Better Choices: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Behavior Management Programs
Graduation Date
Fall 2011
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Science
Program Name
Education
Program Director
Madeliene Peters, EdD
Abstract
Managing student behavior is often looked upon as a sidebar in teaching. The lack of formal classroom management training in teacher education programs reveals the low importance placed on this skill. As a result, teachers are often very well prepared to instruct, but in terms of effectively understanding the behavior of students - particularly in terms of individuals, rather than the larger groups - these skills are largely underdeveloped.
In New Hampshire's Island Program, resources are available to help serve children whose behaviors have placed them at risk. The question remains: Do these programs effectively modify children's behavior in order to prepare them for school and other aspects of their lives?
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Island program. It is the intent of this work to apply strategies to programs in California that serve this population. In reviewing the literature on program evaluation and behavior modification, I found only general program evaluation reports. The gap appears to be in evaluating a behavior management program. The two interviews illuminated the theoretical basis for the Island Program’s approach, as well as identifying guidelines for monitoring programmatic success.