Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-2002

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Education

Major Professor

Christopher H. Skinner

Abstract

Students with emotional and behavioral disabilities often exhibit inappropriate behaviors, and many also experience problems related to academic skill development and achievement. Academic skill deficits and inappropriate behaviors may be related. Students who experience academic difficulties may be more likely than their peers to engage in inappropriate behaviors to escape or avoid academic demands. Furthermore, students who engage in inappropriate behaviors are choosing not to engage in academic activities, which may serve to create or exacerbate academic achievement or skill deficits. The current study attempts to extend research suggesting that interspersing relatively brief items throughout an assignment, therefore increasing item completion rate, may increase the probability of students choosing to work on that assigmnent without compromising the accuracy and educational significance of the assigmnent. Thirty-two students identified as having emotional disturbance were each exposed to two grammar assignments. A control assignment contained a number of paragraphs that students were required to copy and punctuate. An experimental assignment was designed to be equivalent, but also contained additional, brief paragraphs interspersed throughout the assigmnent. Students worked on each assignment for 15 minutes and then ranked the assignments with regard to time, effort, and difficulty. Additionally, students were asked to choose either a control or interspersal assignment to complete for homework.

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