Behavioural Analysis

Assignment 2 - Behavioural Analysis

Introduction

Apart from the domestic environment, one of the major influencers on a child's life is the school environment. Schools play a significant role in the formation, modification, and correction of attitude and character in children (Cooper 1982, pp.114-118). During the child's time at school it is his or her social, emotional and academic development that is either promoted or demoted. It is normal to expect anxiety up to a certain extent from children, since their development and progress through school demands adaptation to changing expectations. However, many a times it has been observed that children exhibit improper and problematic behaviours which hampers their learning process. Such behaviours are typically observed in a classroom setting; the problem worsens further if the problematic child finds an accomplice. If one child is noisy, it becomes tempting for other children to join him/her; children feel a sense of confidence and security when they perform such behaviours as part of a group. It has also been noticed that children who do not receive the attention they seek while behaving in such a manner, usually end up disturbing other children (Wheldall & Carter 1996, pp.121-140).

A behaviour is generally said to be representative of a distress code if it results in excessive stress for the student exhibiting it, and also when it causes other children to behave negatively. Applicative analysis of such behaviour can figure out the problem in an empathetic manner and assist in designing suitable interventions to modify and correct the problematic behaviour of the child, thereby resulting in boosting the child's adaptation skills.

Scenario

We are about to analyse the scenario of two students in a classroom who are deliberately not complying with the contract they signed with their teacher. James and Jessica refused to put away their iPhone in the class (while the teaching was going on) despite the fact that they had signed a code of conduct agreement contract. It is essential to understand how communicative devices like a cell phone and a laptop can alter the minds of different age groups. In today's generation of young children and young adults the ratio of their lack of attention and participation in important matters is alarming. On the whole, the issue here is that technology has got a better hold of the young generation. Today's younger generation students take technology for granted and staying connected has become the central part of their lives.

As reported by a Hospital for Children in Colorado, around 5% of grade 3 students have been diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). By the time children progress up to elementary school levels, signs and symptoms of difficulty in learning and behaving properly in class become more apparent and increase in frequency. Children often become irresponsible, cannot remain seated for more than a while, cannot stop fidgeting, and keep interrupting other children in class.

Functional Behaviour Analysis

Educational institutions that are inclined towards academic performance of students give more emphasis on their grades and achievements as a measure of their ...