Using self-monitoring with an adolescent with disruptive classroom behavior: preliminary analysis of the role of adult feedback.
Self-monitoring only cuts classroom disruption when you pair it with adult feedback or another immediate consequence.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Burack et al. (2004) worked with one teen in a special-ed class who kept disrupting lessons. They tested two setups: first the student simply marked his own behavior on a sheet, then the teacher also gave quick feedback after each mark. The team watched talk-outs and seat-leaving across both phases to see which worked better.
What they found
Disruptive acts dropped only when the teacher added brief feedback to the teen's self-monitoring. Self-monitoring by itself did almost nothing. The adult check-in turned the same sheet of paper into a tool that actually helped the student stay on task.
How this fits with other research
Sulu et al. (2023) seems to disagree: three Turkish kids with ADHD improved their on-task behavior through self-monitoring alone, no adult feedback needed. The difference is setting and age. Sulu's kids were younger, in inclusive rooms, and the teacher still walked around; that natural attention may have acted like feedback.
Rosenbloom et al. (2019) also shows gains without extra feedback, but they used a smartphone app that pinged the teen each time a self-mark was made. The built-in chime replaced the adult comment, giving the same prompt electronically.
Leif et al. (2026) backs the target paper's core point. In their component test, self-monitoring alone failed; engagement rose only after they added differential reinforcement. Adult feedback and reinforcement both supply a consequence that self-recording alone lacks.
Why it matters
Don't hand over a self-monitoring sheet and walk away. Check the data quickly, give a brief praise or correction, and you should see problem behavior fall. If you use an app, make sure it gives some form of immediate signal or reward. Without that extra consequence, the pencil-and-paper version is just busywork.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Current research supports the effectiveness of self-monitoring strategies for addressing academic and behavioral challenges within educational settings. Although variations in procedures exist, frequently implementation of self-monitoring involves some form of adult feedback as a method of establishing accurate self-monitoring. To date, however, researchers have not systematically evaluated whether adult feedback is a necessary component for self-monitoring to be effective. In the current investigation, the influence of adult feedback on the effectiveness of self-monitoring was analyzed. The participant was a 13-year-old student receiving educational services in a special education school at a residential facility for youth with conduct problems. The effectiveness of self-monitoring with and without adult feedback was compared. Results suggest that adult feedback may be an important component for establishing self-monitoring as an effective intervention for behavior problems exhibited in academic settings.
Behavior modification, 2004 · doi:10.1177/0145445503258982