Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-2023

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

School Psychology

Major Professor

Christopher H. Skinner

Committee Members

Marion Coleman-Lopatic, Merilee McCurdy, Robert D. Richardson

Abstract

Researchers have found that Social Skills Training (SST) does not consistently enhance students’ performance of trained skills in authentic social contexts. Recently, researchers have demonstrated that supplementing SST with positive peer reporting (PPR), specifically Tootling, can enhance students’ performance of recently trained skills as they engage in various small group activities. During these studies, the activity that students engaged in while Tootling may have influenced performance of recently trained social skills.

In the current study, SST training was provided and Tootling was applied as elementary students completed math assignments in small-groups. As students worked in these groups, researchers collected data on student performance of the recently trained social skills (i.e., complimenting and encouraging). The primary independent variable was not SST or the Tootling intervention; rather, the purpose was to evaluate the effects of the activity students were engaged in while Tootling. Thus, following SST and while Tootling, students engaged in three different small-group math activities, (a) a control activity where Tootling was not applied, (b) an independent seat-work condition where students answered math problems individually, and (c) a group work condition in which students took turns completing math problems. A no-treatment series alternating treatments design was used to contrast social skill performance across conditions.

Results provided another demonstration of the effectiveness of supplementing SST with Tootling, as both treatment conditions led to consistently higher levels of both targeted skills relative to no treatment. Results also showed differences between the two treatment conditions, with the group condition producing a higher number of intervals scored with both targeted social skills relative to the independent condition. Differences between conditions were clearer for the skill of encouragement, and more nuanced with compliment-giving. Together, these findings suggest that the addition of PPR to SST can increase students’ performance of recently trained skills, and that these increases are significantly impacted by the task structure of the activity that student engage in while Tootling. Discussion focuses on implications of the current study, limitations, and considerations for future researchers.

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