This Contingency Contract is designed for Olumide.
Olumide is a Year 6 student in my class. He has been exhibiting certain behaviours that
are unacceptable as far as his school work and educational development are concerned. He has
consistently failed to participate in class activities and lesson involvement. In addition to this,
he has developed a habit of never completing his tasks, both class and home assigned. This has
put him behind the class; always playing catch-up. Olumide is also restless and he hates
writing, in cases when he has been asked to write, he would deliberately write slowly and make
his writing illegible and rough.
I have investigated and concluded that this behaviour, is not a resultant effect of any
trauma issues or stress either on the school or home front, but a conscious decision on his part,
based on laziness and a lackadaisical attitude to work. In an attempt to deter such behaviour, I
will be drawing up a contingency contract.
Contingency Contract. Week 2. 13th – 17th
I …………………………………………. hereby accept the terms of this contingency
contract, based
on my inappropriate behaviour as far as my educational process is concerned.
This week I will focus better in class, and participate actively in all my lessons.
This week, I will complete my classroom tasks with 90% accuracy, and manage the time
allocated optimally.
This week, I will complete my homework efficiently and turn it in, at the due date/time.
This week, I will pay more attention to organizing my work and my handwriting, so that the
work I present will be neat and legible, making it easy to read.
I sign this contract freely and in cooperation with my teacher.
If I pay attention during class and participate, complete my class and home tasks and organize
my work and handwriting, I will be allowed to partake in swimming and taekwondo
activities.
If I do not pay attention and do as I have agreed to do in this contract, I will forfeit my
break/recess time to make up, and also not participate in swimming and taekwondo activities.
Added Incentive: If I maintain 90% completion, participation, attention and organization
terms of my contract for 2 days, I will be rewarded with 15 minutes extra time in the
swimming pool on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
_____________________ ______________________
Student’s Signature/Date Teacher’s Signature/Date
In the contract above, I have chosen to use operant condition as described in the video
(MCAT, Khan Academy, 2013). I have created a direct link between behaviour and consequence.
By attaching the reward of partaking in swimming and taekwondo activities for proper behaviour
of completion of tasks, paying attention and participating in in-class activities, I have positively
reinforced the desired behaviour.
In the same vein, I have attached a punishment (Schunk, 2010, p. 94). (Deprivation or
denial of an interest) of not being allowed to take part in swimming and taekwondo activities, if
the above stated desired behaviour is not exhibited. By so doing, I have reinforced the good
behaviour by creating a deterrent for bad behaviour.
In the “Added Incentive” clause of the contract, I have applied scheduled reinforcement.
This is done by breaking down the rewards and punishments in time allotments. Olumide is now
on a 2-day schedule and a 3-day schedule. Because of the differences in the schedule, this will be
a Variable-Interval schedule (Schunk, 2010, pp. 95 - 96). – [VI2 and VI3].
As Olumide’s behaviour improves, the terms of the contract can be adjusted to provide a
reward at a closer time interval of 1 day and then hours; and vice versa for breach of contract.
Resources
Schunk, H.D. (2010). Learning Theories: An Educational Perspective. 6th ed. Pearson: Pearson
Educational, Inc.
Operant conditioning: Positive-and-negative reinforcement and punishment | MCAT | Khan
Academy retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut1zmfolM9E
Operant conditioning: Schedules of reinforcement | Behaviour | MCAT | Khan Academy
retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ofbt16AJgg
