Behaviour interventions seek to improve achievement by reducing challenging behaviour in school. This entry covers interventions aimed at reducing a variety of mild to moderate behaviours, from low-level disruption to aggression, violence, bullying, substance abuse and general anti-social activities. The interventions themselves can be split into three broad categories:

1. Approaches to developing a positive school ethos or improving discipline across the whole school which also aim to support greater engagement in learning;
2. Universal programmes which seek to improve behaviour and generally take place in the classroom; and
3. More specialised programmes which are targeted at students with specific behavioural issues.

Other approaches, such as Parental engagement and Social and emotional learning programmes, are often associated with reported improvements in school ethos or discipline, but are not included in this summary, which is limited to interventions that focus directly on behaviour.

1. Both targeted interventions and universal approaches have positive overall effects (+ 4 months). Schools should consider the appropriate combination of behaviour approaches to reduce overall disruption and provide tailored support where required.

2. There is evidence across a range of different interventions with highest impacts for approaches that focus on self-management or role-play and rehearsal.

3. Even within programme types there is a range of impact. If selecting a behaviour intervention, schools should look for programmes that have been evaluated and shown to have a positive impact.

4. When adopting behaviour interventions – whether targeted or universal ­­– it is important to consider providing professional development to staff to ensure high quality delivery and consistency across the school.

The average impact of behaviour interventions is four additional months' progress over the course of a year. Evidence suggests that, on average, behaviour interventions can produce moderate improvements in academic performance along with a decrease in problematic behaviours. However, estimated benefits vary widely across programmes.

Approaches such as improving teachers’ behaviour management and students’ cognitive and social skills are both effective, on average.

School-level behaviour approaches are often related to improvements in achievement, but there is a lack of evidence to show that the improvements are actually caused by the behaviour interventions, rather than other school interventions happening at the same time. Parental/whānau and community involvement programmes are often associated with reported improvements in school culture or discipline and so are worth considering as alternatives to direct behaviour interventions.

Whole-school programmes and approaches focused on promoting a positive school culture and preventing harmful behaviours, are widely implemented in Aotearoa New Zealand schools. Evaluations of these programmes note a range of positive impacts that are indirectly linked to achievement, such as reduced bullying and increased collaboration among peers.

A small-scale study of the impacts of a mindfulness programme saw improvements to focus and attention for the primary school participants.

Behaviour interventions have an impact through increasing the time that students have for learning. This might be through reducing low-level disruption that reduces learning time in the classroom or through preventing exclusions that remove students from school for periods of time. If interventions take up more classroom time than the disruption they displace, engaged learning time is unlikely to increase. In most schools, a combination of universal and targeted approaches will be most appropriate:

• Universal approaches to classroom management can help prevent disruption – but often require professional development to administer effectively.
• Targeted approaches that are tailored to students' needs such as regular individual behaviour plans or functional behaviour assessments may be appropriate where students are struggling with behaviour.

Across all approaches it is crucial to maintain high expectations for students and to embed a consistent approach across the school. Successful approaches may also include social and emotional learning interventions and parental engagement approaches.

Evidence suggests that programmes delivered over two-to-six months seem to produce more long-lasting results. Whole-school strategies usually take longer to embed than individually tailored or single-classroom strategies.

The costs of behaviour interventions vary widely and overall they are estimated to range between very low to moderate. The costs to schools to deliver whole school strategies are largely based on staff time and training.

More intensive, targeted interventions are likely to incur higher staffing and training costs, although some centralised funding or specialist support may be available for schools.

Behavioural interventions can require a large amount of staff time, compared with other approaches. Targeted or one-to-one approaches, delivered by trained school staff or specialists, will require additional staff time compared to universal approaches. Overall, effective approaches can promote better engagement with teaching and learning by reducing challenging behaviour and improving student engagement.

Alongside time and cost, school leaders should reflect on the impact of whole school behaviour policies and support their staff to maintain a consistent approach. When adopting new approaches, school leaders should consider research-informed programmes with a track record of effectiveness. Improving classroom management may involve intensive training where teachers reflect on their practice, implement new strategies, and review their progress over time.

Local research:

Kenwright. D., McLaughlin, T. & Hansen, S. (2023) Teachers’ perspectives about mindfulness programmes in primary schools to support wellbeing and positive behaviour. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 27(6), 739-754. DOI: 10.1080/13603116.2020.1867382

Rix, G., & Bernay, R. (2015). A study of the effects of mindfulness in five primary schools in New Zealand. Teachers’ Work, 11(2), 201-220. https://doi.org/10.24135/teacherswork.v11i2.69

Green, V.A., Woods, L., Wegerhoff, D. et al. (2020).  An evaluation of the KiVa anti-bullying program in New Zealand. Int Journal of Bullying Prevention 2, 225–237. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-019-00034-

Savage, C., Lewis, J., Colless, N. (2011). Essentials for implementation: Six years of School

Wide Positive Behaviour Support in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 30(1), 29-37.