Investigating the iconnect intervention for students with emotional disturbance in mathematics

Abstract

Students with or at-risk for emotional disturbance (ED) often struggle socially, emotionally, and academically (e.g., on-task engagement and academic achievement). One of the most effective academic interventions for students with ED includes immediate feedback paired with frequent prompts for appropriate behavior (i.e., self-monitoring). Despite the increased presence of mobile technology devices in schools, ways to utilize technology to support students with disabilities have not evolved with technology. The purpose of this study is to advance the literature in the area of technology self-monitoring applications for students with ED. Specifically, this study examined a self-monitoring technology intervention for students with or at-risk for ED in mathematics. This research utilized a single subject ABAB withdrawal design across four parent-student dyads. The investigation explored the impact of an interactive technology self-monitoring application (i.e., ICONNECT) on behavior targets (on-task engagement, disruptive behavior, and work completion) in mathematics for four students with ED. All four students increased their on-task behaviors and decreased their disruptive behavior. Three of the four students increased task completion. Limitations and implications for future research will be discussed.