ABSTRACT
Negative reinforcements also have a contribution to make to teachers’ management of classroom behaviour, but they should be used carefully and sparingly. Whereas positive reinforcers are applied to – and so encourage – good behaviour, negative reinforcers (for example, threats) lead to improved behaviour only because pupils behave appropriately in order to avoid unwanted consequences. An example of negative reinforcement occurs when a teacher informs a class, at the onset of morning break, that they will remain in the classroom until their rowdy behaviour ceases; so to avoid the unpleasant experience of missing some of their break period, the class behaviour has to improve. However, not all children will regard remaining in the classroom as an unpleasant experience!
