An investigation of the effectiveness of behavioral strategies applied to students in inclusive education settings

The purpose of this study was to develop strategies for regular education teachers to use in order to control the behavior/attention problems exhibited by some classified students included in their classrooms. The study consisted of five regular education teachers, grades three through seven, and twelve classified students from Southampton Township Schools, New Jersey. The teachers were obtained through a letter which asked for teachers to volunteer who had classified students exhibiting behavior problems. Success of the implemented strategies were measured through a pretest, posttest design using the Conners\u27 Teacher Rating Scale-28 (CTRS-28). Analysis of the pretest results and teacher input occurred, and specific strategies were assigned to each member of the study. A two month period of implementation followed. At the end of that period the CTRS-28 posttest evaluation was administered. Seven students demonstrated improved behavior based on a comparison of the pre and posttest results. These results, however, are considered inconclusive because many factors appeared to affect them. The most significant of these were: Ritalin drug use, parent support, and the amount of time the student received behavioral strategy intervention. This study did establish a need for specific strategies for maintaining classroom control in an inclusive educational setting