Date of Award
3-31-1989
Document Type
Thesis - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Center for the Advancement of Education
Abstract
Because prevention is always cheaper than remediation, a proactive approach to dropout prevention was the focus of the practicum. Inappropriate classroom behavior was identified as the major cause at-risk students drop out of school as reflected in the/ number of referrals to the Dean of Students for inappropriate classroom behavior. To assist the at-risk students in the development of more appropriate classroom behaviors, the target teacher received instruction and feedback on how to task analyze, teach, and reinforce appropriate behavior followed by formative and summative evaluations of the application of these skills in the classroom. The students were directly taught the following selected behaviors: classroom rules, a signal for attention, and a process for group work. At the end of the semester, a pre and post comparison of the number of student referrals to the Dean of Students and the number of dropouts showed that the number of referrals was reduced by forty percent while the number of dropouts was reduced by fifty percent.