The effects of a personal accountability and personal responsibility model on urban elementary student positive social and off-task behaviors

In the past few decades, the challenge of violent and disruptive behaviors among our children and youth has been on the rise. This study provides one intervention model focused on personal accountability and personal responsibility designed to reduce off-task and disruptive behavior in school settings, and designed to increase positive social behaviors among children and youth. A multiple treatment ABAD, ACAD, ADA, control behavior analysis design was implemented across four distinct elementary physical education classes matched for participant and setting similarity. Measures included number of occurrence and percentage of class time across Teacher Management, Student Leadership, Passive and Disruptive Student Off-Task, Positive Social Behavior, and Student Conflict and Student Conflict Resolution Behaviors. Results indicated that both Personal Accountability and Personal Responsibility treatments were effective in changing all behavioral measures in the desired direction, with Personal Responsibility particularly effective with more complex behaviors such as Positive Social Behavior and Student Conflict Resolution. Given the short duration of this study, recommendations include studying the long range and generalized effect of physical education-based treatments for children and youth in need of social skill instruction