1. EFFECTIVNESS OF A GROUP CONTINGENCY INTERVENTION 1
Chapter 1
Students with diagnosis of Emotional/ Behavioral disorder (EBD) often are placed in an
alternative setting. They are taught in self-contained classrooms with peers who also have
diagnosis of EBD to allow for individualized education and behavioral plans. These types of
settings allow for more instruction time that can be focused on student’s academic and
behavioral concerns. Students with these diagnosis have shown difficulties relating to their peers
and adults including teachers. (Landrum, Tankersley & Kaufman, 2003) The difficulties with
relating and acting appropriately with their peers cause concerns in the classroom. Fighting with
their peers has been a concern in these classrooms along with disobedience, destructiveness and
disrupting classroom activities. (Cullinan & Sabornie, 2004). These types of inappropriate and
aggressive behaviors have been noted to overwhelm teachers and their attempts to provide
meaningful instruction. (Southerland, Lewis-Palmer, Stichter & Morgan, 2008) Cullinan and
Sabornie (2004), also discussed the concern that boys with EBD had shown less empathy for
their peers, less contact with friends and a poor quality of relationships with their peers.
Those concerns had been noted in a Midwestern Junior High self -contained EBD
classroom. There were high concerns of peer fighting which involved verbal and physical
altercations. Typically these altercations involved peer instigating and threatening peers with in
the classroom. Instigating included but was not limited to laughing while peers became upset,
calling peers names, repeating peers name over and over until the peer became agitated, refusing
to leave peers personal space when asked and taking peers personal items. Threatening included
but was not limited to stating intentions of physical aggression towards the peer or their family
members. The boys showed a lack of empathy during and after the altercations and they spent
more time insulting each other than attempting to engage in more positive interactions. These
inappropriate and aggressive behaviors had resulted in numerous suspensions and time away
from academic instruction.
The need for intense positive interventions was apparent with in this Midwestern
EBD classroom. The class participated in the school wide PBIS program, had a token economy
in place and random rewards for appropriate behaviors. Group contingency interventions were
researched. During the literature review, it was noted that very few studies had been completed
in the area of group contingencies in a self-contained EBD classroom setting. Three different
types of group contingency interventions were defined during the research which included
independent, dependent and interdependent. (Chafouleas, Hagermoser Sanetti, Jaffery & Fallon,
2012) Group contingencies has been shown to be successful in general education classes to
decrease inappropriate and off task behaviors. Cihak, Kirk and Boon (2009), noted in their
study that students engaged in positive peer pressure during the group contingency. Encouraging
their peers to engage in appropriate behaviors so that the class wide reward would be earned.
This study implemented and examined the effectiveness of a group contingency
intervention that focused on positive peer interactions with in a self-contained EBD classroom.
The study involved addressing the need for a reward system that encouraged making positive

2. EFFECTIVNESS OF A GROUP CONTINGENCY INTERVENTION 2
statements to peers in the classroom. The purpose of the study was to address the following
research questions.
 Will the use of a group contingency decrease student fighting including peer
instigating and peer threatening?
 Will the use of group contingency that focuses on positive interactions in the
classroom effect academic success of the students?
 Will the use of group contingency that focuses on increasing positive interactions
among the students change the group dynamic with in the classroom?