Abstract

CALDERON VANEGAS, Elizabeth Marlene; CASTILLO PIZARRO, Vanessa Carolina; ARAUJO CHOCHO, Sandra Verónica  and  ZUNA MOROCHO, Mayra Teresa. Token economy for behaviour improvement in early childhood education. Revista InveCom [online]. 2025, vol.5, n.2, e502052.  Epub Feb 15, 2025. ISSN 2739-0063.  https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13646111.

The presumably inappropriate behavior of rural students in the Initial Sublevel could affect their social and academic development. However, it is observed that schools, in many cases, do not implement specific programs to address this problem. This quantitative study analyzes the causes of this behavior and evaluates the effectiveness of a Token Economy program applied for three days to students at the Antonio Neumane de Quingeo rural school in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. Instruments such as semi-structured interviews, observation cards, Likert scales, an Emotional Training Program and the Token Economy table were used for data collection. The initial results revealed that the students in the experimental group come from dysfunctional homes, lack adequate attention and control in their daily activities and do not have clear rules of conduct, transferring these behaviors to the classroom with verbal and physical aggressions, interruptions, and lack of compliance with rules, generating discomfort even among parents. The application of the Token Economy program showed significant positive changes in student behavior, despite the short implementation period, with a rapid acceptance of intangible rewards in school. However, there is evidence of a lack of interest on the part of the representatives, who did not support the reward activities sent home, which demotivated the students to improve their behavior and academic development at school. Future studies suggest sensitizing families to the negative effects of bad behavior on their children.

Keywords : token economy; functional analysis; rural school.

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