Thirteen-year-old Adam seems to cause
problems wherever he goes. In his sixth-grade classroom, he
is rude and defiant. On a typical school day, he comes to
class late, slouches in his seat, rests his feet on
his desk, yells obscenities at classmates and
his teacher, and stubbornly refuses to participate in
classroom activities. Not surprisingly, his grades are
very low, just as they have been for most of his school
career.
Away from his teacher's watchful eye, Adam's
behavior is even worse. He shoves and pushes students in
the hall, steals lunches from smaller boys in
the cafeteria, and frequently initiates physical fights on
the school grounds.
For
obvious reasons, no one at school likes Adam very much. His
classmates say he's a bully, and their parents describe
him as a "bad apple," rotten to the core. Even
his teacher, who tries to find the best in all of
her students, has seen few redeeming qualities in Adam and is
beginning to write him off as a lost cause.
Adam doesn't
seem to be bothered by the hostile feelings he
generates. He's already counting the days until he can
legally drop out of school.
Adam is the type of student whom educators often refer to as a
student at risk: He has a high probability of failing to
acquire the minimal academic skills he will need to be successful
in the adult world.
A.
It is entirely possible that factors in his home and
neighborhood are encouraging Adam's inappropriate behaviors.
Yet factors at school may also be contributing to these behaviors.
Drawing from concepts and principles of learning related to
operant conditioning, identify two
possible school-based causes for Adam's behaviors at
school.
B.
Again drawing on operant conditioning concepts
and principles, describe two different strategies you might
use to help Adam develop more appropriate and productive
behaviors.