Aini Mahabbati, Purwandari, Pujaningsih PLB Department, FIP, UNY
[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
The aims of this research were to assess the needs, to design a model, and to map out a PBS guidebook. It was first year of three years research and development. Data were collected through focus group discussions, questionnaires, and surveys. The respondents were 29 teachers, principals, and the goverment agent in Dinas Pendidikan Kota Yogyakarta. Subjects were 27 students from nine elementary schools that have problem behavior. The results were: 1) the students’ problem behavior were learning problem behaviors, aggressive, disruptive, communication problems, and stealing. They also have low to everage social skills. 2) Schools and teachers coped it by making school discipline, integrating positive attitudes towards learning, reminding students who violated, and calling parents. 3) PBS that are needed are systematic, procedural, and collaborative. 4) Teachers stated that PBS is important to overcome the difficulties in managing students’ problem behaviors and teaching their social skills, and. 5) Resources supporting program consists of all school components in collaboration others experts and community. 6) The design of the model includes the PBS team at school, needs analysis, assessment of students' behavior and social skills, sorting level to implement, establish positive behavior and set the target positive behaviors, collaboration, program implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and follow-up.
Key words : PBS Program, Social Skills, Elementary School Students
1. Introduction
Problem behaviors in students often occur a
nd become a case that needs to be aware
. Plan Indonesia declared the results of a survey of 300 elementary schools and secondary schools students of two districts in Bogor find 15.3% of primary school students, 18% of junior high school students and 16% of high school students exposed to violence at school by peers (Bambang Ujianto, 2011). The type of problem behaviors in six to 13 years old children in Sleman District at 2011 are problem behavior that influenced to academic failures; stress; difficult concentration and attention; school anxiety; disaster trauma; tantrums;sexual behavior and orientation disorders;
aggressive behavior; emotional outbursts; mood disorders; lack of motivation; attachment problems;
lack of confidence; hyperactive; hypoactive; and other personality disorders (Aini Mahabbati, 2012).
Another type of problem behavioral are opposed to adults, always restless and uneasy, distruptif behavior in class, low self-regulation, and lack of school readiness (Walker et al., in Reinke &
Herman, 2002).
Problem behavior closely associated with students low social skill and can be barrier to learning. Social skill is needed to be able to interact with and adapt to the social environment. Low social skills make children difficult to empathize, difficult to identify the correct behavior in social
relationships, and difficult to initiate social contact with the same age, and tend to resolve problems by aggressive behavior (Shepherd, 2010, Cohen &
Strayer in Burke, et al. , 2002). Low social skills are also associated with academic problems. This is because problem behavior that arise because of low social skills lead students fail to understand the lessons, underachiever, getting score at the lowest passing grade, vulnerable to drop out, and face difficulties in adjusting their adult lives (Koyangi &
Gaines in Landrum, 2003). Students with behavioral problems and low social skills tend to make relationship with peers who have behavioral problems; rejected and ridiculed by children peer;
labeled negatively by neighborhood; and difficult to make a positive social contacts with teachers, other adults, and peers (Aini Mahabbati, 2012).
Therefore, systematic and integrated school- based intervention program such as Positive Behavior Support (PBS) need to improve students social skills and manage problem behavior. PBS is behavior management approach to teach positive behavior according to social context (Bradley, in Hallahan et al., 2009). PBS goal is to reduce problem behavior and increase positive behaviors (Shepherd, 2010; Hallahan et al., 2009).
PBS said to be a systematic and procedural program because it starts from the assessment students’
problem behavior and social skills as a interventions base. PBS is collaborative program as involving the entire school component to formulate
design, implementation, and evaluation program.
More over, PBS is integrated, by linking environmental management, learning context, and treatment of students with behavioral problems as an integral teaching of social skills. Therefore, PBS said to be more effective than punishment-oriented approach for safer and more comfortable learning environmental for students and teachers, support discipline in schools, and to train teachers to focus more on improving the quality of learning (Warren, et al., 2006).
Experimental research of PBS to improve social skills has been studied by Morrison and Jones (2006) by applying the Positive Peer Report (PPR) techniques that involve the social role of friendship as a training program. PPR was declared effective in reducing the frequency of negative criticism on students that have oppositional and socially maladaptive behavior.
Based on a description of the problem behavior and social skills, as well as the PBS program. It would require further investigation to determine the practical application of the PBS in elementary schools that can help teachers, principals, and parents to improve students’ social skills and overcome problem behavior of them.
Before applying PBS, the school needs to conduct needs assessment to develop the PBS program that fits the needs of the school. The purpose of this research is to identify the types of problem behavior and social skills in elementary school students;
identify teachers and school efforts to address the problem behavior and poor social skills of students;
identify positive behavioral support services required; identify the perceptions of teachers regarding the PBS program model; and obtain data on support resources.
2. Methods
This study is first-year Research and Development. The focus is need assessment for development PBS program to improve social skills of elementary school students’.
Need assessment was conducted to obtain data on issues of social skills and problem behavior of students, the program which has been implemented in schools as well as the results, teachers' perception of the behavioral problems and social skills that is needed by elementary school students, and the resources that support PBS aplication.
Respondents of this study were principals and classroom teachers from nine of inclussive elementary schools in Kota Yogyakarta. Subjects were elementary school students who have problem behavior and low social skills. 77 the number of subjects was determined based on the results of Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with teachers and principals.
Data collection techniques used were the FGD and questionnaires. FGD was conducted to collect
data directly from the needs assessment of teachers, principals, and policy makers of Education Office (Dinas Pendidikan) of Kota Yogyakarta. The scale of social skills and learning adjustments adaptation from Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment (SSCSA) Walker and Mc Connel was used to get students social skills level .
Table 1. Sub-Scale and Indicators dan Indikator of Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment
No Sub-scales Indicators
1. Teacher-Preferred Social Behavior / Basic Social Skilss
Symphaty and emphaty Compromise and cooperation Contact and communication Response to teasing
Dealing with anger and agression
2. Peer-Preferred Social Behavior,
Peer acceptable
Peer interaction behavior Adaptation
Helping behavior
Inisiative of sosial behavior Showed positive talent 3. School Adjustment
Behavior,
Time managements skills Follow learning direction Creativity
Response to learning activities The data analyze tehcnique for FGD results were qualitative descriptive. The subjects’ social skills were analyzed by quantitative descriptive then interpreted qualitatively. The way to determine the level of students' social skills from social skills scale adaptation SSCSA Walker-Mc.Connell was to calculate the mean hypothetical of social skills aspects contained in the following table.
Table 2. Mean Hipotetik of Social Skills Score Aspects Item
s
Hypothetic Minimum Score
Hypothetic Maximal Score
Hypot hetic Mean General
Social Skills (SS)
43 43 215 129
Basic SS 15 15 75 45
Peer relation SS
18 18 90 54
School Adjusment SS
10 10 50 30
Description:
Formula of hypothetical mean:
(the lowest hypothetical score + the highest score hypothetical) / 2
(Saifuddin Azwar, 2004)
3. Results and Discussion 3.1 Results
The main purpose of this study is doing need assessment for development of PBS model to improve students’ social skills.
3.1.1 Students’ Problem Behaviors and Social Skills
The number of elementary school students who have behavioral problems and poor social skills are 27 of 77 students from nine inclussive elementary school, 55 (71%) of male students and 22 (29%) of female students.
The type of students’ behavioral problems can be divided into two types, problem behavior in learning and problem behavior outside learning context. Learning problem behaviors such as not completing the task (77.8%), was reluctant to do the work (55.6%), out from the class (44.4%), and absence from school (40.7%). Problem behaviors outside learning context were verbal aggression (55.6%), physically aggression (48.1%), and stealing (29.6%).
Five of the 27 students are very low on basic social skills and dealing with problem, and nine of them were on everage in the same skills. On the aspects of learning adjustment skills, most of students have low and very low competencies. Only two students have height level of it. In the peer interaction skills only a few students have high level (5 students), average (8 students), low level (9 students), and very low (5 students). It showed that students with behavioral problems mostly show low social skills.
All respondents stated the existences of students with behavioral problems are always there on new academic years. Teachers estimated that their behavioral problem are caused by external factors, such as, live in an environment that is not conducive for developing positive behavior; live in divorced families; environment with low socio- economic conditions; have a history of becoming victims of violence.
3.1.2 The Efforts of Teachers and Schools to Address Students’ Problem Behaviors and Poor Social Skills
The school has been working to address problem behavior of students or to improve social skills as positive expected behavior. Rules of school discipline had been arrange by principals and teachers. 30% of respondents said that school committee and the students were also involved in drafting the rules. However, the school rules were not always followed by the students. The other strategies were putting posters in several locations in schools; directly reprimand when students perform unexpected behavior; integrating positive
behaviors in learning, and teaching social skills as daily activities at school.
Teachers also coped of rules breaking students by advised orally by teachers, called parents for coaching students at home, and traced the cause of students’ problem behavior for intervention.
However, these efforts do not have the procedural system. Each teacher have different unplanned approaches to deal with students’
problem behavior. Almost teachers expressed that they give verbal praise when students demonstrate the expected behavior.. Teachers have totally responsibility of giving punishments and rewards for students’ problem behavior. Unsuccessful intervention would be communicated to parents, and small proportion of teachers referring to psychologist.
3.1.3 The Positive Behavior Support Services Needed
Based on students’ problem behaviors, poor social skills, and the difficulties of coping the problem. Teachers hope the procedural sistematic program to deal with the problems. The program was expected to involve all of teachers, staff in schools, parents, psychologists and education office as a team. Preparation of the program planning is expected to be decided by a meeting of all teachers, led by the principal. Expectations of almost all respondents are implementation of the program carried out independently by the class teacher, monitored periodically by the program coordinators and principals. The monitoring system is expected by the majority of teachers in the form of a written report by the teacher and documented by a program coordinator. The PBS evaluation system that is expected by teachers are carried out in writing and giving recommendations for the program improvement for students. Parents is expected to contribute in terms of providing true information about their child’s problem behavior and the treatment that have been done at home.
3.1.4 Teachers Perception of PBS Program All respondents expressed that they need procedures for interventing the problem behavior and increase students' social skills. In addition to the procedure, the majority of respondents also expressed the need for school rules that are clear about the positive behavior of students. The main goal of PBS program according to data from respondents include: habituation positive behavior for all students, preventing the emergence of problem behaviors of students that are at risk, and address the behavioral problem that often arise in students
3.1.5 Supported Resources Services
Respondents noted that PBS supported resources can come from school and outside of
school. The resources from school is team to analyze the needs of PBS implementation, determine PBS objectives, assess students problem behavior and expected behavior, design procedures and rules established to PBS, and determine procedure of monitoring and evaluating the program implementation. The team includes the principal,
vice principal of student affairs
, classroom teacher, teachers picket, other school staff, students, and parents. In addition, it is important to optimize support resources from parents, as well as psychologists and special education for referral and consultation. Rules enforcement agencies in the community are also needed for school counseling program of positive behavior in students.4. Discussions
Based on the results of the research, behavioral problems that often arise in elementary school students is problem behaviors associated with low social skills. Moreover, problem behaviors were found also related with academic problems.
Low social skills often cause children to experience school failure and poor social engagement (Lane, et al., In Shepherd, 2010). Students who have low social skills also tend to be difficult to make positive contact on peer, teachers, other adults (Aini Mahabbati, 2012).
According to the teachers, factors that causing the problem behavior and poor social skills of students are social problems, such as the family and community environment that is not conducive to the development of students’ social skills. Samanci (2010) said that the factors that influence the development of social skills of children are the family, schools, communities, and individual characteristics of the child.
Therefore, the school became an important educational institution for the improvement of social skills of children. Some school activities that support the improvement of students' social skills, among others, is a social activity in the classroom, positive attitude and behavior of teachers, school management and and democratic classes, student- centered learning techniques, as well as the reduction of stress on the exam (Samanci, 2010).
The results showed that some of these activities have been carried out by the teacher or school, such as setting rules of positive behavior, integrating learning positive behavior in class or school activities, and reprimand students directly when making a problematic behavior.
The role of schools to improve social skills students need clear systems and procedures that can be applied to the same standards by all the teachers in the school. As expected the school, PBS can be developed as a student social skills enhancement program. PBS criteria that are appropiate to schools needs are: 1) the purpose of PBS is to give social
skills education for students; prevention and intervention of behavioral problems at school;
emotional and social development support; and application for children with special needs (Sugai &
Horner, 2009). 2) PBS at school involves the whole school and learning management systems and aim to reduce problem behavior and increase positive learning climate (Vaughn & Boss, 2009). 3) PBS at school involving families, communities, expert on education, and policy makers related to the problem of students (Hallahan, et al., 2011; Shepherd, 2010).
Conclussion
The conclussion of this research are: 1) Type of problem behavior in elementary school students are learning problem behavior, and other problem behaviors such as aggressive and disturbing behavior, steal, and communication problems.
Students also have low social skills. 2) Schools and teachers had been trying to cope the problem behavior by making school discipline, integrating behavior intervention in learning, reminding students when violated, and calling parents. 3) Service supporting for student positive behavior that is required is the systematic and procedural program, involving all members of the school, and can be applied to all teachers. 4) PBS program is nessecary to implement and can be run in a systematic and measurable results. 5) The resources that will be support the PBS program consists of the principal, teachers, related school staff, special teachers (for children with special needs), school committee, all students, and related expert.
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