Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education

Abstract

As accountability of teachers has been pushed to the forefront, it has been speculated that tolerance for students with behavior problems will dissipate (Menzies & Lane, 2011). Strategies that are efficient and effective are needed to help monitor behavior change and to help students learn to regulate their behavior. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common disorder of self-regulation (Barkley, 1997). An estimated three million children in the United States take medications for attention and behavior problems associated with deficits in self-regulation (Olfson, Marcus, Weissman, & Jensen, 2002). Self-regulation interventions have been proposed as methods that are effective in increasing students attention and productivity. This study examined the effects of a student-directed self-regulation intervention on the classroom behavior of students with ADHD in the general Education setting. The purpose of this study was twofold. First, the study investigated the utility of Direct Behavior Rating-Single Item Scale (DBR-SIS) as a self-regulation intervention in elementary and middle school students with ADHD. Second, teacher perceptions about the acceptability of DBR-SIS as an intervention for self-regulation were explored. To determine the effects of the DBR-SIS self and DBR-SIS feedback interventions on students development of self-regulation and students academic and behavior performance, a series of sixteen 2 x 2 split plot Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) models were used. The between-subjects independent variable was study condition with two levels, DBR-SIS self and the DBR-SIS feedback. The repeated measure independent variable was time of testing with two levels, pre-test and post-test. The CAt-C scales Attention (ATT). Impulsivity (IMP), Hyperactivity (HYP), Internalizing (INT), Externalizing (EXT), Personal (PER), Academic (A/O), and Social (SOC) served as the dependent variables. ANOVA results indicated no significant interaction for condition and time of testing (pre-post/post-test), no change from pre-test to post-test, and no difference between pre-test and post-test ratings for both student and teacher DBR-SIS self and feedback interventions conditions on ATT, HYP, INT, EXT, PER, A/O, and SOC. There was a significant interaction between the DBR-SIS self and DBR-SIS feedback student conditions on CAt-C ratings of Impulsivity, V = 0.24, F (1, 17) = 5.44, p = .032. To determine the significance of the interaction, a Repeated Measures t -test was conducted. Results of the t-test indicated that although the DBR-SIS self and DBR-SIS feedback student conditions did not differ at pre-test, they did differ at post-test with the student DBR-SIS self condition reporting higher levels of impulsivity t (9) = 2.81, p = .020 than the student DBR-SIS feedback condition t (8) = 1.10, p = .319. Pearson correlations did not indicate significant relationships between post-test scores in self-regulation skills as measured by the CAt-C scales of Inattention, Impulsivity, and Hyperactivity and the change from baseline to post-test on the three DBR-SIS behaviors (academically engaged, respectful, and disruptive) for student and teacher DBR-SIS intervention conditions. Independent samples t -test indicated teachers in the DBR-SIS self-intervention condition and teachers in the DBR-SIS feedback-intervention condition both perceived DBR-SIS as an acceptable intervention, with teachers in the feedback condition indicating a higher level of intervention acceptability. Levels of intervention acceptability were not significantly different from teachers in the DBR-SIS self-intervention condition and teachers in the DBR-SIS feedback-intervention condition.

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