Student Leadership As A Behavioral Modification In Controlling Disruptive Behaviors of Classmates: A Study of Mathayom 3 Students At Sirisuksa School

Abstract

Disruptive behaviors cause student inattention in learning, annoying friends and teachers as well as these behaviors leading to student academic failure and antisocial behaviors. This study aims to create a behavioral modification module to control and decrease the disruptive behaviors by practicing leadership; and a modification module for selected student leaders to be role models, giving modification treatments with positive reinforcements. Token economies will be provided to change the disruptive behavior in classmates. Bandura (1989) Miltenberger (2008)’s and Parnchit Rochanawanichakorn (2005)’s concepts are combined and used for the study’s theoretical framework in order to create a behavior modification module. The subjects are students in Mathayom Suksa 3 (Grade 9) at Sirisuksa School in Samutprakarn Province in Thailand -from two classrooms. Students from a highly disruptive behavior class are identified by teachers, behavioral checklists used, and three observers assigned to provide the experimental group. The other classroom is a control group without any treatments. The behavioral checklists, multiple baseline design, and quasi-experimental design employing a time-series are instruments that are used to find out the baseline of frequencies for the disruptive behaviors before and after giving treatment. The sociometry method is used for selecting student leaders who are given a training program dealing with disruptive peer groups in order to control and decrease those undesirable behaviors. The training program consists of: how to identify the character of disruptive behaviors; how to give positive reinforcements and token economies; as well as how to be role models referring to Bandura’s theory. The findings can help teachers know how to implement a new strategy in teaching and learning processes, including using students as partners in developing behavioral modification procedures.