T. F. McLaughlin

Cover, Copy, and Compare: A Self-Managed Academic Intervention Effective Across Skills, Students, and Settings

Cover, Copy, and Compare (CCC) is a simple, efficient, self-managed academic intervention that can be used to improve accuracy, fluency, and maintenance across students, curricula objectives, academic skill domains, and settings. In its simplest form CCC requires students to look at an academic stimulus (e.g., for spelling the stimulus would be a written a word) cover the stimulus, respond by copying the stimulus (e.g., writing the word), and evaluate the responses by comparing it to the original stimulus. The CCC procedure and research that supports the generalizability and ecological validity of this procedure is described and analyzed. Following this analysis, recommendations for implementing Cover, Copy, and Compare in educational settings are provided.

The Effects of Wilderness Camping and Hiking on the Self-Concept and the Environmental Attitudes and Knowledge of Twelfth Graders

ABSTRACT:The purpose of this research was to determine what effect a challenging 6-day wilderness experience would have on the self-concept, and the knowledge of and attitude toward the environment, of 61 12th-grade students. The experimental and control groups were pre- and posttested with the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS), the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI), and an environmental attitude and knowledge questionnaire. Statistical analyses of the pre- and posttest results indicated a significant increase for the experimental group on 3 of 10 measures of self-concept in the TSCS, on 2 of 5 measures in the SEI, and in environmental knowledge. No change in attitude was found for the participants. The control group did not significantly change their scores on any of the measures. The data indicated that changes in self-concept and environmental knowledge can occur from short-term wilderness experiences. Further research into determining the qualities of programs that are effective in causing pos...

Improving Academic Performance Through Self-Management: Cover, Copy, and Compare

A practical, hands-on method teachers can use in spelling, math, and geography

A Comparison of Self-Recording and Self-Recording Plus Consequences for On-Task and Assignment Completion.

Abstract The purpose of the present experiment was to compare the effects of providing backup reinforcers for accurate self-recording on both attending and academic output. Twelve behaviorally disordered special education students were randomly placed in one of three groups: self-recording ( N = 4); self-recording + backups ( N = 4), and a control group ( N = 4). The outcomes revealed significantly different performance for on-task behavior and assignment completion. On-task and academic responding was significantly higher for both the self-recording and self-recording + backups groups when compared to a control group. Additional comparisons indicated that the performance of the two groups who self-monitored were not statistically different for either measure. Maintenance of treatment effects was higher for two groups (self-recording and self-recording + backups) than for the control group. These differential outcomes were discussed in terms of (a) accuracy of self-recording, (b) nature of the dependent variables employed, (c) ceiling effects, and (d) possible vicarious effects. The advantages of using self-recording with and without consequences were noted.

Behavioral training for teachers in special education: the Gonzaga University program

The Gonzaga Universitys behaviorally based Department of Special Education offers an undergraduate major in special education for the completion of a Bachelor of Education degree, as well as a Master of Education in Special Education. The basic behavioral, data-based model, philosophy, and courses are outlined at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Outcome data gathered from the programs consumers indicated high levels of student and employer satisfaction with the program, the faculty, and the curricular content. The manner in which the program is viewed as compatible with state and national accrediting bodies is discussed. Copyright

The Social Structural, Family, School, and Personal Characteristics of At-Risk Students: Policy Recommendations for School Personnel.

The following review summarizes the research concerning the characteristics of at-risk students. Surprisingly, at-risk students have not been extensively studied. However, as the discussion of social structure will document, the available research clearly demonstrates that the single most consistent factor characterizing at-risk students is social class. Social class is a powerful determinant of school success, and, as a consequence, at-risk students are disproportionately drawn from families with low socioeconomic status. Fortunately, researchers, especially sociologists, have devoted considerable energy to studying the impact of social class on educational success. While these researchers have not singled out at-risk students for special study, their findings on why students from lower-socioeconomicstatus families do less well in school than children from middle-class families can be extrapolated to the at-risk population. The relatively few studies focusing exclusively on at-risk students support this link. They suggest that the factors underlying the poorer school performance of students from lower-socioeconomic-status families also account for much of the variance between students who are at-risk and those who are not. Accordingly, in this report we will discuss, not only studies of students identified as being at-risk, but also studies investigating the impact of social class on school success.

The effects of the copy, cover, compare approach in increasing spelling accuracy with learning disabled students☆

Abstract This study compared the traditional spelling approach of presenting a list of spelling words at the beginning of the week and a final test at the end of the week with a daily copy, cover, and compare spelling approach. Weekly spelling performance of nine special education students was measured in a ABAB single-subject design. Results indicated improved spelling performance during the copy, cover, and compare spelling phase of the experiment. This finding was replicated across all nine students. Questionnaires given to students at the end of the study revealed that all students preferred the copy, cover, and compare spelling method over the more traditional approach to spelling.

The Effects of a Direct Instruction Flashcard System on Multiplication Fact Mastery by Two High School Students with ADHD and ODD.

ABSTRACT The purpose of the present research is to compare the effects of a Direct Instruction flashcard procedure on the mastery of multiplication facts by two high school students with attention deficit hyper-activity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Both students were enrolled in a separate high school for students with behavior disabilities. The effectiveness of the Direct Instruction flashcard procedure was evaluated across three different sets of math problems using a multiple baseline design. In addition, the effectiveness of various ratios of mastered to unmastered facts was examined. The overall outcomes indicate a large increase in correct responding by both of the participants during the Direct Instruction Flashcard System. An intermediate ratio of mastered to unmastered facts was correlated with fewer trials to mastery for each participant. The applicability of employing Direct Instruction flash card procedures was discussed and directions for future research were posed.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as a Social Disability: Characteristics and Suggested Methods of Treatment

The purpose of this paper was to examine and present attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a social disability. The overall outcomes from the literature indicate how children with ADHD and social disability display similar behavior patterns (e.g., conduct disorders, attention problems, and difficulties in family functioning). Other difficulties found with ADHD children were low self-esteem, bad reputations among peers, conflicts in friendships, problems in social skills, and difficulty in overcoming self-centeredness in social skills. Early identification of social disability, however, may result in provision of preventative services, such as suggested parent and mentor methods, and maximization of the chances for positive experiences in school, extracurricular activities, and the neighborhood. These services are recommended, and success depends on effort and consistent implementation of procedures.

A Comparison of Copy, Cover, and Compare and a Traditional Spelling Intervention for an Adolescent with a Conduct Disorder

ABSTRACT The correlation between conduct disorder and cognitive deficits, and the relationship between spelling and school success generate the necessity for focused spelling instruction for individuals with disabilities. This article compares Traditional spelling instruction and a Copy, Cover, and Compare instruction technique for the spelling accuracy of an adolescent diagnosed with a conduct disorder. The results show that, although both spelling methods are effective in increasing spelling accuracy, the Copy, Cover, and Compare approach produces higher levels of accuracy. A significant difference between Traditional spelling instruction and Copy, Cover, Compare was shown. Generalization to novel words was not found. Further research could investigate generalization and maintenance of spelling skills using Copy, Cover, and Compare spelling.