Behavior Management: Applications for Teachers (5th Ed.) Thomas J. Zirpoli Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.  All rights reserved.

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CHAPTER 5:

ISSUES IN ADOLESCENT BEHAVIOR

Behavior Management: Applications for Teachers (5th Ed.) Thomas J. Zirpoli Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.  All rights reserved.

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CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Understanding the behavior of adolescents is the focus of this chapter. These changes include physical, cognitive, social & relational, contextual changes and the cumulative effects of these changes. A review of internal and external assets is presented to include relationships with others, school and work, and community factors. Also presented are intervention issues related to Adolescents.

Behavior Management: Applications for Teachers (5th Ed.) Thomas J. Zirpoli Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.  All rights reserved.

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CHAPTER OUTLINE

I. Introduction

II. Understanding the Changing Behavior of Adolescents

A. Physical changes1. Puberty2. Brain development3. Changes in moods4. Sleep requirements

B. Cognitive changes1. Hypothetico-deductive reasoning

2. Abstract thinking3. Social cognitive beliefsC. Social and relational changes1. Identity2. Autonomy3. Peer relationsD. Contextual changesE. Cumulative effect of changes

III. Predicting Positive Outcomes for AdolescentsA. Internal assetsB. External assetsSupportive relationshipsBalancing school and work rolesCommunity factorsC. Avoiding developmental deficits

Behavior Management: Applications for Teachers (5th Ed.) Thomas J. Zirpoli Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.  All rights reserved.

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CHAPTER OUTLINE

IV. Behavioral Interventions for Adolescent Populations

A. Resistant and refusal skillsB. Social skills training

V. Issues Particular to Behavioral Interventions with Adolescents

A. Is it ever too late to intervene?B. Who should lead the intervention—teachers or peers?C. Could interventions ever have unintended harmful effects?D. How can we run interventions and cover required course material?

Behavior Management: Applications for Teachers (5th Ed.) Thomas J. Zirpoli Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.  All rights reserved.

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CHAPTER SUMMARY

Adolescents’ changing behavior reflects rapid biological, cognitive, social and contextual developments to which they must adapt. As a group, adolescents are both a highly challenging and a highly rewarding population with which to work.

Youth in adolescence are at a higher risk of engaging in problem behavior than they are as children or adults. Adolescents who encounter many changes at once, who experience developmental deficits, and who lack developmental assets may be at the greatest risk for problem behavior.

Behavioral interventions for adolescents typically try to stem risky behaviors by teaching resistance and refusal skills, or by bolstering adolescents’ social skills. Such programs assume that problem behaviors reflect a skills deficit, and that providing adolescents with the appropriate skills will allow adolescents to avoid risky behavior.

It is not too late to expect change in adolescence. Teachers or peers may effectively lead interventions, though the most effective leader will be the one who most closely reflects the situation in which the adolescent will find himself or herself. Interventions should include control groups to protect against unwanted harmful effects of the intervention. Interventions that incorporate course material can successfully teach content and are more likely to be adopted by schools.

Behavior Management: Applications for Teachers (5th Ed.) Thomas J. Zirpoli Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.  All rights reserved.

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FROM TEXT

1. Think about an adolescent you know who engages in a lot of risky behavior, and one who engages in relatively little risky behavior. Describe each adolescent’s balance of protective factors (e.g., developmental assets) and risk factors.

2. What are some typical behaviors of adolescents that might seem frustrating to adults, but actually may be a natural outgrowth of the physical, cognitive, and social transitions adolescents are navigating.

3. In the section on parent-adolescent relations and autonomy, Collin’s (1990) expectancy-violation-realignment model is described. Although this model was intended to describe change in parent-parent relations, do you think that it might apply to changing teacher-student relations across adolescence as well? How so?

4. A school principal has asked you to design an intervention/prevention program aimed at reducing school violence. What features would you most want the program to have? What aspects would you be careful to avoid in designing your program?

Behavior Management: Applications for Teachers (5th Ed.) Thomas J. Zirpoli Copyright © 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.  All rights reserved.

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ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Discuss societal stressors that may exacerbate behaviors in adolescents.2. How do prosocial skills relate to adolescent behavior problems?3. What influences do the actions of parents and teachers have on adolescent behavior?4. Discuss the difficulty parents and adolescents face, as adolescents seek to establish independence, while parents try to maintain some level of control

and influence on their child’s life.