The Use of Teachers as Behavioral Observers

Abstract

The effect of using teachers as behavioral observers on both student and teacher behavior was examined with eight teachers and 32 elementary school children. The frequency of prompts (but not praise or criticism) to those students observed by the teacher increased significantly from nonobserver to teacher observed experimental phases. In addition, students observed by the teacher showed more change in appropriate behavior than students who were not observed. The significance of these findings for research and therapy is discussed.DESCRIPTORS: classroom behavior, observation procedures, recording and measurement, participant observers, teachersResearchers conducting studies in the natural environment have often employed parents or teachers as behavioral observers in addition to their usual role as mediators of treatment procedures. Participant observers may be preferred to nonparticipant observers (e.g., independent observers) for several reasons. First, participant observers may be less costly and more likely to be present than nonparticipant observers when the behavior of interest occurs. Second, since participant observers are routinely present in the observational setting, it has been suggested that the use of mediators as observers may ameliorate the reactive changes in observed persons' behaviors attributed to the addition of observers to the environment (Foster, Keilitz, and Thomas, Note 1; Kubany and Sloggett, 1973).Reports of "baseline cures", however, suggest that reactive changes in the observed persons' behaviors may result even when the dependent measures are recorded by participant observers. Crowder and Willis (Note 2) noted that in several teacher-conducted case studies, the frequency of problem behaviors was markedly diminished when the teachers began baseline observations. Similarly, Forehand (1973) reported a clinically significant reduction in the frequency of spitting behavior during the collection of baseline data by the teacher. These researchers suggested that changes in student behavior may have re-'The authors wish to thank the teachers at Nathanael Greene and Rena Bullock Elementary Schools of the Guilford County Public School System for their cooperation, and Susan Hare and Marsha Haslip, the independent observers in this study. This research was partially supported by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Research Council Grant 677. Reprints may be obtained from Linda R. Hay, Brown University and Butler Hospital, 333 Grotto Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island 02906.suited from changes in teacher behaviors during the observation periods.The present study investigated the effects of observations of student behaviors by teachers on both student and teacher classroom behavior. Changes in teacher behavior will be referred to as observer-mediator reactivity. Changes in student behavior will be labelled observee reactivity. METHOD SubjectsEight teachers (two first, two second, and four third grade) and 32 male elementary school students served as subjects. Four students were selected f...

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