Peer-mediated interventions (PMIs) are an effective support for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) for improving targeted behavioral skills. As one of the most important strategies in PMI, peer prompting and reinforcement (PR) provides an effective approach for developing and maintaining positive behavior. This article provides…

The aim of the current study was to examine whether moral disengagement and defender self-efficacy at individual level and collective efficacy to stop peer aggression at classroom level were associated with defending and reinforcing in school bullying situations in late childhood. Self-reported survey data were collected from 1060 Swedish students…

The aim of this study was to examine how different bystander roles in peer victimisation situations relate to moral disengagement, defender self-efficacy, and student-teacher relationship quality. Self-reported survey data were collected from 333 middle and junior high school students (10-15 years of age) from four schools in Sweden. Random…

Although cell phones are often discussed as a problem in higher education research, the literature focuses largely on disciplinary tactics or integration of phones into the curriculum. The present study provides further support for the use of positive reinforcement to minimize the negative effects of cell phones in the classroom. A…

Peer-mediated intervention has become a primary education practice in programs for children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This article traces the emergence of peer-mediated interventions from early laboratory studies to the extensive applied research in the field that has documented the efficacy of the practice. Interventions to…

Pivotal response teaching (PRT) is an empirically supported naturalistic behavioral intervention proven to be efficacious in the education of children with autism. This intervention involves loosely structured learning environments, teaching during ongoing interactions between student and teacher, child initiation of teaching episodes, child…

Peer-mediated instruction and intervention is based on principles of behaviorism and social learning theory. In this intervention approach, developing peers are typically taught ways to interact with and help children and youth with autism spectrum disorders acquire new social skills by increasing social opportunities in natural environments. The…

In recent years, bullying seems to have become more serious and more pervasive. Research indicates that 15% to 20% of all students are victimized by bullies at some point in their school careers. Clearly, bullying is a problem that schools must recognize and address. Bullying has three distinguishing characteristics: (1) it is intentional; (2) it…

School-related difficulties are commonly associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This article describes effective school-based intervention strategies including behavioral interventions, modifications to academic instruction, and home-school communication programs. One overlooked aspect of treatment of children with ADHD…

School-wide, selective, and individual positive behavioral supports are critical elements of a comprehensive, tiered model of service delivery. Positive peer reporting (PPR) involves brief, highly structured sessions during which peers are provided the opportunity to praise the behavior of target students. PPR procedures were modified in this…

Research on classroom rewards is reviewed with emphasis on the effect of seeing another student rewarded for performing the same task that the observing classmate has performed. Four further experiments are briefly described, and research variables are reviewed. Suggestions are made for increasing the effects on peers of implicit rewards. (GDC)

Drawing on current research and best practices, this third part of the three-part resource, "Supporting Positive Behaviour in Alberta Schools," provides information and strategies for providing intensive, individualized support and instruction for the small percentage of students requiring a high degree of intervention. This system of…

Results revealed that all subjects receiving reinforcement increased in friendship status as rated by their partners in a cooperative task. (DR)

Functional analyses of classroom disruption were conducted during contingent teacher and peer attention conditions for three children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Attention provided by peer confederates appeared to function as a distinct form of positive reinforcement for all three children (ages seven and nine). (Author/SW)

This research indicates that a peer group can decrease reinforcement of a disruptive behavior and thereby decelerate it in a singled-out child (Pinpointing Effect) or a behavior emitted by any child in class (Diffusion Effect) with equal effectiveness. (Author)