Decreasing transition times in elementary school classrooms: Using computer-assisted instruction to automate...

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Classroom Management

Background:

• Students spend considerable time transitioning between activities, reducing academic engagement.
• Automating intervention components can decrease transition times.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effects of a computer-assisted intervention on student transition times and on-task behavior.
• To examine the impact on teacher prompt and praise usage.

Main Methods:

• ABAB design with 4 students in 2 classrooms.
• Measured latency to on-task behavior, on-task behavior during activities, and teacher prompts/praise.
• Utilized a computer-assisted intervention to automate transition components.

Main Results:

• Substantially decreased students' latencies to on-task behavior.
• Increased students' on-task behavior during activities.
• Teachers used fewer prompts and provided more praise during intervention phases.

Conclusions:

• Automating classroom interventions effectively reduces transition times and increases student engagement.
• This approach positively impacts teacher behavior, potentially increasing procedural fidelity.
• Computer-assisted interventions offer a promising method for enhancing classroom efficiency and academic engagement.