Case Study - The Apathetic Student

Introduction

The case study approach of this module has been designed to create an awareness of the general classroom behavioral problems that may be encountered on a day to day basis. The examples here are generalised and may be applied to situations other than the ones given here.

Description of the problem

Mrs Bird is very concerned about Dale, a student in her second-grade class. Dale doesn't seem to care about anything. If Mrs Bird praises Dale for completing his work on time, Dale just looks at her. If Mrs Bird punishes Dale for failing to complete his work, Dale just looks at her. Dale doesn't seem to care whether other students pay attention to him. Ms Bird would like to help Dale, but she's uncertain about what she can do.

Causes

A student like Dale is very discouraged and apparently has given up. The student demonstrates his low self-esteem by indicating that it doesn't matter whether he's being reinforced or punished. A student like this has probably experienced a lot of failure in the past. His behavior says that since any of his efforts will be unsuccessful, why bother? This sort of attitude is a more severe problem than fear of failing. Dale isn't afraid of failing; he's absolutely certain that he will fail.

Another cause for this type of behavior is the student's discovery that people don't expect very much from him when he acts like he doesn't care. It's very difficult to interact positively with a child who doesn't seem to care. The child may have also learned that adults and other students will get disgusted with him and will leave him pretty much alone

Goal

The student will develop some interests and will begin to show some enthusiasm toward things, people, and events.

The Plan:

Step 1:
Develop strategies that encourage the student to feel good about himself or herself. With an extremely discouraged student, it is essential to provide activities and interactions that demonstrate his or her value in the classroom. One of the best ways to encourage a child is to provide activities and jobs that demonstrate that he or she can be a valuable asset to the classroom. Some activities might include being responsible for delivering the attendance slip to the office, getting to design a bulletin board, or getting to tutor another student.

When you assign an activity to the student, don't worry if the student doesn't seem to be excited. It would be out of character for the student to express much interest initially. It will take time and a lot of encouragement from you before the student is confident enough to risk showing excitement or interest.

When you present the student with a responsibility or special privilege, present your request as a statement rather than as a question. If the request is put in the form of a question, the student can say he or she is not interested. If Mrs Bird says to Dale 'Would you like to help Mr Swanson by listening to one of his first-grade students read?' Dale is likely to say 'No.' Then the teacher is put in the position of trying to talk Dale into going to the first-grade room. Trying to talk Dale into performing a privileged task could end up reinforcing his apathetic behavior and the teacher does not want to do this.

If the teacher's request is put in the form of a statement, the student is less likely to express disinterest. For example, Mrs Bird might say 'Dale, the first-grade teacher has asked me if I can suggest a student to help his first-grade students with their reading. Mr Swanson wants a second-grade student to go to his room for the last fifteen minutes of the day and listen to the students read. This will give the first-graders practice in the new skills they are learning. I told Mr Swanson that I thought you would be a super choice because you're such a good reader. Starting tomorrow, you will go down to the first-grade room fifteen minutes before the last bell. Let's go down there now to talk to Mr Swanson about what he wants you to do.'

Mrs Bird indicated that she had confidence in Dale. In addition, she never required Dale to express whether he was interested or excited about the prospect of helping Mr Swanson's students. This took the pressure off Dale, Note that getting to be a tutor was not made contingent upon anything else. Later, it may be possible to make tutoring contingent upon the student getting all of his or her work completed. However, initially, the goal is merely to demonstrate that you think the student is capable and competent.

Step 2:
Ignore all apathetic behaviors. Whenever the student expresses disinterest or apathy in something, ignore him or her. Don't try to talk the student into developing an interest in things. Any attempt to convince the student that an activity is worthwhile will only serve to reinforce the student's 'I don't care' behavior

Step 3:
Praise the student whenever he or she expresses an interest in something. For example, if the student says 'I had fun helping the first-graders read,' the teacher might respond by saying 'I'm pleased that you enjoyed it! You're being very helpful to Mr Swanson. I really like hearing about the things you enjoy doing.' This form of praise shows that you're interested in what the student is doing, and are also pleased that he or she has expressed an interest.

Step 4 (This step is optional.)
At an appropriate time, role-play with the student. Help the student practice expressing interest in various things. Use this step if you think that the student does not actually know how to express himself or herself in positive ways. Role-playing sessions should be conducted in a very positive way. Provide the student with various statements that express interest and excitement.

Help the student to think of ways to complete statements in a positive way. Have the student actually practice making some of the statement. Encourage the student to make up some of his or her own statements. Some statements might begin like the following examples:

• One thing I really like to do is . . .
• It makes me feel good when . . .
• When I'm happy I like to . . .
• It's usually fun to . . .
• I feel important when . . .

Step 5:
Spend five minutes every day talking with the student about his or her interests. Tell the student that you appreciate hearing about his or her interests. The focus of the discussions should be on getting the student to practice making positive statements.