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Preschoolers' compliance with simple instructions: a descriptive and experimental evaluation
Kasey M Stephenson1, Gregory P Hanley
1University of Kansas, USA.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|December 2, 2010
Summary
Child compliance in preschool classrooms can be improved by using specific adult attention strategies and a three-step prompting technique. These methods enhance children's ability to follow instructions, addressing a common teacher concern.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Behavioral Analysis
Background:
- Low child compliance is a frequent concern for preschool teachers.
- Understanding factors influencing compliance is crucial for effective classroom management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of antecedent variables on child compliance.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of three-step prompting, alone and with antecedent strategies.
- To examine the relationship between age and compliance levels.
Main Methods:
- Descriptive assessment of compliance stability and variability across children.
- Experimental analysis of six antecedent variables (proximity, position, physical contact, eye contact, vocal attention, play interruption).
- Assessment of three-step prompting at varying treatment integrity levels.
Main Results:
- Compliance increased with the addition of antecedent variables for some children.
- Three-step prompting combined with antecedent variables significantly improved compliance for other children.
- High compliance levels were sustained until treatment integrity dropped to 20%.
Conclusions:
- Antecedent strategies and three-step prompting are effective in increasing preschooler compliance.
- Naturalistic assessment provides utility for understanding and improving classroom compliance.
- Environmental and instructional modifications can foster better compliance in early childhood settings.
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