Video monitoring devices on school buses: are they effective in reducing behavioral problems?

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of video monitoring devices (VMDs) in reducing incidents of student misbehavior on middle school buses. It was hypothesized that the presence of VMDs would decrease the frequency of behavioral problems encountered by school bus drivers, decrease the number of discipline referrals issued by the drivers, and improve the drivers’ perception of student behavior.

The study utilized an experimental design with random assignment of drivers to treatment and control groups. These groups were formed from a population of 282 drivers who serve ten middle schools for Virginia Beach City Public Schools. In the summer of 1993, through a randomization procedure, VMDs were installed on 100 school buses to form the treatment group. The remaining 182 school buses did not receive installation and were designated as the control group.

All drivers maintained a daily log of the number of discipline problems encountered on their routes for three 15-day intervals. Statistical analysis revealed a significantly lower number of problems in the treatment group. Secondary analysis indicated that the use of VMDs was ineffective on morning routes but effective on afternoon routes. Also, there was a significantly lower number of discipline problems in the treatment group regardless of the day of the week.

As the drivers established rapport and control, both groups experienced a decline in the number of discipline problems throughout the experiment. The treatment group, however, recorded a significantly lower number of problems during each of the three 15-day intervals. This indicates that the students did not become desensitized to the presence of the VMD’s over the five-month experiment.

At the conclusion of the study, drivers in the treatment group rated the behavior of their students more highly than the rating of students by drivers in the control group. A tally of the number of discipline referrals issued by the drivers revealed that the members of the treatment group experienced fewer severe disciplinary problems.

Finally, multiple regression indicated that of all independent variables, group membership is the best predictor of a number of behavioral problems, discipline referrals issued, and driver perception of student behavior.