A game-like intervention developed by school psychologists may help reduce hallway disruptions among elementary school children.

The intervention rewards classes of students for quickly transitioning from one room or activity to another. When implemented with three classes of students from grades one through six at a summer school program, disruptions during class transitions were reduced by up to 74 percent.

«Hallways are daunting spaces for teachers,» said Christopher Skinner, professor of school psychology and co-author of the study, which was published in the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. «Being quick in transitions helps significantly reduce inappropriate behavior.»

In the study, which was led by Associate Professor Merilee McCurdy, students were timed for one class transition a day (for example, from the gym to an academic classroom). A goal time was selected before the class and explained to the children. If the class met the goal time, a letter was rewarded at the end of the transition and placed on a Velcro board in the classroom. By the end of the week, classes had the chance to earn five letters.

«The letters were P-A-R-T-Y, in that order,» Skinner said. «After successfully meeting the transition time for a fifth day, classes were rewarded with a 20-minute party with snacks and games.»

If there were any disruptions by students — either stepping out of line, yelling, hitting, or running in the hallway — during a transition, classes were penalized by having five seconds added to their overall time.

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Materials provided by University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.