Introduction: Behavioral Challenge
Changing behavior often requires paying attention not only to the academic side of the issue but also to the personal side. In other words, students can be fully involved in the learning process and show positive results but have difficulties in social interactions. An example of this problem is a case study of a student, Juanita, who needed to complete a specialized program on behavior change at her school.
First of all, before proceeding to the analysis of behavior change, it is important to consider Juanita’s case carefully. Hence, the girl is a first-grade student in a general class at the local school in her neighborhood. She comes from a large family, in which, besides her, there are five other children. This aspect requires special attention because, despite the lack of information about the family, this fact can give a more complete understanding of the student’s problems.
Due to the fact that Juanita was granted Title 1 support, it can also be determined that she comes from a low-income family. This is due to the fact that this program involves providing assistance to low-income members of society to meet challenging state academic standards (West et al., 2022). Thus, within the framework of this initiative, the girl received the opportunity to receive a free and reduced-price lunch, but not special education.
On the part of academic achievements, Juanita showed quite satisfactory results. Teachers who worked with the child noted that she paid attention and made quite significant attempts to complete her seatwork and assignments. Moreover, it is noted that the girl showed achievements in reading and math skills that were near grade level. In other words, regarding academic success, Juanita is no different from the rest of her peers.
The main problem that the case study focuses on is Juanita’s difficulties in interacting with others and the manifestation of personal qualities. So, the girl passed several behavioral challenges at the beginning of her studies, which gradually began to be noted by teachers. Among the most frequent of them was that Juanita was shy and timid, which could be influenced by quite a large number of factors. Among them may be fear of a new environment, lack of attention due to the presence of a large number of children in the family, or a negative attitude from peers due to the low socio-economic status of the child’s family. The problem in Juanita’s behavior was also manifested in the fact that she often refused to defend herself when interacting and building communication with her peers.
Thus, the main behavior that requires change in Juanita’s case is avoidance or withdrawal from social situations and lack of self-esteem and self-confidence. This conclusion was made based on the fact that in addition to shyness, the girl also rarely volunteered to participate in group activities, which showed her unwillingness to work together with other students. This target behavior caused concern among teachers, which was the reason for finding approaches to change it.
As a desirable behavior, the need to increase interest and involvement in social interactions and, most importantly, increase the self-esteem of the girl is highlighted. This aspect is due to the fact that the lack of self-confidence may strongly affect the motivation and self-worth assessment of the child, which becomes a barrier to interaction. Both highlighted behaviors are observable, clear, concise, and complete in nature, as they provide a complete understanding of the problem of the case study. It can be measured by observing and monitoring the child’s behavior and stated in positive terms 6, which facilitates the understanding of the issue.
Behavioral Interventions
When determining behavior that requires changes, it is critical to determine interventions that will provide an opportunity to transform and limit it most effectively. This aspect does not mean the speed with which the student will be able to achieve the desired behavior, but the quality and step-by-step measures to obtain this result. The position on such principles as evidence-based practices and cultural, ethnic, or gender considerations is also of particular value. Therefore, creating an intervention to change behavior is a complex process that requires special attention from education providers and employees involved in it.
In a case study based on Juanita’s highlighted target behavior, her first-grade teacher directed the student to an innovative behavioral intervention program at her school. It is worth noting that this aspect has a positive characteristic since it is carried out in an environment already familiar to the girl, which reduces the risk of interference of stress in the transformation process. It was also noted that the approach used in the analyzed case was based on behavioral research of underaged children at Arizona State University. It also carries certain expectations as it meets one of the most important criteria of evidence-based practice.
It is worth paying special attention to the fact that any interventions that are used to work with children and change their behavior require a sound scientific basis. Research stated that “evidence-based education, which prioritizes instructional approaches shown to be effective by credible bodies of research, aims to improve the quality of instruction and student outcomes in general and special education” (Courtade et al., 2014, p. 306). Thus, the choice of intervention for Juanita has validity as it is based on research conducted at Arizona State University.
The next step is to consider in more detail what the program is to which the student was sent to transform behavior. First of all, it meant providing activities and instruction for the development of a girl’s social skills. This choice was made due to the fact that they are experiencing difficulties with building relationships with others due to shyness and refusal to take part in group activities.
As part of this part of the intervention, she was trained in certain social skills such as taking and forming questions, controlling anger, and getting along with others. A valuable aspect of this initiative is the fact that practical development of the acquired knowledge was introduced. In other words, Juanita learned how to produce the necessary skill and when and in what situations she can implement it.
The second part of the proposed intervention to obtain the desired behavior was the conduct of learning in cooperative groups. Abramczyk and Jurkowski (2020) state that “teachers structure students’ interactions and prepare them for cooperation so that students work together in small groups supporting each other’s learning processes” (p. 296). Thus, in the case of the Juanita case study under study, participation in activities implying becoming part of the small cooperative group was proposed.
In addition to the girl, three students who behaved appropriately at school were included in it. With the help of the teacher’s guidance on certain tasks, Juanita was able to get the opportunity to model and role-play target social skills. In other words, she was able to understand by her own example and the example of others how to behave in certain situations, for example, to defend her opinion.
It is noted that in addition to the main intervention, which implied the passage of a specialized program, measures were introduced into the overall educational process. One of them was the provision of a positive reinforcement of appropriate behavior by Juanita and her classmates. In this context, it is vital to remember that “when designing or implementing instruction, it is important to focus on what motivates students to perform well, whether academically, behaviorally, or socially” (Bryant et al., 2019, p. 274).
In other words, education providers should pay particularly close attention to what most engages students and encourages them to show the most satisfactory behavior. The use of an approach involving the involvement of the entire class in intervention is particularly productive because it is based on the ability to observe and learn how people behave in different social situations. This implies conditions such as during class, in the hallway, at lunch, and on the playground. Therefore, the most complete assimilation of the new material will take place.
The main issue that can be highlighted in the study of the intervention that was applied to Juanita’s case is the absence or lack of information regarding cultural, ethnic, or gender considerations. Thus, the case study did not focus on taking these aspects into account in the process of achieving the desired result. However, it is worth pointing out that studying in a group will give the student the opportunity to observe not only behavioral patterns in various situations but also how this aspect is influenced by such a component as the culture of individuals.
I believe that the intervention being analyzed is sufficiently appealing for several reasons. The first of them is the direct focus on changing the girl’s social behavior, which implies the formation of skills in answering questions, controlling anger, and getting along with peers. In this area, the development of self-esteem and understanding of the self-worth of the individual is of critical importance, which will contribute to more effective interaction with other people (Rais & Marjohan, 2020). Thus, the given downsides of the girl’s behavior can be effectively changed with the help of the proposed intervention. The creation of observable behavior on the part of classmates, which is positively encouraged by the education provider, also has value. This approach will provide Juanita with a more complete understanding of how to communicate and how to develop her skills in the classroom setting.
Behavioral Outcomes
The program in which Juanita participated to change target behavior was conducted throughout the entire year of study at first grade. At the end of the intervention, the girl began to show positive results, which complemented the desired behavior exhibited before the start of learning. Thus, it is noted that the student began to manifest herself in a completely different way both in the educational environment and when interacting with her classmates and others in general. The most important achievement is Juanita’s acquisition of self-confidence when interacting with peers, which manifested itself both in class and during lunch or on the playground.
In addition, the case study indicates that the girl began making friends. It is especially worth noting that these changes in behavior were noted not only at school but also at home. An example would be the fact that she started asking her patents to organize play dates with her peers after school or on weekends. The intervention also contributed to the development of Juanita’s self-confidence, as she stopped isolating herself from interacting with others.
The most important aspect to consider in this context is the need to preserve the resulting behavior. An important measure in this area is the introduction of monitoring measures that will provide an opportunity to monitor potential changes in Juanita. On the part of health care providers, the task is to determine the time interval through which the assessment will be carried out.
The brief behavior rating scale can be used as a tool (Moulton et al., 2019). Focusing on behavior analysis with a focus on functional life skills is also valuable (Spooner & Browder, 2015). Thus, the possibility of achieving the most productive results that will help track Juanita’s behavior. Moreover, it is possible to involve parents and get feedback from them, as strengthening social interaction skills goes beyond the classroom setting.
Conclusion
The intervention under study may have several foreseeable circumstances in which it can be used. The first of these is a direct change in the problematic behavior of students. This aspect implies that individuals have issues with communication both in the classroom and in an informal setting, which can negatively affect academic success and personal relationships. Due to the fact that the proposed intervention is based on group work, it is also possible to attract individuals who have difficulties with building connections and establishing group work. In this case, a positive contribution also becomes the formation and strengthening of essential social skills, which occurs through observation and visual learning by example of others.
Another circumstance in which Juanita’s program can be applied is the presence of inclusive classrooms where students with diverse social and behavioral needs are present. In this situation, communication problems may arise, which will need to be solved with the help of common efforts and involvement.
Despite the positive aspects of the intervention, there are several negative aspects that require special attention and changes. The main one is the lack of emphasis on cultural, ethical, and gender aspects (Martinez & Mahoney, 2022). This is especially true when children with diverse backgrounds, including socio-economic status, culture or family types, and experiences are involved in the program (Rodríguez-Mena & Sánchez, 2017). Therefore, it is necessary to introduce these valuable criteria to comply with the development of not only social but also cultural competence in individuals since these characteristics are closely connected with each other.
In addition, the downside intervention that was applied to change Juanita’s behavior is the need for a highly qualified and experienced specialist. In other words, in order to obtain the most useful results from the program, it is important to involve teachers who have awareness and a full understanding of behavioral strategies and social skill instruction. To fulfill this criterion, it may be necessary to conduct training initiatives for schoolteachers.
In conclusion, the study of interventions that are used to change target and obtain the desired behavior is of value to future professionals and applies to my personal interest and sphere of knowledge. This is due to the fact that the acquisition of this knowledge contributes to the acquisition of valuable skills in identifying the problem, finding ways to solve it, and further monitoring. In addition, the analysis of Juanita’s case study showed that the proposed program for changing social behavior can be applied to children who are faced with both serious and more hidden difficulties in social interactions.
References
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Bryant, D. P., Bryant, B. R., & Smith, D. D. (2019). Teaching students with special needs in inclusive classrooms – Interactive eBook (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Courtade, G. R., Test, D. W., & Cook, B. G. (2014). Evidence-based practices for learners with severe intellectual disability. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 39(4), 305-318. Web.
Martinez, S., & Mahoney, A. (2022). Culturally sensitive behavior intervention materials: A tutorial for practicing behavior analysts. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 15(2), 516-540. Web.
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Rodríguez-Mena, J. A., & Sánchez, E. M. (2017). Barriers and limitations to school intervention in family diversity. A case study of homoparental families. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 237, 850-855. Web.
Spooner, F., & Browder, D. M. (2015). Raising the bar: Significant advances and future needs for promoting learning for students with severe disabilities. Remedial and Special Education, 36(1), 28-32. Web.
West, E. M., Zolkoski, S. M., Lockhart, J. R., Holm, J. M., & Tremont, J. (2022). “Everybody knows everybody”: Adolescents’ perceptions of what helps them succeed in a rural Title I school. Journal of Adolescent Research, 37(5), 672-690. Web.