The experimental modification of teacher attending behavior.

Area of Science:

• Early Childhood Education
• Behavioral Psychology
• Classroom Management

Background:

• Teacher attention is crucial for reinforcing positive child behaviors in preschool.
• Lack of formal training in reinforcement principles can impact teacher's ability to respond effectively.
• Observing and modifying teacher attention requires a structured approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a method for observing and modifying teacher attention to appropriate child responses.
• To assess the effectiveness of targeted feedback in increasing teacher attending behaviors.
• To investigate the impact of reinforcement principles training on preschool teachers.

Main Methods:

• Baseline observation of two preschool teachers' attending behaviors.
• Implementation of a training condition involving specific feedback on attending to appropriate child responses.
• Systematic observation and data collection throughout the study.

Main Results:

• Both teachers demonstrated a significant increase in attending to appropriate child responses after receiving experimental feedback.
• Teacher A, with a lower baseline, showed improvement following targeted training.
• Teacher B also exhibited increased attending behaviors after a similar training process.

Conclusions:

• The developed method is effective in modifying and increasing teacher attention to appropriate child responses.
• Targeted feedback and reinforcement principles training can enhance teacher behavior in preschool settings.
• Improving teacher attention positively impacts classroom dynamics and child behavior.