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Using response-prompting procedures during small-group direct instruction: outcomes and procedural variations.
Jennifer R Ledford1, Justin D Lane, Katherine L Elam
1Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt Peabody College, Nashville, TN, USA.
American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
|September 25, 2012
Summary
Small-group direct instruction effectively teaches discrete skills to learners with disabilities. This evidence-based practice demonstrates high efficacy across various settings and participants.
Area of Science:
- Special Education
- Applied Behavior Analysis
- Learning Disabilities
Background:
- Small-group instruction is a common educational practice.
- Learners with disabilities often require specialized instructional approaches.
- Direct instruction and prompting are established pedagogical techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review research on small-group direct instruction for learners with disabilities.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of this instructional method for teaching discrete skills.
- To identify trends in implementation and participant characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a literature review of studies published between 1990 and 2010.
- Focused on research utilizing small-group direct instruction with prompting procedures.
- Analyzed 47 articles involving 197 participants and 687 replications.
Main Results:
- Small-group instruction proved effective for 195 out of 197 participants.
- High treatment fidelity was observed in 46 of 47 studies.
- Students achieved target behaviors, generalized skills, and maintained them over time.
Conclusions:
- Small-group direct instruction is a highly effective intervention for teaching discrete skills to learners with disabilities.
- The method demonstrates consistent positive outcomes across diverse implementation contexts.
- Future research should explore procedural variations and social skill development within groups.
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