Date of Award:

5-1988

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling

Department name when degree awarded

Special Education

Committee Chair(s)

K. Richard Young

Committee

K. Richard Young

Committee

Rich West

Committee

Marty Agran

Committee

Dan Morgan

Committee

Carl Cheney

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether a self-evaluation procedure paired with a token economy would be effective in reducing the off-task and talk-out behavior of behaviorally disordered and learning disabled high school students in a resource classroom. The study also examined the effects of the self-evaluation procedures when monitored by regular education peers on target students' behavior in their regular education English class. In addition to improving classroom behavior, another purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of the self-evaluation procedures when paired with an academic goal-setting component on academic variables in both the resource and regular education classrooms.

The results revealed that student behavior generally improved after self-evaluation procedures were taught in the resource room and that improved behavior generalized to the regular class once peers implemented the matching component of the self-management procedures. As a group, students' average rate of off-task behavior decreased 17% in the resource room and 35% in the regular class. Averages rates of talk-outs for the group were reduced by 6% in the resource room and 24% in the regular class. Gains in academic performance were observed in both the special and regular classrooms. An increase in the number of assignments completed was observed following the implementation of the self-management procedures across all subjects in the special education class as was an increase in the overall percentage of those assignments that were correct. Similarly, the percent complete on assignments in the regular class increased on the average 20% while the percent correct increased 24% following the implementation of the matching procedures.

Checksum

d08b5907fff3f7bc6102f684d4c65e8f

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