The use of a learning station to increase self-control for homework completion.

Abstract

The use of a Learning Station to improve student's self-control in order to complete homework is described. The Learning Station contains components to alleviate boredom and foster self-focus leading to increased self-control. Students are stimulated through color, music, and movement and a mirror is used to increase self-focus. The Use of a Learning Station to Increase Self-Control for Homework Completion The recent reform movement in education has seemed to trigger an increased use of homework (Bryan, Nelson, & Mathur, 1995; Cooper & Nye, 1994). There are, however, a large number of children who fail to complete their homework and many others who complete homework with low rates of accuracy. From the students' perspective specific assignments go unfinished, because homework is either too difficult or too boring (Bryan, Nelson, & Mathur, 1995). >From the teacher's perspective students do not have the self-control needed to complete an assignment (Etzioni, 1984). Self-Control Skinner (1953) characterizes self-control as a two-response phenomenon--the response to be controlled and the response(s) emitted to control the rate of the target behavior. A person must control his or her own actions in order to produce the desired result. This takes different amounts of effort for different tasks. Self-control is considered to be a degree and not just an all-or-none phenomenon (Kazdin, 2001). Self-control techniques extend beyond behavior modification procedures to events that are not observable or not always readily observed. This elicits another group of problems (thoughts, images, fantasies, hallucinations, and dreams) that are not publicly observable (Kazdin, 2001). Self-control requires an individual to focus his or her attention to aspects of the self. Carver and Scheier (1981) reported the extent that attention is directed outward to the environment, self-focus is decreased. These researchers have theorized and reviewed evidence indicating that self-control requires an individual to focus his or her attention to aspects of the self (e.g., thoughts, feelings, physiological states, attitudes, values, previously learned strategies, and behavior). With decreased self-focus self-control becomes unachievable. They found that a mirror would direct a person's attention away from external stimuli allowing someone to better control their responses. Boredom Boredom is the other contributory factor, especially for older children in middle and high school. For example, significantly more 7th-9th graders (44%) reported boredom during homework than 5th-6th graders (35%) (Bryan & Nelson, 1994). If students perceive their homework will be boring they will complain and find other more interesting things to do (Bryan & Nelson, 1994). To address problems of boredom, students must have the self-control skills necessary to organize and sustain attention to their independent assignments. One way to get students to increase their self-control in order to begin and complete their homework is to make it more stimulating to decrease the boredom. The optimal stimulation theory states all living organisms have a physiological need for stimulation (Berlyne, 1960), which they can achieve through changing their activity level. Children are more likely to seek additional stimulation by talking, moving, touching things, and looking around at changes in their environments. The Learning Station The Learning Station (Hall & Zentall, 2000) is a freestanding three-sided panel. Each panel measures 40 cm. square and was covered with emerald green contact paper. The left panel contains a turquoise pocket that contains log sheets and a purple pocket that holds activity choice cards. There is a square mirror on the middle panel held. The right panel contains a yellow pocket for completed log sheets, a royal blue pocket for pencils, and a red pocket that stores an audiotape. …