Behavior Contracts

Classroom behavior contracts can be used for a variety of purposes including introducing new behaviors, increasing desired behaviors, decreasing undesirable behaviors, and monitoring academic tasks. Behavior contracts extend principles of positive reinforcement beyond simple token systems. They make the contingent relationship between a specified behavior and reward explicit. Developing effective individual behavior contracts involves identifying the target behavior, when it occurs, possible triggers, previous strategies tried, potential reinforcers, and who will oversee the contract. Specifying objectives, monitoring the contract, and determining success are also important steps. Behavior contracts have been shown to be efficient and effective tools for eliciting more appropriate behaviors from students.

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Behavior Contracts

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Brooke Roberson

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Strategy 1
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What are behavior contracts and how do

they work?
Classroom behavior contracts may be
developed for a variety of purposes and
are effective with both academic and
social behaviors. Potential uses include:

Introducing and teaching new

behaviors,
Increasing the rate of a desired
behavior,
Maintaining and supporting
application of generalization of
skills,
Decreasing or extinguishing
undesirable behaviors,
Monitoring completion of
academic tasks or objectives,
and
Documenting the results of
problem-solving or crisis
intervention sessions.

A behavior contract extends the

principles of positive reinforcement from
a simplistic token. Teachers, therapists
and parents have applied behavior
contracts successfully as a behavior
change technique (British Journal, 2011).
Behavioral contracts are efficient and
effective in eliciting more appropriate
school and home behaviors in children
(Carns, 1994). The contracting system
can be a tool for more effective
consultation with parents and teachers as
well as a way of encouraging more
appropriate behavior in children (Carns,
1994).

(Intervention in School and Clinic, 2002)

Who Will They Work for?

Behavior contracts are for all individuals in a classroom. According to Cooper, Heron and Heward (2007), a behavior contract is
defined as a document that specifies a contingent relationship between the completion of a specified behavior and access to a
specified reward. The use of a behavior contracts to address different behavior issues are well established. There are three
major parts in most contracts: a description of the task, a description of the reward, and the task record.

How to Use Behavior

Contracts in the
Classroom
Teachers find behavior contracts
efficient, flexible, and highly
individualized. Here are step-by-step
strategies used for developing and
individualized behavior contract:
1) Identify the area of concern,
2) Describe the circumstances
under which the target
behavior generally occurs,
3) Consider the antecedent
events that trigger the
behavior,
4) Determine whether there are
antecedent events or
consequences that are effective
at decreasing the behavior,
5) Form a reasonable hypothesis
that explains why you believe
the student is engaging in the
behavior,
6) Collect or summarize
information about the current
level at which the behavior is
being exhibited,
7) Behavioral objectives must be
just as specific, observable, and
measureable as academic
objectives,
8) Identify strategies that have
been attempted unsuccessfully
with this particular behavior in
the past,
9) Develop a list of reinforces
that are effective with the
student,
10) Determine who will be
involved in signing and
monitoring the contract,
11) How will success be
determined?
(Intervention in School and Clinic,
2002)

References:

Carns, A.W., & Carns, M. R. (1994). Making behavioral

contracts successful. School Counselor, 42155-

160.
Downing, J. A. (2002). Individualized behavior
contracts.

Intervention In School & Clinic, 37(3), 168-172.

doi:10.1177/105345120203700306
Hawkins, E., Kingsdorf, S., Charnock, J., Szabo, M.,
Middleton,
E., Phillips, J., & Gautreaux, G. (2011). Using behavior
contracts to decrease antisocial behaviour in
four boys with an autistic spectrum disorder
at home and at school. British Journal Of