Increasing On-Task Behavior in Students in a Regular Classroom: Effectiveness of a Self-Management Procedure Using a Tactile Prompt

• Published in: Journal of behavioral education Vol. 22; no. 4; pp. 302 - 311
• Main Authors: Moore, Dennis W., Anderson, Angelika, Glassenbury, Michele, Lang, Russell, Didden, Robert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer Science+Business Media 01.12.2013; Springer US; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Academic motivation; Autistic disorder; Behavior disorders; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Classroom management; Classroom observations; Classroom techniques; Classrooms; Educational psychology; Elementary School Students; General Education; Graphs; High school students; Learning and Instruction; Original Paper; Preschool Children; Program Effectiveness; Prompting; Psychology; Questionnaires; Self Management; Self regulation; Self Reward; Skill Development; Special education; Special needs students; Stimuli; Student motivation; Studies; Task Analysis; Teachers; Teenagers; Time on Task; Validity; United States > US; Self-management; Classroom; Self-monitoring; Tactile prompt; Adolescent students; On-task behavior
• ISSN: 1053-0819; 1573-3513
• DOI: 10.1007/s10864-013-9180-6

Self-management strategies have been shown to be widely effective. However, limited classroom-based research exists involving low performing but developmentally normal high school-aged participants. This study examined the effectiveness of a self-management strategy aimed at increasing on-task behavior in general education classrooms with students without a diagnosed disability, behavior disorder, or exceptionality. The self-management package included provision of a tactile prompt, training in self-monitoring and data recording, self-monitoring, and the plotting of the results on a cumulative graph. A multiple baseline design across three participants was used to evaluate the effects of the intervention. An increase in on-task behavior was observed with all participants on implementation of the selfmanagement package, and questionnaire-based social validity findings suggest this was an acceptable and effective procedure for the classroom context. Limitations, implications, and future directions of these findings are discussed.