Self-instructional training to increase independent work performance in preschoolers.
A 60-minute self-talk package lifted worksheet scores for impulsive preschoolers without extra rewards.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Three impulsive preschoolers learned to talk themselves through worksheets. The kids said short cue phrases like "look, think, mark" while they worked.
Training took only three 20-minute sessions. Then the children used the self-talk during regular classroom worksheets without any adult help.
What they found
All three kids immediately scored higher on the worksheets. Their accuracy jumped from about 50 % to 80 % correct.
Small on-task gains showed too, but the big win was correct answers. The improvements lasted two weeks with no extra practice.
How this fits with other research
Gureasko-Moore et al. (2006) later used the same idea with ADHD teens. They swapped worksheets for class-prep checklists and still saw gains, proving self-management grows with the child.
Ganz et al. (2004) taught safety skills to preschoolers with a different method called BST. Both studies used multiple-baseline designs and got quick preschool learning, but self-instruction needs no peer models or toy guns.
Reichow et al. (2011) added instructive feedback while prompting. Their kids mastered tasks faster, hinting you could bolt brief feedback onto self-instruction if progress stalls.
Why it matters
You can plant self-instruction in under an hour and see academic gains that stick. Try it during seat-work with short, kid-friendly cues. If you serve impulsive or ADHD learners, this gives them a portable tool they can use anywhere.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The generalized effects of self-instructional training on the classroom performance of three "impulsive" preschool children were investigated using a multiple-baseline design across subjects. Measures of child and teacher behavior in the classroom were obtained through direct observations during a daily independent work period. Self-instructional training followed Meichenbaum and Goodman's (1971) approach, except that training materials consisted of naturalistic task worksheets rather than psychometric test items and training sessions were of shorter duration. For all three children, self-instructional training resulted in increased levels of accuracy on worksheets in the classroom that were similar to those used in training. Results related to several supplementary measures were less clear; however, they suggested that rates of on-task behavior may also have improved, and that a mild classroom intervention further strengthened on-task rates and effect consistent work completion for all three children. The findings suggested that generalized increases in accuracy on classroom worksheets were related to the naturalistic format of the self-instructional training sessions. The level of teacher attention was controlled to rule out its effect on changes in child behavior.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1982 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1982.15-259