Increasing compliance with teacher instructions within the classroom using variable interval tactile prompting in a self-management intervention

Abstract

The skill of compliance is considered an essential keystone behaviour that correlates with academic performance and pro-social behaviours. This study extended the research of Lee (2016) by implementing a self-management intervention (with and without a tactile prompt) to increase compliant behaviour of a typically developing child in a mainstream New Zealand classroom. Two key components of this intervention were treating compliance as a skill to be taught, and evaluating the use of a discrete tactile prompt. It was expected that this self-management intervention would effectively increase compliance with teacher instructions within the classroom. The main hypothesis of this study was that a self-management intervention is more effective at increasing compliance with teacher instructions if it includes the use of a tactile prompt than if no prompts are used. A single-subject alternating treatment design was used to assess and compare the efficacy of both conditions. Secondly it was hypothesised that this self-management intervention would have high social validity for both the student and teacher. Thirdly, it was hypothesised that the intervention would result in a concomitant increase in on task behaviour. The findings of this study supported these hypotheses. Additionally increases in both compliance and on-task behaviour generalised to other settings and were maintained beyond the fading phase of the intervention. The findings of this study have theoretical implications relevant to the general classroom and future research.