The Effect of Small Group Instruction on Student Work Completion

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of small group instruction on student work completion in a general education sixth grade language arts classroom. There has previously been little research on general education students and small group instruction. Students were selected to be in the study based on a history of poor work completion in the first half of the year. The experimental group was made up of 9 students. The measurement tool was a researcher-created data tracking sheet. The researcher awarded points in 6 on-task behavior categories through time sampling using 10-minute intervals within a 65-minute class. There was a total possible score of 60 points per class period and a possible 600 points available under each condition. The baseline period and the intervention period were each 10 days. The mean on-task behavior scores, prorated for absences, did not differ significantly in the baseline (Mean = 274.11, SD = 42.23) and intervention (Mean = 277.00, SD = 62.13) conditions [t (8) = 0.23, p = .82]. Implications and ideas for future research are discussed.