Spaulding's (2003) research highlights teacher responses to student behaviours and the perspectives of both teacher and student on these responses. Discuss what a teacher-centered vs. A student-centered approach or a boss management vs. A lead management approach to behaviours would look like and how each perspective reflects the imbalance of power.

A teacher-centered approach to behavior modification involves the viewpoint of the teacher primarily. This can be both good and bad for the student, depending on the specific situation. However, the teacher's viewpoint comes from a place of academic and social success and modification with an adult-centric or outside perspective. This perspective may help in identifying the precise pathways a student must take in order to modify a behavior to the teacher's standards, but the student themselves may have trouble understanding why the behavior needs to be modified and the modifications themselves since they come from outside of the student's own social land academic perspectives. The same goes for the boss-management perspectives. The goals being strived for matter most to the teacher or the boss, and the general disconnect between the student or the employee that occurs with this type of approach often leads to confusion of expectations or behaviors.

When a student is able to define their own behavior modification system, the teacher can be sure that the system will be developed according to the student's personal social and academic context. Similar goals may be reached as with the teacher-defined approach, but the student will be more apt to strive for success since the modification that is to occur will seem more genuine and familiar to the student. It is important to understand as well that students need to feel as though they have control of their own destiny and behavior modification. While teachers and parents can help dictate the goals of the modification, whether social or academic, the student must feel as though they are personally and positively invested before any real modification can take place. The same goes for boss-management perspectives vs. employee managed perspectives. When the person being modified feels as though they are invested in the system and the process of modification, they are more likely to strive to do their very best work.