The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between disruptive behavior and academic performance. Using an ABA design the experimenter trained a teacher of a disruptive class to use precision teaching technique to reduce the incidence of out-of-seat and talking-out behaviors. The experiment was conducted during the history period. The effects of the experiment upon academic performance in history were measured by equivalent weekly history tests. Students participated in goal setting and selection of reinforcement. Students reached their behavioral goals during 4 of the 5 weeks of treatment. Percentage of occurrence of target behaviors was reduced by 4:1 for talking-out, and 17:1 for out-of-seat, as recorded by outside observers. The mean percentage of correct responses on weekly history tests increased by 36% under treatment conditions. During the reversal phase a slight increase in target behaviors occurred. Single subject analysis showed that all students improved in performance during the treatment phases. A return to baseline conditions brought an incomplete reversal; 19 decreased slightly in academic performance, 12 continued to improve. Results suggest that the children who will benefit most from such interventions are those who, in a disruptive class, have a low or moderate level of academic performance.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:pacific.edu/oai:scholarlycommons.pacific.edu:uop_etds-2898 |
| Date | 01 January 1976 |
| Creators | Busher, Patricia Erwin |
| Publisher | Scholarly Commons |
| Source Sets | University of the Pacific |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations |
Page generated in 0.0022 seconds