Effects of self-instructional training on second- and third-grade hyperactive children: a failure to replicate

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Behavioral Interventions
• Special Education

Background:

• Previous research showed self-instructional training improved classroom behavior in young hyperactive children.
• Replication with older children was attempted to validate the findings across age groups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if self-instructional training generalizes to on-task behavior in 7- and 8-year-old hyperactive children.
• To assess the impact of task difficulty on the effectiveness of the training.

Main Methods:

• Eight hyperactive children aged 7-8 were divided into a self-instructional training group and a control group.
• On-task behavior, reading, and arithmetic performance were measured, with varying task difficulty.

Main Results:

• The self-instructional training did not replicate previous findings; no significant improvement in on-task behavior was observed.
• A subsequent token program intervention significantly increased on-task behavior in the children.

Conclusions:

• Self-instructional training may not be as effective for older hyperactive children as for younger ones.
• Token programs appear to be a more effective intervention for improving on-task behavior in this population.