Article Citation:
Renee O. Hawkins, Todd Haydon, Hilary Denune, Wallace Larkin, and Nathan Fite (
2015) Improving the Transition Behavior of High School Students With Emotional Behavioral Disorders Using a Randomized Interdependent Group Contingency. School Psychology Review: June 2015, Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 208-223.
Special Topic: Environmental Context of Learning
Improving the Transition Behavior of High School Students With Emotional Behavioral Disorders Using a Randomized Interdependent Group Contingency
Renee O. Hawkins,
Todd Haydon,
Hilary Denune,
Wallace Larkin, and
Nathan Fite
University of Cincinnati
Correspondence regarding this article should be addressed to Renee O. Hawkins, University of Cincinnati, Human Services, PO Box 210002, Cincinnati, OH 45221; e-mail:
Renee O. Hawkins is an associate professor and coordinator of the School Psychology Program at the University of Cincinnati. Her research focuses on identifying effective school-based prevention and intervention strategies for academic skill deficits and challenging behavior.
Todd Haydon is an associate professor in the Special Education Program at the University of Cincinnati. His research interests include effective teaching practices, functional behavior assessments, positive behavior supports, and the integration of instructional and behavioral interventions for students exhibiting behavioral difficulties.
Hilary Denune is a doctoral student in the School Psychology Program at the University of Cincinnati. Her research interests include the identification of interventions to improve the social behavior of students.
Wallace Larkin is a doctoral student in the School Psychology Program at the University of Cincinnati. Her research is focused on functional behavioral assessment and analysis methods for identifying effective interventions for young children with autism.
Nathan Fite is a doctoral student in the School Psychology Program at the University of Cincinnati. He is interested in identifying effective academic interventions to support students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Associate Editor: Richard Gilman
The current study evaluated the effects of an interdependent group contingency with randomized components on student behavior during the transition from lunch to class. The study was conducted in three high school classrooms in an alternative school setting for students with emotional and behavioral disorders and used an ABAB withdrawal design. During the intervention, the teacher informed the students that it was time for class to begin and then scanned the room to count the number of students ready (i.e., seated at assigned desk, eyes directed at the teacher or front of the room, and not being physically or verbally disruptive). The teacher randomly selected a criterion number of students who needed to be ready to start instruction. If the class met the criterion, the teacher randomly selected a reward. Dependent variables included the percentage of students ready to begin instruction within 5 min of the official class start time and the number of minutes past the official start time that class actually began (i.e., teacher directed students to an academic task or explicitly stated that class was starting). Across all classrooms, results indicated significant improvements in student transition behavior. Discussion focuses on the practical implications for providing intervention supports to students with problem behavior.
Received: March 4, 2014; Accepted: September 12, 2014;
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