Behavioral contracting

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[edit] Description & Definition

According to Intervention Central, the behavioral contract is a simple positive-reinforcement tool that is widely used by teachers to change student behavior. The behavior contract spells out in detail the expectations of the student, the teacher, and sometimes the parents. The student usually has input into the conditions that are established, which means that the student is more likely to be motivated to abide by the terms of the behavior contract than if the terms were imposed by someone else.
According to About.com, a behavior contract is a written agreement about how the individual will behave. It indicates the appropriate consequence should the student neglect to behave according to the contract. It may also state the reinforcer to be used for successful compliance. The contract provides students with structure and self-management.


Click to See Samples of Behavior Contracts

[edit] Application in classrooms and similar settings

Sometimes students have a hard time knowing exactly how to act within the classroom setting or need a reminder about appropriate behavior and expectations. Contracts can be made with individual students or with the whole class. Sometimes a class meeting will help with negotiation of ideas on what rules to add to a behavioral contract. They can be helpful in setting targets and goals for students. They also give students a clear cut explanation of what is expected of them, and what will happen if they fail to meet the expectations.

[edit] The Benefits of Using a Contract

According to Newell and Jeffrey:
  • The teacher and students have a shared goal.
  • Clear and positive outcomes are created.
  • The students don't have to guess the rules.
  • What the student has to do is clearly stated.
  • Contracts encourage open communication.
  • Contracts make it clear to students how they can receive positive attention.
  • Contracts help to create a shared and safe learning experience.
  • They stop students from game playing.
  • Contracts create something neutral in times of conflict.
  • Contracts give a sense of fairness and justice.
  • They encourage students to adopt and model adult behavior.
According to the Council for Exceptional Children, behavioral contracting is a good way to teach children the following adult-like behaviors:
  • Developing self-control
  • Developing responsibility for one's own behavior
  • Learning to negotiate and compromise with other people
  • Beginning to self-monitor behavior according to a designated standard

[edit] Creating a Behavior Contract

1. The teacher needs to decide which specific behaviors to focus on for this contract.
2. The teacher should then meet with the student to write the contract.
3. The contract should include:
  • the goals (will keep hands to him/herself while standing in line, etc)
  • a clear and detailed definition of the unwanted behaviors
  • how the student will earn a reward and what that reward will be
  • the consequences should the child not adhere to the behavior described in the contract
  • clearly stated time increments (hourly, half day, full day, weekly)
  • a definition of how the behavior will be monitored
  • a date for reviewing the contract
  • a place for signatures of the student, the teacher, and possibly the parents

[edit] Critics and their rationale

Click here to read about one first year teacher's experience with behavioral contracting.

[edit] Signed "life experiences", testimonies and stories

Behavioral contracting has been successful in my classroom. I find that when the student is able to be involved in a plan of action for themselves they are much more apt to meet their own goals. Even when a student doesn't make success that day, they are able to verbally admit or describe how they "messed up". What's more interesting is that when they do succeed they also verbalize how they were able to make that happen. This creates a wonderful opportunity to discuss how they can be successful again or what they can do to avoid "messing up". - V.C.

I too have had success with behavior contracts, but only on a student by student basis. The key to behavioral contracts is the communication between guidance counselors, ALL classroom teachers, parents and the student. Unfortunately, if there is a behavior contract in one class, the behaviors are present in other classes and should be addressed in these situations as well. Parents need to be involved in the entire process. They may know their child better than anyone else in the educational process; however, sometimes they have a "my child's perfect" syndrome and careful observations by a few teachers can help them be more effective in rewarding behavior. - William Rank


I think behavior contracts can be very useful but sometimes it's difficult to determine which specific behaviors to work on. Often extinquishing one behavior will amplify another. I've also seen students who really aren't motivated by the contracts and others who think they are great. It's difficult to utilize the contracts in that situation. Rhonda Hall


I am a second year teacher. This year, my class is filled with students with unique behaviors. In the middle of the year, I implemented a type of behavior contract that I call the "Whoops Worksheet." If the student have to stay in for recess because of an unwanted behavior, they have to fill out this worksheet. It asks them what they did, how that effected other people in the classroom, what they could have done, how that would have effected other people in the room, and what they will do next time. They view the last part as a promise to me. When they have finished filling it out, we read it together, and then both of us sign it. I then make a copy of it and send it home to the parents. It has been effective in that they don't want to have to fill it out and it makes them think about their actions. Although those are both positive things, I haven't really seen a change in their behavior. It is always the same students staying in at recess filling out the worksheets. -Nicci Frick


For day camp during the summer, our boss makes each parent sign a contract of rules that the all the park district camps follow. What lacks in these contracts is for the child to actually sign the list of rules being stated. I've seen many parents who just sign it and don't even share these rules with their children. What has happened, is that the child has misbehaved, we end up writing a note home, and the parent doesn't understand why their child is placed on a warning period in camp. What the parents don't realize is that they had signed the contract of rules and get angry. Behavioral contracting can be effective if it is done the correct way. If teachers use this behavioral contracting method, there needs to be a way to make sure that the parent really does go over these goals with their children and that the teachers goals are met. Carole Johnson


Having the rules posted and using contracts is good. However, getting the parents involved is better, and making sure that the students and parents know and understand the rules even better. In my classroom, I will do all of the above, in addition to testing the students on the rules to be sure that they understand them. I agree that in addition to this a way must be found to ensure that the parents really do understand the rules as well. Perhaps holding a parent-teacher conference at the beginning of the year will all of the parents and students to go over the rules will ensure that they all understand.


My son's school has students sign a contract and the student signs also. It is not a guarantee that a student will always behave or that the behavior is deliberate. Sometimes the problem is the teacher is not consistent with his or her rules. Each teacher decides what they considera violation. It might not be talking but the level they are talking or the teacher doesnot feel good so the rules change. I used to work in a home for the mentally ill and they had to sign safety contracts, it usually worked(which was amazing) but sometimes their free will would overcome the need to conform. The lesson is that no one thing works all the time or for every person. Teresa Hibler


During my student teaching, my cooperating teacher used behavioral contracting. I implemented this method as well in my teaching. In considering this method for elementary school students, it seems most effective when the behavior is very specific, the student's behavior is monitored over a limited amount of time and there is reinforcement from the parents. - M. Daniel


During my three years of teaching, I have used a behavioral contract with one particular student. It was working for several months and I was confident it would make lasting changes for the student because the student was learning to value certain behaviors for herself. Unfortunately, I was called to active duty and the vice-principal took another position and left the school. The new teacher that took over was not a special education teacher and the new vice-principal did not care for and understand or value the contacts because of all the work it took to make lasting changes. The contracts stopped and the student fall back to some of her old behaviors. P Graham


During my career, I have found behavorial contracting effective. To me, it has been more affective in the elementary and middle school levels. As a high school teacher, it has been one difficult to incorporate. However, it was affective with the graduating senior or those endanger of graduating. I guess for those endangered graduates it made it a real possiblity their actions could jeopardize them academically as well....C. Graham


I have learned from my teaching experiences that behavior contracts work for some students and don't work for others. In other words, there are come students who will respond in the desired manner if the behavior contract is connected with a positive or negative reinforcement. Usually, these are the students who the teacher doesn't need to develop a contract to improve the child's behavior. On the other hand, those students who need to improve their behavior may preliminarily show the desired behavior when under a behavior contract; however, the behavior will not remain for the long term. In these situations, the child may not have the intrinsic motivation to consistently demonstrate the desired behavior. Therefore, the teacher and parents need to dig deeper to find the underlying causes of the misbehavior. -Tricia Pearl


I have used behavior contracts in the past with both individuals and with the whole class, and have found them relatively effective. With individual students, I usually talk to them and try to learn what would motivate them. Local restaurants can be useful for donations of gift cards or receipts to be used for food. With the whole class I have used the promise of a pizza party at some future date if all goals and objectives are met. -S. Yunker


Behavior contracts...they can be a great management tool, yet, at the same time, can be a pain in the neck! I am an elementary school teacher, with much of my experience being at the primary level. I have used various forms of behavior contracts to help redirect behavior problems into more focused, on-task types of behaviors. While many of my students worked well being on these contracts, they bring up a lot of other problems. For example, time becomes a big issue. This past year I had quite a handful of second graders. Many were on behavior plans for intense misbehaviors at the suggestion of the school Social Worker. With seven of my fifteen students on these types of contracts, and because these contracts were so detailed and formed in time intervals by subject area, I could barely find the time to fill them out by the end of the day while still leaving adequate time to teach and accomplish regular, daily tasks. Another problem which arose was how to reward the behaviors the contracts were promoting, while also punishing the behaviors in which the contracts were attempting to weed out. Many of the students began complying with the stipulations of these contracts, but only when a tangible reward was attached to their compliance (i.e. earning computer time, a trip to the treasure box, being teacher helper for a day, etc.). That is not to say all the students only complied when a reward was attached; many often adhered to the contract simply for the praise they received from myself or another adult (i.e. other teacher or parent/guardian). So, while I believe that there are benefits to using these types of behavior contracts, there are still problems that arise with regards to behavior and motivation. -D.Jacob (June 2006).


I have had similar experiences with behavior contracts. On one hand they are great for management for specific students with reoccurring disruptive behaviors. However, it can be a real struggle to keep up with the detail involved and time it takes each day to review. Also, it has the potential to turn into a strategy for the student to earn rewards rather than a way to help change a behavior. By the end of the year, I had several students (some of them who did not even cause problems in class) asking to be on a behavior contract. They began to see it as just a way to get a reward and those students who never got in trouble felt it was unfair. ~S. Ward

[edit] References and other links of interest

  • Newell, Sandra and Jeffery, David. Behavior Management in the Classroom. David Fulton Publishers: London, 2002.
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