Does it Work with the Older Ones? A Review of Behavioural Studies Carried out in British Secondary Schools since 1981

In 1981 the first author carried out a review of studies in behaviour modification in British educational settings. At that time 56 such studies were identified as having been carried out in primary schools, compared with only 24 in secondary schools. In his conclusion the author suggested the form that further empirical investigations might take and pointed out the need for more studies to be undertaken at the secondary level. In the present paper an attempt has been made to give an up‐to‐the‐minute review of the progress that has been made in exploring the usefulness of behavioural methods in secondary schools. What becomes apparent is that whilst behavioural methods have been shown to be equally effective in secondary and primary school settings, very few such studies have been reported: only 37 since the last review, many of these being from the same source. The vast majority of the new studies now reported comprise a ‘rules, praise and ignoring’ element. The reasons why behavioural methods are not more fully used, despite their success in secondary schools, is discussed, and suggestions are made for future action.