The use of peer monitors to reduce negative interaction during recess.

The authors set up a point system at recess. Students with intellectual disability served as peer monitors. They gave or took away points for negative behavior like hitting or name-calling. The study used a multiple-baseline design across three recess settings. Researchers tracked how often each child acted out.

Negative interactions dropped when peer monitors were on duty. The same thing happened when students later monitored their own behavior. When the monitor and target students swapped roles, both sets kept their gains. The simple act of watching others helped the monitors behave better too.

Neef et al. (1986) ran a direct replication the next year. They showed the monitor role itself was the key ingredient. All three disruptive boys cut their own negative acts while serving as monitors. Buskist et al. (1988) extended the idea by flipping roles daily. Monitor and point-earner days both kept fifth-graders on task, so no one got stuck in one job. Einfeld et al. (1995) added self-evaluation to the token mix. Students rated their own social behavior and gained even bigger peer-interaction boosts. Together these studies build a toolkit: peer monitor, role swap, self-score.

You can turn recess chaos into a learning lab. Pick two students who often clash. Give them a clipboard and five plastic tokens. Each token equals one point. Their job is to hand out points for safe, kind play and take one away for shoves or insults. Swap the pair every week so everyone gets a turn. After a month, let students tally their own points. You get calmer recess minutes and teach self-management at the same time.