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Examining Teachers’ Behavioral Management Charts: a Comparison of Class Dojo and Paper-Pencil Methods

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Abstract

Many teachers report using behavioral management charts in their classrooms as a means of managing student behaviors, but little is known about exactly what behaviors teachers are charting, or specifically how. Misunderstanding over how real-world teachers maintain behavioral charts may cause miscommunication between the teacher and the school psychologist. This study sought to determine how teachers collect and track behavioral data. Researchers examined behavioral charts used by teachers in a Title I elementary school that reported using Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports (PBIS). Researchers evaluated charts for ten classrooms (~150 students) and compared the type of data collected by each teacher for each child. Findings indicated that teachers either used no system, their own systems, or a computer-based system (Class Dojo) for charting behavior. An analysis of each of these systems found that Class Dojo provided significantly more data (positive and negative notations) in general, as well as more reliable data than any other system reviewed. Discussions of these findings within a PBIS framework, as well as general concerns about the computer-based system, are provided.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University, 1114 West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4453, USA

    S. Kathleen Krach & Hillary Rimel

  2. Department of Teaching and Learning, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Box 453005, Las Vegas, NV, 89154-3005, USA

    Michael P. McCreery

Authors
  1. S. Kathleen Krach
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  2. Michael P. McCreery
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Correspondence to S. Kathleen Krach, Michael P. McCreery or Hillary Rimel.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in these studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent/Assent

Informed consent was obtained from parents or legal guardians of all individual participants included in the study (for children) and for the individual themselves (adult). For children, assent was also obtained.

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Krach, S.K., McCreery, M.P. & Rimel, H. Examining Teachers’ Behavioral Management Charts: a Comparison of Class Dojo and Paper-Pencil Methods. Contemp School Psychol 21, 267–275 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-016-0111-0

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