Abstract
M.Ed. (Education Management)
A notable feature of the school principal as managerial leader's
task is its comprehensive and complex nature. Behavior
modification is a managerial skill, that should make the
principal more effective in interpersonal relations and communication
in the school as organisation.
In this short dissertation the focus is on behavior modification
as managerial task of the principal.
Behavior modification has as its goals the explanation,
prediction and control of. behavior. Behavior modification as
described in this short dissertation relies extensively on the
psychology of learning, including classical conditioning,
operant conditioning and modelling.
On managerial level classical conditioning has little or no
application, consequently it will not receive much attention in
this study.
The use of operant conditioning is, however, discussed in detail
emphasising the use of the positive aspects of operant conditioning.
The principles of operant conditioning describe the
relationship between behavior, and various environmental events
(antecedents and consequences) that influence behavior.
Although both antecedents and consequences can alter behavior,
most applications of operant conditioning principles emphasize
the consequences that follow behavior.
In this short dissertation operant conditioning is divided into
two sets of techniques to be used on managerial level:
Techniques to alter unacceptable behavior and techniques or
procedures for teaching acceptable behavior.
Techniques to alter unacceptable behavior - punishment,
extinction, saturation and counter conditioning - can all be
used by the principal as managerial leader.