THE USE OF THE CONFLICT CYCLE MODEL AND THE TWELVE TECHNIQUES FOR THE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT OF SURFACE BEHAVIOR BY RESIDENTIAL CHILD CARE WORKERS TO INCREASE COMPETENCE IN THE BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT OF AGGRESSIVE CHILDREN

The acting-out behavior of the aggressive child has long presented many problems for teachers, child care workers, parents, and other members of society. Traditionally, little priority has focused on enabling teachers and child care workers to develop expertise in working with aggressive children. In recent years, several important concepts have emerged from the field of special education. This study proposed to determine whether the Conflict Cycle Model and the Twelve Techniques for the Classroom Management of Surface Behavior could be used effectively by residential child care workers to increase their competence in managing the behavior of aggressive children. Forty residential child care workers were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. A specialized six-week inservice training program served as the independent treatment variable. Five hypotheses were tested. Namely, there will be no significant difference between the pre and post-test mean scores achieved on the: (1) Aggressive Behavior Frequency Inventory by the children of the workers in the experimental and control groups. (2) Behavior Management Competency Inventory #1 by workers in the experimental and control groups. (3) Behavior Management Competency Inventory #2 by workers in the experimental and control groups. (4) Child Care Worker Evaluation Forms by the workers in the experimental and control groups. (5) Self-Ratings of the workers in the experimental and control groups. No statistical differences were found on three of them: reducing child aggressive behavior, identifying elements of the Conflict Cycle, and supervisors' ratings. Significant differences were found in the area of the use of the Twelve Techniques and Self-Ratings by the workers. While the general hypothesis was not accepted, partial support of the inservice training model was established. The lack of statistical significance on the three study instruments could be explained by the limitations on the design and level of sophistication of the instruments. The development of reliable instruments and the need for more research in this area were recommended. Even with limitations, this study was the first attempt to provide child care workers with a systematic model for working with aggressive children. It was also recommended that behavior management training be developed for those who work with populations of children such as the blind, deaf, retarded, and multiple handicapped.