Adverse implications for university teaching concealed in economically driven policies.
Money incentives can quietly twist teaching and supervision—watch your own pay rules.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The author watched how money rules in universities changed what professors do.
When schools get paid only if students stay, teachers start acting different.
The paper is a think-piece, not an experiment. It warns BCBAs to spot the same money traps in their own training programs.
What they found
Faculty began to pass more students and give easier work.
They spent less time on hard science and more time on fun activities.
The hidden deal: keep students happy, keep the money flowing.
How this fits with other research
Taber et al. (2017) showed a 5-minute video can shift staff behavior fast. Fraley (1998) says big money shifts it slowly but surely.
Jacobson (1992) praised fun software that helps kids learn. Fraley (1998) says fun can also water standards down when cash is on the line.
Matson et al. (2013) argue school space talk can exclude students. Fraley (1998) adds that money talk can exclude tough content. Together they show rules, not just people, push folks out.
Why it matters
Your agency may reward billable hours or parent satisfaction. Check if those rewards make you skip hard but vital skills. Ask: "Am I keeping the client happy or teaching what they need?" Track data on both. If the money rule wins, redesign the pay plan before quality slips.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →List each pay or bonus you earn; next to it write the behavior it rewards—change any that clash with best practice.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Modern universities represent large economic operations fueled by funds that are increasingly derived from student tuition as government subsidies shrink. Student recruitment and retention are now mainly driven by the need for the dollars that students pay into the system. Policy that is responsive to these pressing economic realities, promulgated at all institutional levels, promotes professional behavior that encourages student retention while allowing this to occur through subtle sacrifice of the traditional essence of the university. A multiphase analysis relates the institution's economically driven policies on retention to their classroom implications and to other effects on the behavior of the teaching faculty.
The Behavior analyst, 1998 · doi:10.1007/BF03391969