EDY 2312/5312 – Managing

Behaviour in Schools

Lecture 2 2019

Lecture 2: Behaviour Formation

 What is behaviour?

 The way that someone or something behaves in a particular

situation
Source: Cambridge English Dictionary (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/behaviour

 Behaviour is the range of actions and mannerisms made by

individuals, organisms, systems, or artificial entities in conjunction
with themselves or their environment, which includes the other
systems or organisms around as well as the physical environment
Source: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavior

 The way that someone or something acts in different situations. It

can be a positive or negative act.
Source: Longman Business Dictionary
 Student Behaviour in school

 Behaviour is influenced by many things like age, heredity, personality,

culture, interactions with others, home environment and gender. Student
behaviour is the way children and young people behave at school.

 In schools, there is often positive student behaviour, poor student

behaviour and anti-social student behaviour. Positive behaviour includes
cooperating, paying attention in class and sharing with classmates. Poor
student behaviour includes littering, being late to class, not doing
homework, and disobeying teachers,

 Antisocial behaviours is behaviour that is harmful and not accepted in

PNG society, such as drug and alcohol use, graffiti and bullying.

 Source: Behaviour Management, NDOE

 What is Behaviour management?
 Behaviour management is a whole school/community approach. It
includes creating a positive environment for learning and uses
strategies that encourage positive behaviour in schools and the
communities. It also involves a range of strategies to reduce the
chance of poor or antisocial behaviour.
 Behaviour Management is also about having effective ways to deal
with poor behaviour so that students can learn from their mistakes and
at the same time, take responsibility for their own wrong doings.

 Source: Behaviour Management, NDOE

 Behaviour Formation
 Understanding Behaviour Formation.
Habit formation is the process by which new behaviours become
automatic. ... Old habits are hard to break and new habits are hard
to form. That's because the behavioural patterns we repeat most
often are literally etched into our neural pathways.

Habit Formation | Psychology Today

https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/habit-formation
 How are bad behaviours developed?

 New behaviours can become automatic through the process

of habit formation. Old habits are hard to break and new habits are
hard to form because the behavioural patterns which humans repeat
become imprinted in neural pathways, but it is possible
to form new habits through repetition.
Source: Habit – Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habit

How long does it take to form a habit psychology?

 On average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behaviour
becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. And how long it takes a
new habit to form can vary widely depending on the behaviour, the
person, and the circumstances.
Source: https://jamesclear.com/new-habit
 How habits are formed in the brain?

 Neuroscientists have traced our habit-making

behaviours to a part of the brain called the basal
ganglia, which also plays a key role in the development
of emotions, memories and pattern recognition.
Decisions, meanwhile, are made in a different part of
the brain called the prefrontal cortex.

 Habit formation is the process by which new behaviours

become automatic. If you instinctively reach for a
cigarette the moment you wake up in the morning, you
have a habit. ... The good news is that, through
repetition, it's possible to form—and maintain—
new habits.
What is a bad habit?
 A bad habit is a negative behaviour pattern. Common
examples include: procrastination, overspending, nail-
biting and spending too much time watching television
or using a computer.

What is a good habit?

 good habit. A behaviour that is beneficial to one's
physical or mental health, often linked to a high level of
discipline and self-control. Examples of good habits -
regular exercise, consumption of alcohol in
moderation, balanced diet, monogamy, etc.
 How a habit is formed?

 Formation. Habit formation is the process by which a

behaviour, through regular repetition, becomes automatic or
habitual. ... As the habit is forming, it can be analysed in
three parts: the cue, the behaviour, and the reward. The cue
is the thing that causes the habit to come about, the trigger of
the habitual behaviour.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habit
 Positive and Negative Reinforcements

 There are positive and negative reinforcements

 Reinforcement and punishment are often used as parenting tools to
modify children’s behaviour. Let’s view the difference between positive
reinforcement and negative reinforcement, and the difference in
outcomes between reinforcement and punishment.
 In behavioural psychology, a reinforcement is the introduction of
a favourable condition that will make a desired behaviour more likely
to happen, continue or strengthen in the future.
 Because the favourable condition acts as a reward, reinforcement is a
reward-based conditioning.
 For instance, positive can be adding something unpleasant resulting in
unpleasant feelings, while negative can be removing something
unpleasant resulting in pleasant feelings.
 Positive Reinforcement is adding a pleasant
stimulus to enhance a behaviour.

Positive Reinforcement
Pleasant Stimulus Desired Behaviour
Examples

A mother gives her

daughter a toy for toy do homework
doing homework.

A father praises his son

praise practice soccer
for practicing soccer.
 Negative Reinforcement is removing an
aversive stimulus to enhance a behaviour.

Negative Reinforcement
Aversive Stimulus Desired Behaviour
Examples

To stop his mother’s

nagging, Alex does his nagging do chores
chores.
To remove the bad smell
from her body, Erin takes bad smell take a shower
a shower.
Positive Punishment vs Negative Punishment
The goal of punishment is to make an undesired behaviour less
likely to happen, continue or strengthen in the future.

 Positive Punishment is adding an aversive stimulus to deter a

behaviour

Positive Punishment
Aversive Stimulus Undesired Behaviour
Examples

Mom gives Mag a

time-out lying
time-out for lying.
Jon was assigned
extra homework
extra homework be late for school
because he was late
to school.
 Negative Punishment is removing a pleasant
stimulus to deter a behaviour.

Negative Punishment Undesired

Pleasant Stimulus
Examples Behaviour

Mary’s TV time was

cut by 20 minutes
TV time did not listen
because she did not
listen to her Mom.

Jack was grounded

go out talk back
for talking back.
 Encouraging Positive Behaviour in Children
 1. Set Clear Boundaries and Limits
 In order for the rules to carry weight, breaking them should lead to consequences that are both fair, and
logical. In simple terms, the punishment should fit the crime —
 2. Treat Children as Individuals —
 Take the time to discuss feelings with your students —
Discussing issues with children, and listening to their
concerns will help to encourage empathy in your students and create understanding.
 3. Provide a Positive Role Model
 Your students will act how you act, so it’s crucial to lead by example in every aspect of life. The more you
show the behaviours you want them to adapt, the more they will consider those behaviours to be natural.
 4. Deliver the Appropriate Amount of Attention
 Children crave attention, and if good behaviour isn’t getting them the spotlight they’re looking for, then
they’re likely to misbehave just to get a reaction.
 5. Cool Down and Convey the Right Message
 Try to take advantage of teachable moments whenever possible, and inform students of how their good or
bad behaviour affects both them, and you. The more you can do to help students understand that your
rules are for their own good, the more they will appreciate the guidelines you set.
 6.Positive Behaviour Takes Time
 Remember, encouraging positive behaviour is a long and on-going battle that you’re going to have to work
hard at.
 Tutorial Activities
 Discuss the positive and negative reinforcement approaches you had
experienced:
 Growing up in your home
 Attending primary or secondary schools.
 What would you say about those approaches in those situations in your life?

 There is so much publicity in the social media about Papua New Guineans
having attitude problems. Identify some of those problems and discuss
possible intervention measures.

 Discuss your views about the following statement:

 A child who is brought up in a violent home has a high chance of becoming a
violent person later in his life