Self-Recording during Group Instruction: Effects on Attention to Task

Abstract

The effects of self-monitoring on attention to task during small-group instruction were investigated. Three learning disabled (LD) boys with severe attentional problems were taught to self-monitor their on-task behavior while participating in oral reading tasks. A reversal design demonstrated marked increases in attention to task for all three students. The higher levels of on-task behavior were maintained during two subsequent phases in which external components of the self-monitoring procedure were withdrawn. The results indicate that self-monitoring procedures can be effectively employed during oral, small-group instruction, and that positive behavioral changes can be maintained over a period of time following the gradual fading of external, procedural components.