Increasing Skill Performances of Problem Solving in Students with Disabilities

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Increasing Skill Performances of Problem Solving
in Students with Disabilities

• Debra Cote, Ph.D.
• California State University Fullerton

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Importance of Problem-Solving Competency

• Students with disabilities need
• exposure to problem-solving instruction (Agran
  Alper, 2000).
• problem-solving skills to prepare them for
  post-school life (Edeh Hickson, 2002).
• opportunities to practice problem-solving skills
  (Palmer Wehmeyer, 2003).

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Purpose of the Research

• Measure the application, generalization, and
  maintenance of problem-solving skills in students
  with disabilities.
• Contribute to the limited research in this area,
  for this population of students, and provide a
  systematic approach to teach problem-solving
  skills that can lead to self-determination.

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Research Questions

• Research Question 1
• What were the effects of problem-solving
  instruction on the skill performances of problem
  solving in students with disabilities?
• Research Question 2
• To what degree did students with disabilities
  identify the steps of problem solving?

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Research Questions

• Research Question 3
• To what degree did students generalize their
  skill performances of problem solving?
• Research Question 4
• To what degree did students maintain/retain their
  skill performances of problem solving?

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Research Questions

• Research Question 5
• What effect did the problem-solving instruction
  have on students perceptions of their skill
  performances of problem solving?
• Research Question 6
• What were teacher perceptions about implementing
  the problem-solving strategy to increase skill
  performances of problem solving in students?

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Experimental Design

• Multiple Probe Design (Horner Baer, 1978)
• Provides an alternative method for establishing
  baselines.
• One baseline and one treatment condition was
  administered.
• Two students were included in the first level of
  the design.

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Setting

• Setting
• The study was conducted in a professional
  development middle school.
• A self-contained classroom used in providing
  services to 10 students with mild and moderate
  intellectual disabilities.

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Students

• Students
• Four middle school age students
• Sixth grade African American female student
• Sixth grade Hispanic female student
• Sixth grade Caucasian female student
• Seventh grade Asian (Filipino) male student

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Student Demographics
IQ Score Number
55-69 1
40-54 3
Mean 54.8
Language Score Number
55-69 4
40-54 0
Mean 61.8
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Problem Situation Baseline Measure

• Anns teacher wants Ann to practice reading sight
  words everyday. After school, Ann goes to her
  grandmas house. When Anns mother picks her up,
  Ann is too tired to practice, and goes to bed.
• What is the problem?
• What could you do to fix it?
• What else could you do to fix it?
• Which solution would work best?
• Why would it work?

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Baseline Mean and Range Percentages
Students Mean Range
Student A 0 0
Student B 45 20-60
Student C 20 0-40
Student D 29 0-60
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Treatment Condition

• Fifteen minutes of problem-solving instruction
• Criteria
• Three days at 80 on three successive occasions
• Two students included in the first level of
  treatment (i.e., Student A and Student C)
• Student B and Student D continued in baseline
• Student D included in the second level of
  treatment
• Student B continued in baseline
• Student B included in the last level of treatment

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Problem-Solving Story Books
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Flash Cards
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Treatment Summary

• The number of problem-solving treatment sessions
  required for each student to reach criterion
  differed
• Student A, 11 sessions
• Student B, 3 sessions
• Student C, 7 sessions
• Student D, 6 sessions

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Baseline and Treatment Percentages
Students Baseline Mean Treatment Mean Treatment Range
Student A 0 43.6 0-100
Student B 45 100 100
Student C 20 65.7 40-100
Student D 29 63.3 40-80
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Procedures

• Phase Three Generalization, Maintenance, and
  Retention
• Post-treatment measures
• Generalization Measure
• Maintenance Measure
• Retention Measure
• Problem-Solving Step Measure

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Generalization Mean and Range Percentages
Students Mean Range
Student A 80 80
Student B 93 80-100
Student C 93 80-100
Student D 93 80-100
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Maintenance and Retention Percentages
Students Maintenance Retention
Student A 40 100
Student B 100 100
Student C 80 100
Student D 80 60
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Generalization
Retention
Baseline
Treatment
Maintenance
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Treatment
Generalization
Maintenance
Baseline
Retention
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Baseline
Generalization
Maintenance
Retention
Treatment
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Maintenance
Baseline
Treatment
Generalization
Retention
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Implications

• Question One
• Data suggested students learned to identify
  problems, possible solutions, identify best
  solutions, and to self-evaluate.
• Question Two
• Data suggested three students were able to
  identify two problem-solving steps.

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Implications

• Question Three
• Data suggested students generalized their skill
  performances of problem solving.
• Question Four
• Data suggested three students maintained their
  skill performances of problem solving (i.e.,
  Student B, Student C, Student D), and three
  students retained their skill performances of
  problem solving (i.e., Student A, Student B,
  Student C).

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Implications

• Question Five
• Data suggested three students were more assured
  of their problem-solving abilities
  post-treatment.
• Question Six
• Data suggested the teacher found the strategy
  easy, effective, useful, and feasible.

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Current Research

• Five ways to teach problem solving to students
  with learning disabilities (Cote, Higgins,
  Pierce, 2010).
• Teach Active Problem Solving
• Utilize Bibliotheraphy
• Incorporate Computer Technology (i.e.,
  http//kidtools.missouri.edu/
• Utilize Explicit Instruction
• Use Problem-Solving Conversations

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Current Research

• Increasing skill performances of problem solving
  in students with intellectual disabilities (Cote,
  Pierce, Higgins, Miller, Tandy, Sparks, in
  press).
• Implementing a problem-solving intervention with
  students with mild and moderate disabilities
  (Cote, in press).

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Current Research

• Problem-solving research conducted with
  elementary-age students with intellectual
  disabilities.
• Problem-solving, resiliency, parent alienation,
  and social skills research conducted with
  incarcerated adjudicated youth with learning and
  intellectual disabilities (Brandon, Brown, Cote,
  Grant, Higgins, Jones, Morgan, Pierce)

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Adaptation of PS Questionnaire (Cote, 2009)