Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2023, Educational Studies

Students that experience low vision may require vision correction to fully participate in the classroom. However, some students with visual impairments (VI) who have an additional diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may require support to wear glasses. This study examined the effects of positive reinforcement procedures to increase the duration that a kindergarten student with ASD in addition to VI (ASDVI) wears their glasses. Positive reinforcement consisted of verbal praise and access to preferred items. The intervention was implemented in two different settings including the special education classroom, and the all-inclusive general education classroom. Findings from this study demonstrated that positive reinforcement is a promising means to increase glasses wearing for young students with ASDVI. Given previous research has resorted to using punishment-based procedures to promote glasses wearing, this study provides promising initial evidence that positive reinforcement procedures can be an effective and more socially acceptable alternative.

Committee: Tiffany Wild (Committee Member); Matthew Brock (Advisor) Subjects: Special Education

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2023, Educational Studies

Abstract Students with Visual Impairment (VI) may require vision correction to fully participate in their academic experience. However, students with VI on the autism spectrum may be resistant to wearing glasses. In this single-case design study, a changing criterion design was used to test the effects of positive reinforcement on the duration that an elementary student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) wore their glasses. Positive reinforcement consisted of engaging in preferred activities while wearing glasses and access to preferred tangibles after successfully wearing glasses for predetermined length of time. The criterion gradually increased as the participant was able to meet mastery criteria for each intervention phase. Findings demonstrated a functional relation between positive reinforcement and increased duration of glasses wearing. Given previous research has resorted to using punishment-based procedures to increase glasses tolerance, this study provides promising initial evidence that positive reinforcement procedures can be an effective and more socially acceptable alternative.

Committee: Matthew Brock (Advisor); Tiffany Wild (Committee Member) Subjects: Special Education

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2022, Educational Studies

Some young students with intellectual disability (ID) require vision correction to fully participate in the classroom but are resistant to wearing glasses. This study examined the effects of positive reinforcement to increase the duration that a preschool student with ID wears their glasses during classroom activities. Positive reinforcement consisted of attention, verbal praise and a sticker chart. A multiple baseline design across settings was used to evaluate the effect of positive reinforcement on wearing glasses. The intervention was implemented in three different settings including free play, motor time, and centers during the student's school day. Findings demonstrated a functional relation between the intervention and increased duration of glasses wearing across all three settings. Given that some previous research has resorted to punishment procedures to promote glasses wearing, this study provides promising initial evidence that positive reinforcement procedures can be an effective and more socially acceptable alternative.

Committee: Matthew Brock (Advisor) Subjects: Behaviorial Sciences

Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis, Youngstown State University, 2016, Department of Psychological Sciences and Counseling

It is a fundamental principle in Applied Behavioral Analysis that all people have the right to receive the most effective treatment in the least restrictive environment. Aggression and property destruction serve as barriers to further independence and social acceptability for the children in this intervention. This study examined the effectiveness of consistent and contingent positive reinforcement for academic and appropriate behavior at reducing property destruction and aggression in two participants identified with ASD. The results of this intervention will be informative to future researchers, teachers, and service providers when determining the most effective and non-aversive method of treating problem behaviors in all clients. For one child, copious amounts of positive reinforcement (in the form of teacher praise and edible reinforcers) contingent on appropriate behavior, greatly reduced aggression and property destruction during work time. Having the other child earn tokens on a fixed duration schedule and exchange his tokens for bonus time significantly reduced aggression and property destruction throughout the school day.

Committee: Stephen Flora PhD (Advisor); Jeffrey Coldren PhD (Committee Member); Sharon Stringer PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Psychology

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2011, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: School Psychology

Organization in the classroom has been shown to be a contributing factor to school success and a variable noticeably deficient in children with ADHD and other disabilities. However, organization skills are often overlooked and not taught to children in primary and secondary schools. This study investigates the effectiveness of two class-wide interventions for students' desk organization, comparing teacher instruction on desk organization and positive reinforcement with a social script protocol and positive reinforcement with first- and second-grade classrooms in a primary school in a Midwestern city of the United States. Using a combined multiple baseline with a within series component design, baseline levels of desk organization and work completion were compared to intervention levels of performance in three classrooms, as well as for six students identified by their teachers as most in need of an intervention for organization. Results indicate positive changes in student performance for both interventions, with greater improvement as intervention intensity increased to the second intervention package. Social validity, implications, and future areas of research are discussed.

Committee: Renee Oliver Hawkins (Committee Chair); Connie Schnoes Phd (Committee Member); David Barnett (Committee Member); Stephen Kroeger (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2010, EDU Physical Activity and Educational Services

The participants in this thesis were three males in their early to mid–twenties, diagnosed with mental retardation. All three individuals were deemed to be obese or overweight and had significant behavior concerns. The study consisted of three different phases: a baseline phase, a self-monitoring phase, and a self-monitoring plus positive reinforcement phase. During baseline, the participants took digital photographs of a pedometer worn throughout the day and of every food and beverage consumed throughout the day. After the baseline phase, participants received training on diet and exercise. During the self-monitoring phase, the participants continued to take the digital photographs of the pedometer reading at the end of the day and food and beverages consumed, and also completed simple data sheets to record their diet and exercise choices throughout the day. The self-monitoring plus positive reinforcement phase was identical to the self-monitoring phase, except that participants earned positive reinforcement (i.e., an outing of the participant's choice or a gift card to a preferred store) for meeting prescribed diet and exercise goals. All three participants improved their dietary habits slightly during the self-monitoring phase. However, the self-monitoring plus reinforcement phase yielded a significant improvement in dietary habits in all three participants.

Committee: Helen Malone PhD (Advisor); Sheila Morgan PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Psychology

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2013, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: School Psychology

Mathematics skill acquisition is a crucial component of education and ongoing research is needed to determine quality instructional techniques. A ubiquitous instructional question is how to manage time. This study investigated several flashcard presentation methods to determine the one that would provide the most learning in a set amount of time. A multi-element design was planned for a study comparing the effects of the interspersal (IS) and traditional drill (TD) flashcard methods with and without additional contingent reinforcement on learning rate and accuracy of unknown math facts. Participants included 5 third-grade students selected based on teacher concern with their math fact knowledge. While the areas of IS and positive reinforcement are well researched, less research exists for combining and comparing the two variables for math skill acquisition. The reinforcement conditions (TD+R and IS+R) consisted of access to a prize box based on improvement of learning rate. The TD and TD+R conditions were comprised of the presentation of seven unknown facts per trial, while the IS and IS+R conditions were comprised of the addition of known facts folded in after the presentation of two unknown facts for a total of seven facts per trial (i.e., K, U, U, K, U, U, K). A consistent amount of total facts was used to control for instructional time to determine the technique that would yield the best results in that time frame. Accuracy and learning rate data were visually analyzed by looking at trend and level of data across the four conditions. The traditional drill + reinforcement (TD+R) condition led to the highest accuracy and learning rate levels for 4 out of 5 students. Practical implications, limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Committee: David Barnett Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Renee Oliver Hawkins Ph.D. (Committee Member); Todd Haydon Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education