Comparing the effects of antecedent-based interventions on task engagement

Abstract

A small-n, multiple treatment reversal design was utilized across subjects to investigate the effects of teacher greetings upon latency to task engagement and levels of on-task behavior, replicating prior studies conducted by Allday and Pakurar (2007) and Allday, Bush, Ticknor, and Walker (2011), who studied junior high and high school departmentalized classrooms. Four subjects across three self-contained elementary school classrooms were identified as having difficulty both initially engaging and sustaining engagement with task demands upon re-entry to the classroom from extra-curricular classes. Researchers measured subject latency from teacher greeting until the subject's displayed five seconds of consecutive task engagement, then levels of on-task behavior were observed for a subsequent ten minute duration. Results diverged from the original studies, with teacher greetings reducing latency to task engagement and increasing levels of on-task behavior for one subject.