Behavior Bingo: The effects of a culturally relevant group contingency intervention for students with EBD

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have difficulty with academic engagement during independent seatwork tasks. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Behavior Bingo, a novel interdependent group contingency intervention, on the academic engagement, off‐task, and disruptive behavior of students with EBD during independent seatwork in an urban alternative high school setting. During the intervention, the class collaborated to fill in a posted Bingo board contingent on demonstrating appropriate behavior. Using an ABAB withdrawal design in two classrooms, the Behavior Bingo intervention showed promise as a feasible and effective classroom management intervention. Given the urban setting and diverse sample of participants, implications for culturally relevant and responsive intervention are discussed, including the role of peers in culturally responsive intervention, the use of randomization and uncertainty, preference assessment, and engaging intervention components.