Effects of an online group‐based intervention on effort tolerance in general education
An online token board that slowly asks for more work boosts persistence only in average and struggling second graders, not in high achievers.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Kim et al. (2024) ran an online class-wide program for second graders.
Kids earned tokens for solving math problems. The number of problems needed for each token slowly went up.
Students could also pick the type of problems they worked on.
What they found
Average and below-grade-level students kept working even as the work got harder.
Above-grade-level students did not. They quit sooner when the load increased.
The mix of rising demand plus choice helped only the kids who usually struggle.
How this fits with other research
Eckert et al. (2023) also used tokens in a general-ed classroom. They saw gains for everyone by adding surprise bonus tokens. The difference: they kept the task size the same while Kim’s team raised it.
Diaz de Villegas et al. (2024) showed that giving reinforcement right away beats saving it for later. Kim’s online tokens arrived right after each chunk, matching that timing.
McHugh et al. (2025) tested the same immediate schedule with adults with IDD. Like Kim, they got mixed results: some clients improved, some needed tweaks. The pattern hints that progressive ratios can be too steep for already-skilled or resistant learners.
Why it matters
If you run group lessons online, start with short token ratios and raise them only for students who show low effort. High flyers may need a different challenge, not more work for the same prize. Try giving them novel problem types instead of thicker stacks.
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Join Free →Track each child’s break-off point during online seatwork, then set the next token requirement just one step above that number for weaker students while holding it steady for advanced peers.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
AbstractEffort tolerance refers to a repertoire of selecting a larger reinforcer requiring a higher‐effort response over a smaller reinforcer requiring a lower‐effort response. The current study investigated the effects of an online group‐based effort‐tolerance training on students' effort tolerance. The study adds to the literature because no studies have investigated the effects of a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement as an intervention that targets effort tolerance for a whole class in an online platform and in general education settings. During the intervention, researchers gradually increased the response requirements (i.e., number of math problems) to access a larger reinforcer and incorporated choice‐making opportunities to promote second‐grade students' selection of a higher‐effort/larger‐reinforcer response. The findings yielded mixed results – the intervention was relatively effective at increasing effort tolerance for students performing on and below grade level for math, but the same effects were not shown in students performing above grade level. Future applications in education and research are discussed.
Behavioral Interventions, 2024 · doi:10.1002/bin.2053