Can students run their own interventions?: A self‐administered math fluency intervention

Abstract

AbstractManipulating the ratio of known to unknown items has been shown to improve student on‐task behavior and increase the desirability of schoolwork. Although many intervention protocols manipulate ratios of known to unknown items, these frequently require extensive adult cuing. School psychologists recommending such interventions may face resistance from teachers who find the work to be too time intensive. Self‐administered interventions whereby the students act as primary interventionists may alleviate this concern. A modified multiple baseline design across a group of 11 students identified by their teachers as having difficulty mastering multiplication facts was used to evaluate a self‐administered folding‐in technique. As hypothesized, for the overall sample, stronger effects were observed on math curriculum‐based measures (CBM) than on a control reading task (Maze CBM). Individually, 7 of the 11 students demonstrated higher levels of growth during the intervention phase than during the baseline phase. No student demonstrated higher Maze CBM growth rates during the intervention phase relative to the baseline phase. In contrast, of the 4 students for whom a link between the intervention and the baseline could not be established, 3 demonstrated higher levels of performance on math CBMs following the intervention phase. Results are discussed in light of a response‐to‐intervention model. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.