in overall classroom conduct.

● The subjects, on average, were able to reflect and give a self-rank that correlated with their total number of Dojo points. ○ For example, in September, Student A’s total points was 49 and

they gave a rank of 6 out of 10 for their behavior; in December their Dojo total was 204 and they ranked their behavior as being 11 of 10. A similar trend occurred with most students in this study.

● The average grade for each student improved as the study progressed.○ Each student had an average increase of 17 points from the end

of September to the end of December.

DiscussionAs an educator, I have come to realize that many a time, students are placed

in Special Education or general education classes, but do not receive sufficient special attention to their individual needs.

In fact, I noticed that they are often punished for the manifestations of their symptoms.

My goal was to focus on positive conditioning by rewarding the positive behaviors and neglecting some low-offense negative behaviors in order to build motivation

in my students who have Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.By completing this study, I have gained further insight into behavioral management for students who have been diagnosed with ADHD. I realize that positive reinforcement and praise helps these students gain greater self efficacy as portrayed in the surveys. I would love to gain more understanding as to how effective this type of positive reinforcement (Class Dojo) is long-term.

It is known that teachers are valuable respondents in surveys of ADHD behavior because they observe students for up to six hours per day and watch them

complete high-stakes tasks (Jitendra, et al., 2008). However, teachers may not be aware of students’ diagnoses and treatment, so they are not reliable in terms of studies related to the usefulness of specific treatments. Bringing awareness may

yield the strongest psychometric approach for identifying/treating cases in a community (Wolraich, et al., 2014). Therefore, there must be an integration of the medical and educational fields in this aspect. Simply put, teachers need to gain a greater understanding of mental conditions that affect their students.

Perhaps this study could be used to begin the conversation on how to train general education teachers on effective methods for teaching students that have

diagnoses with disruptive manifestations.

Mental health is often a taboo topic, and realizing that students are self aware and have the capacity to be open with their diagnoses leads me to believe that educational professionals can do the same to yield the best outcomes for our

students.

References1. African American males experience the highest rates of both living in poverty as well as being diagnosed

with ADHD (Diaz, 2011).

2. While the government mandated IDEA (or Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) requires that students with ADHD receive adequate services, “these services may not specifically target the conditions of students with ADHD, and not all children with ADHD may be eligible” (Diaz, p. 11, 2011).

3. “IDEA continues to be considered the largest, under-funded federal mandate with funds covering only 7% of the total cost needed to cover implementation” (Diaz, p. 11, 2011).

4. According to Diaz, classroom management for ADHD “may need to focus on whether interventions should center on behaviors, focus and attention, learning needs, or all of the above” (p. 23, 2011).

5. The most common adult psychiatric problems among childhood ADHD cases were alcohol dependence/abuse (26.3%), antisocial personality disorder (16.8%), other substance dependence/abuse (16.4%), current or past history of hypomanic episode (15.1%), generalized anxiety disorder (14.2%), and current major depressive episode (12.9%) (Barbaresi, et al, 2013).