Increasing Skill Performances of Problem Solving in Students with

Disabilities

Debra Cote, Ph.D. California State University Fullerton

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).

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.

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?

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?

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?

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.

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.

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

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

Problem Situation Baseline Measure Ann’s teacher wants Ann to practice reading sight

words everyday. After school, Ann goes to her grandma’s house. When Ann’s 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?

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%

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

Problem-Solving Story BooksProblem-Solving Story Books

Flash Cards

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

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%

Procedures

Phase Three: Generalization, Maintenance, and Retention Post-treatment measures

Generalization Measure Maintenance Measure Retention MeasureProblem-Solving Step Measure

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%

Maintenance and Retention Percentages

Students Maintenance Retention

Student A 40% 100%

Student B 100% 100%

Student C 80% 100%

Student D 80% 60%

Student A

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Consecutive Sessions

Percentages Correct

Baseline TreatmentGeneralization

Maintenance

Retention

Student B

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Consecutive Sessions

Percentages Correct

BaselineTreatment Generalization Maintenance

Retention

Student C

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Consecutive Sessions

Percentages Correct

BaselineTreatment

Generalization Maintenance Retention

Student D

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Consecutive Sessions

Percentages Correct

Baseline TreatmentMaintenance

RetentionGeneralization

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.

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).

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.

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

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).

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)

Adaptation of PS Questionnaire (Cote, 2009)