Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Spring 2021
Abstract
Preventing and managing challenging behaviors is a responsibility that many educators encounter and is an aspect of the teaching profession that can cause high stress. For a child who exhibits challenging behaviors, there are lasting negative effects that can occur. The purpose of this action research project is to examine the effectiveness of Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT) on reducing the frequency of different types of challenging behaviors in an early childhood setting. With a sample of three preschool aged students, who were identified as having elevated levels of challenging behavior, the teacher researcher observed the frequency for delay/avoidance, aggression, disruptive to teacher, and disruptive to peer behaviors before and after the implementation of a TCIT CDI phase. The results showed a percentage change decrease of 50% for delay/avoidance and for disruptive to teacher behaviors. There was no percentage change for aggression or disruptive to peer behaviors. Overall, two of the four types of challenging behavior showed a reduction after the TCIT intervention.