Self-instructional training with preschoolers: an attempt to replicate.

The team tried to repeat an earlier study. They taught Head Start preschoolers to talk themselves through tasks.

Kids learned short self-cue scripts like "I need to sit and listen." Teachers then watched for any drop in disruptive behavior.

Training lasted a few weeks. The goal was calmer classrooms without extra adult prompts.

Self-talk training did not cut disruptive behavior. Teacher ratings stayed flat.

Gains that showed up right after lessons faded fast. The method alone was not enough for these three- to five-year-olds.

Lerman et al. (1995) later got strong results with high-school students who had intellectual disability. They added many practice examples and let peers give the cues. Age, extra examples, and peer delivery may explain the flip from null to positive.

Pear et al. (1984) also saw success in young kids, but they used simple self-recording instead of long self-speech. Hyperactive elementary students marked their own on-task behavior each time the teacher signaled. Short, concrete actions worked; longer self-instruction did not.

Together the three papers hint that preschoolers may need simpler self-management tools than older students.

If you run classroom programs for preschoolers, do not bank on self-instruction scripts alone to curb disruption. Try brief self-recording or peer prompts first. Save longer self-talk packages for upper grades and add lots of examples and practice.