The Effect of Behavioral Skills Training on Teachers Conducting the Recess-to-Classroom Transition

• Main Author: Smith, Sarah C.
• Format: Others
• Published: DigitalCommons@USU 2016
• Subjects: recess; transition; teachers; students; behavioral skils training; Special Education and Teaching
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/4948; https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5986&context=etd

Elementary school teachers transition their students from recess to the classroom multiple times a day. When students do not line up quickly or are disruptive in line, teachers often spend valuable instructional time trying to manage students’ inappropriate behaviors. The result is a loss of instructional time that could lead to a decrease in student performance. The current study examined how teachers could use behavioral skills training with their students as a way to reduce the length of the recess-to-classroom transition. Participants included general education second – fourth grade teachers and their students. Target behaviors included teacher implementation of behavioral skills training and student behavior of transitioning from recess to the classroom. Procedures involved first using behavioral skills training as a method of instruction for teachers, who, in turn, used behavioral skills training as a method of instruction for their students. After training, teachers were able to proficiently provide their students with instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback, and students began to line up more quickly at the teacher’s signal and use their hands and feet appropriately for the duration of the transition. These results imply that training teachers to better train their students can decrease the amount of time students spend on transitions and increase the amount of time teachers spend on instruction.