"Hand"ling Kindergarten Behavior: The Effects of Using Visual Tools to Control or Eliminate Undesired Behaviors

The purpose of this study is to determine if the use of visual tools such as a printed hand on a stick is an effective strategy in changing or eliminating undesired behavior in the classroom, particularly whole group discussions. The setting was a general education Kindergarten classroom, in a public school, of typical size and makeup. The aim of the project was to co-observe the behavior of how students answer or share information in whole group situations. The sample group consisted of students that had previously displayed difficulty in following the rules of group discussions. The findings of the study are meant to be shared with teachers in the effectiveness of using this type of strategy as a means of changing an undesired behavior in the general education classroom during class discussions. The data was collected by recording lessons at various times of the day, first without using the visual tool and then with using the visual tool. Based on observations in the recordings, data was derived noting how many times a student raised his/her hand with or without acknowledgement. Based on the data, it is safe to conclude that a considerable change in the undesired behavior was not evident