Comparison of components of the Good Behavior Game in a preschool classroom

Foley and team tested the Good Behavior Game in a preschool room. They asked: do we need every piece of the game to stop disruptions?

The kids played the game in different ways. Some days they got the full rules. Other days they got only part of the rules. The teachers watched which setup worked best.

Only the full Good Behavior Game cut disruptions. When parts were missing, problem behavior stayed high.

After the kids learned the full game, a simple rule kept the peace. The teachers still checked behavior, but they no longer gave points every time.

Thompson et al. (2023) also worked in preschool, but they used FCT instead of the Game. Both studies got zero aggression, showing two roads to calm rooms.

DeRoma et al. (2004) found teacher attention feeds problem acts. The Game turns that same attention into a prize for group good behavior.

Matson et al. (2011) list 40 ways to swap out bad behavior. The Game is one of those ways, just packaged for the whole class.

Run the full Good Behavior Game first. After kids know it, you can drop the fancy scoreboard and still keep control. This saves you time and keeps the room calm.