An Experimental Resource Room for Behavior Problem Children

Abstract

The Temple Resource Room Project represents an attempt to develop, refine, and evaluate an alternative to special class placement for behavior problem children in the public school. Children in the experimental group were scheduled for a resource room program during those periods of the day in which they were functioning least effectively in the regular class. Since the majority were also performing below expected grade level academically, the program emphasized academic remediation with the use of response-reinforcement contingencies in a structured classroom situation. The experimental group made significantly greater gains in reading vocabulary and arithmetic fundamentals than did a comparison group. Behavioral changes also occurred, with the greatest improvement being noted with the experimental group when in the resource room.