Rates of Common Classroom Behavior Management Strategies and Their Associations with Challenging Student Behavior in Elementary School

In this study, we (a) describe patterns of challenging student behaviors (classwide and for a target student with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) and teacher behaviors (i.e., praise, commands, and responses to challenging behavior) in kindergarten through Grade 5 classrooms, (b) examine the relations between these behaviors, and (c) describe a threshold of teacher behaviors most associated with low levels of challenging student behavior. Participants were 55 teachers observed using a modified version of the Student Behavior Teacher Response (SBTR) system. Across grades, there was variability in rates of classwide challenging behavior per hour (M = 35.81 to 102.62) and rates of praise per hour (M = 10.90 to 37.70). The percentage of challenging behaviors to which teachers responded appropriately was generally low (M = 27% to 47%) and stable across grades. For classwide challenging behavior, higher percentages of appropriate teacher response were significantly associated with lower rates of challenging behavior (b = -0.43; p < 0.01), but effective commands and labeled praise were not. Classwide challenging behaviors dropped to 30 per hour once teachers reach a threshold of 51% appropriate response, with little incremental benefit at higher levels. Implications for professional development and future study of behavior management practices are discussed.