One aspect of teaching is educators’ abilities to effectively manage their students’ behaviors. Many teacher education programs expose teachers to numerous strategies for managing students’ behaviors. One of the most challenging aspects of teaching is classroom management and discipline (Yost & Mosca, 2002). According to Witzel and Mercer (2003), ‘The area of behavior interventions in classrooms receives more attention than many other aspects of schooling. This is not surprising as teachers are expected to deal with discipline problems that were once a cause for suspension or expulsion from school. Since more and more students are being included in public school settings, in part due to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Quinn et al., 2001). Strong classroom management skills aid in teachers’ abilities to successfully teach students with various needs; however, teachers struggle with managing their students’ behaviors. Witzel and Mercer (2003) point out that classroom management is one of the most common problems facing teachers because disruptive students take up valuable learning time. Students with disruptive, defiant, and disrespectful behaviors often make it difficult for teachers to teach and students to learn. Educators who have students wit
h problematic behaviors in their classrooms become extremely frustrated. Many teachers often come to feel that they are ineffective at working with students which are one cause of teachers leaving the field of education (Witzel & Mercer, 2003). Another area teachers struggle with is if students should be rewarded for behaviors that are expected of them. Some educators believe that it is not their responsibility to provide incentives for students. However, research in the area of behavioral skills training claims that feedback in the form of positive reinforcement is essential to teaching individuals appropriate behaviors and expectations (Miltenberger, 2008). Witzel and Mercer (2003) note that ‘The most controversial issues in behavior management have been the use of rewards to motivate and teach students to follow classroom rules and routines and to complete academic assignments. The appropriate use of positive reinforcement and behavior modification are important for success in the classroom, as frequent reprimands, low expectations, and infrequent praise often result in students who exhibit challenging behaviors (Morgan, 2006). Educators can use strong classroom management skills to eliminate or decrease problematic behaviors and increase appropriate, desired behaviors.