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| Behavioral Strategies to Help Students Stay Engaged and On Task |
| Monday, May 31, 2004 |
| 3:00 PM–4:20 PM |
| Berkeley |
| Area: EDC |
| Chair: Gary L. Cates (Eastern Illinois University) |
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| Effects of Interspersal Rates on Student Preference of Academic Assignments |
| Domain: Applied Research |
| GARY L. CATES (Eastern Illinois University), Abby E. Dalenberg (Eastern Illinois University) |
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| Abstract: Investigates the effects of interspersing briefer/easier mathematics problems among longer/harder mathematics problems. Specifically, students were exposed to multiple assignment pairs: Control (2 assignments without interspersing), FR1 (control and interspersing assignment with interspersing after each target problem), FR3, and FR5. Although there appeared no difference in accuracy, student problem completion rates were affected by the rate of interspersing. In addition, student preferences for assignments to be taken home as homework were also affected by interspersal rates. Discussion focuses on implications for education, previous research on interspersing, and directions for future research. |
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| A Comparison of the Use of Function-based Behavioral Interventions and Non Function-based Behavioral Interventions for Classroom Management in Public Schools |
| Domain: Applied Research |
| MICHELLE LAROCQUE (Florida Atlantic University), Rangasamy Ramasamy (Florida Atlantic University), Charles Dukes (Florida Atlantic University) |
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| Abstract: Little is known is about the use of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) in general inclusive classrooms (i.e., a combination of students with and without disabilities). The FBA process is often shunned by classroom teachers as impractical for their use to change problem behavior. Many researchers have questioned the capacity of classroom teachers to learn and effectively utilize the FBA process to change problem behavior. A FBA tool was created for this study, based on the five major outcomes of the FBA process, to help bridge the gap between the FBA technology and the use of this technology in inclusive clasrooms. Using an alternating treatments design, three middle grade teachers in inclusive classrooms particpated in two seperate conditions. In condition one, teachers were asked to use the FBA tool before developing an intervention to change problem behavior. In condition two, teachers did not use the FBA tool and simply developed a non-function based intervention. The premlimainary results of this study indicate that teachers were able to use the tool successfully to develop a function-based intervention bringing about a marked change in problem behavior. In contrast, when tecahers did not use the FBA tool and developed non function-based interventions, data did not indicate a marked change in problem behavior. The preliminary results of this study give support to the use of a function-based process to help develop behavioral interventions. In addition, teachers who use the essential features of the FBA technology may have success in bringing about positive pro-social change in behavior. |
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| The Reduction of Escape-Maintained Behaviors through Instructional Adaptation in a Regular Classroom |
| Domain: Applied Research |
| DENNIS W. MOORE (University of Auckland), Angelika Anderson (University of Auckland), Koshila Kumar (Auckland University of Technology) |
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| Abstract: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of an instructional adaptation (reduction of task duration) on inappropriate behavior. The intervention was derived from the results of a functional behavioral assessment which indicated that the disruptive behavior was escape-maintained and a curriculum based assessment which showed appropriate curriculum / performance match. An alternating treatments design was used to assess the impact of the intervention. Results revealed that the reduction of task duration was successful in decreasing the level of escape maintained off task behavior during independent work in mathematics. Implications of these findings are discussed in the context of the role of establishing operations in functional assessment in applied settings.
This study reports data of a functional assessment and a curriculum-based assessment data as well as data of direct observations of the subject’s escape and attention-maintained off-task behaviour within an alternating treatments design (base-line, intervention and treatment-only phases). These data show hat the intervention successfully targeted that portion of the off-task behaviour which was escape maintained. Inter-observer data was obtained for all phases of the intervention study, and approximately 20 %c of the observation sessions. The mean inert-observer reliability was 81.2% (range 77.2 - 84.6%). |
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