After ethics clearance and initial discussions held with the school principal, executive and the research team, it was agreed that the focus for the present study would be the eight HOM described in Figure 1. These eight HOM were directly linked to the school work on curriculum reform and
existing student behavioural needs previously identified by staff in the school. These HOM
were targeted by teachers, students and parents in all classes from Years 2–6 as an inclusive
approach for all children to develop a disposition to us intelligent behaviours when faced with a problem. The purpose of this small-scale preliminary study was to ascertain whether the school-wide HOM approach would have an impact on children who display challenging behaviours and whether further larger-scale research was warranted. Specifically, the research team sought to address the following research question: What impact does the teaching of Costa and Kallick’s HOM have on children who display challenging behaviours in their early school years?