Behavioural Contracting with Secondary Aged Pupils

The published ‘demonstration studies’ indicating the successful use of behavioural interventions have often been carried out under conditions that maximise the probability of a successful outcome. However it is claimed that the usefulness of behavioural interventions in natural settings is unclear. A project was therefore pursued to evaluate the usefulness or otherwise of behavioural interventions in normal service delivery systems. The twofold aims of the project were: (i) to identify and assess the extent of the problems encountered in attempting a rigorous applied behavioural analysis approach and (ii) to evaluate the outcome of such interventions. The collection of data prior to intervention was identified as a major difficulty. Evaluation of outcome, using the method of judges, indicated that such interventions can be claimed to be at least moderately successful.