The Effect of Modifications to a Token Board-Based Reward System on Motivation and Engagement of Students with ASD when Completing Challenging Activities at School
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2013-05
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Masters of Education
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Abstract
This study was completed to determine whether modifying the criteria for success using a token
board reward system impacted the engagement in challenging academic tasks of two
kindergarten students with autism. Engagement in the tasks was presumed to be related to
students’ interest or stress levels. Ideally, students begin to make the connection between their
behavior and the rewards received from the use of the token board. The students in this study,
who were 5 and 6 years old, attended a primary school for children with special needs focusing
on autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). They were monitored to determine whether
modifications to their token board demands affected ratings of their behavior (apparent
motivation and engagement) and the number of rewards they earned. Modifications involved
raising the required number of tokens for rewards from 5 to 8 over a one-week period each. The
rewards and criteria were selected to encourage appropriate on-task behavior and were based on
the researcher’s familiarity with students’ levels of stress and frustration during the activities.
Mean total verbal prompts given and rewards earned and mean behavior ratings were compared
across the 5 and 8 token conditions and across four activities of interest (morning meeting, read
aloud, small group one, and small group two). Results indicated that token boards can have
positive and negative effects on students’ behavior. Results indicated that students earned more
rewards when Threats to Validity 5 tokens versus 8 were required on the token boards. They
also indicated that the mean incidence of problem behaviors monitored did not differ
significantly across the different activities assessed with the exception of elopement, which
occurred significantly more often during morning meetings than in literacy small groups. Due to
the degree of stress that increasing the number of tokens required appeared to cause, the study
was discontinued earlier than planned.