Date of Award

4-1981

Degree Name

Specialist in Education

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. Cheryl Poche

Second Advisor

Dr. Howard Farris

Third Advisor

Dr. Galen Alessi

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of a procedure to increase the job performance, defined as task completion, of four black adolescents serving as child care aides in a day care center. The trainees were taught to request instructions and feedback from their supervisor. They were also taught to self-record the number of requests for instructions and feedback and the tasks they completed. Training procedures therefore involved a method to increase task performance without any direct intervention on increasing tasks and incorporated these direct instruction techniques: Small group instruction; active responding; the model, lead, and test format; and the use of minimally different examples to teach the trainees to discriminate between correct and incorrect responses. Task performance increased from an average of 49% before training to an average of 87% after training. The remaining subject completed tasks on an average of 92% before training and maintained slightly above that level after training. Increased performance was also maintained for two subjects during follow-up measures five weeks after training.

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