Area the study is related to
The article is an illustrative case study that depicts a behavioral consultation with a public school teacher to improve the ways she instructs her students.
Dependent Variable
The parameter to measure in the given case is the frequency of various teaching activities in the classroom. Specifically, those are instruction, proactive monitoring, positive reinforcement, and behavior correction. Student on-task and off-task were measured as well, apparently, to assess the overall productivity of the teacher.
Subjects
The teacher under review is that of science; she works with grades 6-8 at a public middle school in an urban community. On average, her classes involve 25 people.
Data Collection Procedure
The data on the behavior of both the teacher and her students were collected with the help of the Classroom Observation System. It enabled grouping the behavioral patterns by the above criteria. Observing the students who participated in both individual tasks and teamwork occurred in random order but systematically. The overall duration was about 20 minutes.
Reliability
The measurement system the study utilizes does not involve any interobserver agreement, which actually is one of the limitations. However, the consultant achieved acceptable agreement, which means not less that 80%, during her training on using the instrument.
Independent variable
The behavior change techniques that the response to the third question mentions actually are the independent variables, while the frequency of their use are the dependent.
The use of the strategy
The strategy involved monitoring the students’ performance as the result of the teacher’s ability to organize it.
Principle(s) the technique is related to
The technique involves positive reinforcement as one of the independent variables and measures the frequency with which the teacher appeals to it as one of the dependent.
Results
The outcomes show that the time students spend on-task and off-task is equal. Regarding teaching principles, positive reinforcement in practically absent from the classroom, while the most typical activities of the teacher are proactive monitoring and behavior correction.
The application of the procedure in a real or hypothetical situation
The procedure is quite helpful in measuring the effectiveness of classroom activities, for instance, in case where a teacher cannot identify the reason why the academic performance of his or her student is poor. Through such observation, it becomes apparent how dedicated they are and what motivates or demotivates them.
Reference
Mautone, J. A., Luiselli, J. K., & Handler, M. W. (2006). Improving implementation of classroom instruction through teacher-directed behavioral consultation: A single-case demonstration. International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 2(3), 432-438.