Research Based Strategies for Dealing with Students with Behavior Issues: Token Reinforcement Systems

Behavior management is an extremely challenging task for teachers to accomplish. There are prevention strategies and intervention strategies. Prevention strategies are techniques that are used in the classroom in order to prevent students from acting out or behaving poorly. These techniques include creating a positive and structured classroom environment and to continuously check on student's behavior throughout the day ' '(http://www.aft.org/pdfs/tools4teachers/CT-BehaviorMgmt0310.pdf)' '. Intervention strategies are techniques that teachers must use once the poor behavior has already taken place. Some of these strategies include self-instruction and relaxation. While there are many strategies for dealing with students with behavior issues, we will be focusing on a token reinforcement system. Token reinforcement systems are generally used for all students within a classroom. Some articles warn, however, that before implementing a token reinforcement system, you should exhaust all your other options (Cash & Woollens 1). Before implementing a token economy, teachers should attempt to use other forms of feedback, such as praise. According to one source, "only use a token economy system when necessary, and not when desirable behavior can be maintained with the use of less systematic and controlling techniques" (Cash & Woollens 1).

Articles warn about using this type of reinforcement system because they don't want students to rely on material objects in order to reinforce their behavior. Although sources say to try other methods first, Behavioradvisor.com states that this form of behavior management is effective for students who resist other methods (McIntyre). According to Laura Peters, the best way a token economy works is when, "the behavior to be reinforced addresses the unique needs of the students and is clearly defined, procedures are devised by giving out a token each time the behavior occurs initially, a set of rules is explained to govern the exchange of tokens for reinforcing events or objects, and there is a plan for fading the use of tokens" (Peters 1). This is important because students need to understand when and why someone earns a token and how the process works.

What is a token reinforcement system?

A token reinforcement system is a way to praise students who are displaying a desired behavior. Immediately after a student has shown a specific behavior, teachers will give students a token of some kind, which is a temporary reinforcer. Once the student has accumulated a certain number of tokens, they can exchange their tokens for a back-up reinforcer, which is something the child wants to earn (http://education.calumet.purdue.edu/). An example of a token is a gold star and an example of a back-up reinforcer can be a pizza party or a pencil. A token economy is considered to be a secondary conditioned reinforcement because the actual token is of little significance (Wallin 2). The actual token has no meaning, but it is paired with the ability to trade it in and receive a prize, therefore making the token seem reinforcing. This type of motivation can motivate students to display the appropriate behavior because they want to receive the tokens. A token economy is often compared to money in our society because we can exchange currency for goods that we want or need.

What are the advantages of a token economy? What are the disadvantages of a token economy?
 * increased ability to delay gratification (builds a child's ability to wait for gratification)
 * increased sense of time (student's are more aware of time and how long tasks take)
 * lessened satiation (always changing so students won't become bored with this system)
 * increased teaching rate (quick way to praise students without interrupting the teaching flow)
 * more natural reinforcement (allows students to know they are doing something good without receiving a prize every time they do so)
 * increased selection of reinforcers (since prizes are not being handed out after each good behavior, the prizes will be more meaningful)
 * ways to establish new behaviors (by reinforcing students to do a specific behavior)
 * maintain behavior (students will maintain the positive behavior)
 * long-term outcomes (they will be conditioned to continue to repeat the behavior)
 * personally satisfying (students are competing with themselves so they feel accomplished once they earn tokens)
 * ease of administration
 * lack of competition
 * fidelity of implementation
 * dependency on the system or difficulty fading
 * perceptions of the intent of the motivator
 * issues associated with taking away tokens (damaging for the child)
 * could cause ethical problems
 * delays gratification
 * students may cheat the system
 * students are only productive when tokens are given out

Research
 * Homework Success is a program in which students with ADHD can get help with their homework. In this program, a clinical trial was done to show the effects of a token economy. The token economy, "helped to reduce the amount of behavioral problems while completing homework which lead to the decreased stress levels" (http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Token_economy).
 * A summer sports program for students with ADHD implemented a token system with three different colored chips. The results of the study showed that the tokens increased attentive behavior and sportsmanlike conduct, while decreasing unsportsmanlike conduct (http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Token_economy).
 * An individual study was done on a girl named Tasha, who had severe behavior disorders. The study determined her behavior on the time it took her to complete an assignment, the number of assignments completed, and the frequency of inappropriate behavior. The results of the study found that the tokens were effective in both Tasha's academic and social behavior (https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:3RcpEvlxvQIJ:www.internationalsped.com/documents/9Klimas%2520McLaughlin%2520%2520token%2520economy.DOC+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESh4rpqDbHyowyQsQ7CpSLVh38LgxwyQr5RjvA4aiiFnbu2yT3I15KJ-t85wWdb6JltjZTIWvAYksovVW773DWj3y20uRfSa7ArOjLxpaPU12KA-FZ-eOhcuNYMJbiAbT-AjGoeY&sig=AHIEtbTVzyDuE-EtM6IQ2KStzR9lzBnvQw ).

Bibliography

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2648534/

http://education.calumet.purdue.edu/vockell/edPsybook/Edpsy10/edpsy10token.htm

http://www.polyxo.com/visualsupport/tokeneconomies.html

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:n0FBoQjk638J:www.udel.edu/education/masters/psychology/handbook/recommendations/TokenEconomy.doc+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESi-tuM8NkwjhyM5nhX0b8TVCO3eFsjoVdIbwy0N5iK-JvSelc3VQXFAwJ4yBllxkGgPwfivEcvvgsHN2wr0kwwn-bly6Zz92ivV5P1bmrLFnjfx224345STSUSDtNf0DX3tL5D3&sig=AHIEtbR_WecU2aO_em6RVdQ6Zx5tz45kLQ

http://www.pbis.vcu.edu/2009/11/using-a-t.html

http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Token_economy

http://www.behavioradvisor.com/Tokens.html https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:3RcpEvlxvQIJ:www.internationalsped.com/documents/9Klimas%2520McLaughlin%2520%2520token%2520economy.DOC+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESh4rpqDbHyowyQsQ7CpSLVh38LgxwyQr5RjvA4aiiFnbu2yT3I15KJ-t85wWdb6JltjZTIWvAYksovVW773DWj3y20uRfSa7ArOjLxpaPU12KA-FZ-eOhcuNYMJbiAbT-AjGoeY&sig=AHIEtbTVzyDuE-EtM6IQ2KStzR9lzBnvQw

http://www.aft.org/pdfs/tools4teachers/CT-BehaviorMgmt0310.pdf