Daily Behavior Report Cards with and without Home-Based Consequences: Improving Classroom Behavior in Low Income, African American Children with ADHD

Abstract

Daily Behavior Report Cards (DBRC), which typically require teachers to evaluate students' daily behavior and parents to provide contingent consequences, are an effective and acceptable method for improving children's classroom behavior. The current study evaluated whether parent involvement is an essential treatment component or whether teacher feedback alone would be sufficient to produce children's behavior changes. The effectiveness of DBRC with teacher feedback to students and parent delivered consequences (PC) was compared to teacher feedback to students only (no parent delivered consequences, NPC) for increasing appropriate classroom behavior and academic productivity in African American, low income, elementary school children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Both treatments led to increased on-task behavior, although PC was superior to NPC. Academic productivity outcomes are less clear. Treatment implications and future directions for research on teacher feedback interventions are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• ADHD
• classroom management
• daily behavior report cards
• school home notes
• teacher feedback

The present study was a dissertation completed in partial requirement for Nichole Jurbergs' doctoral degree awarded by Louisiana State University, Department of Psychology.

Notes

Note. F and p values represent results from one-way ANOVA of difference scores.