Research Question
The article sought to identify if contingent tutor attention could modify the study patterns and behavioral problems amongst children in preschool. The research strives to add information concerning the social reinforcements of teachers in regular classrooms particularly those in poverty stricken regions (Hall, Lund, and Jackson, 1968).
Method
Experimental Design
The assessments were single subject designs owing to the fact that they each focused on one student who had dawdling or disruptive behavior. The observers conducted single experiments for every child to develop comparisons of intervention and control conditions. The authors utilized an alternating treatments form of single design to compare the experimental and baseline conditions of each student (National Autism Center, 2015). The children would be observed for certain intervals to identify any change in study behavior during the class sessions (Hall, Lund, and Jackson, 1968).
Dependent Variable
The article measured the undesirable isolated play rates, study activities, crawling, crying, and other problematic behaviors by manipulating the attention of the teachers. The observers wrote down their precise and clearly defined findings from the direct behavioral assessments in record sheets line with several squares that represented the 10-second intervals used to assess the students’ study behavior. The authors scheduled observations for thirty minutes while the children sat on the chairs. The study behaviors were periodically reinforced to ensure that the data obtained in the checklists was reliable and to determine new research levels (Hall, Lund, and Jackson, 1968).
Independent Variable
The teachers’ reinforcements or attention was the independent variable in the study that affected the study behaviors of the student. The teacher’s attention was measured in terms of percentage based on the amount of time the educator focused on the child. The observations provided an accuracy of between 89 and 93 percent (Hall, Lund, and Jackson, 1968).
Identification of Research Participants
The article assessed the individual study rates of first-grade and third-grade learners with high rates of dawdling and disruptive behavior. The clear description of the children assisted in developing the hypothesis of the research which was to identify whether positive reinforcement or teacher’s attention would improve the study behavior of the troubled children. Each pupil was selected due to a decline in academic performance. The teachers chose the students suitable for the study based on their observations. For instance, Ken liked wiggling and jiggling his chairs and playing with toys during class time while Rose’s performance had been declining over time. Therefore, the experiments attempted to bring about change in the learners’ study behaviors (Hall, Lund, and Jackson, 1968).
Research Procedures
The selected pupils underwent thirty-minute classroom observations two to four times each week. The independent variable, the teacher’s attention, would be incorporated and removed during the baseline periods to identify changes in the study behaviors of the learners. Post-check assessments of the students’ study behaviors were conducted in the fourth, fourteenth, sixth, seventh, and twelfth weeks after reinforcements (Hall, Lund, and Jackson, 1968).
Results
Through the use of figures, the authors were able to document the changes in study behaviors after every ten seconds when the reinforcement was provided or removed. The figures indicate a rise in performance during reinforcements and a decline when the attention was reversed. The results of the post-checks are also provided to indicate long-run changes in study behaviors of the learners (Hall, Lund, and Jackson, 1968).
Generalization
The systematic reinforcements of the study behaviors amongst the disruptive children prove that with adequate teacher attention for a period of time, it is possible to change the study behaviors of the learners. Since the study took place for several weeks, the authors could generalize their results for all the learners who have dawdling and disruptive behaviors (Hall, Lund, and Jackson, 1968). Increased teacher’s attention whether verbally or nonverbally can have a positive impact on the study behaviors of pupils.
Conclusion
According to Hall, Lund, and Jackson (1968), the positive reinforcements allowed the teachers to create individual tasks that suited each child. Hence, it allowed the learners to enhance their personal academic achievements. The same concept can be applied in a classroom setting to reinforce the study behaviors of students.
References
Hall V., Lund D., and Jackson D. (1968). Effects of Teacher Attention on Study Behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Number 1.
National Autism Center. (2015). Findings and Conclusions: National Standards Project, Phase 2. Massachusetts: National Autism Center.
