Degree Name

Master of Science in Education (MSEd)

Semester of Degree Completion

1984

Thesis Director

Andrew R. Brulle

Abstract

The study investigated the effects of self-monitoring on the disruptive behaviors of four male senior high school students who were identified as having severe behavior disorders. Using a multiple baseline across subjects design, the students were randomly assigned to 30, 25, 20, and 15 days, respectively, of intervention conditions. The independent variable consisted of self-monitoring of ten appropriate behaviors that had been cooperatively identified by the students and teacher; each student was required to classify his behavior as appropriate or inappropriate at five intervals during their mathematics class. The dependent variables, measured daily, were the mean frequency of occurrence of appropriate behaviors and the percentage scores on mathematics assignments. Inter-rater reliability checks indicated high reliabilities for both dependent variables. The agreement for each subject was 98%, 96%, 97%, and 93%, respectively. The results showed an increase in the mean number of appropriate behaviors during intervention conditions and a slight decrease during the maintenance phase. The mathematics scores, while variable during intervention, showed a high net increase between baseline and maintenance phase. The author concluded that, for high school students identified as having behavior problems, self- monitoring may have a positived effect on both disruptive behavior and academic achievement.

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