A Preliminary Evaluation of a Digital Token Economy to Increase Student Engagement during Group Teletherapy

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46328/ijte.175

Keywords:

Engagement, Technology, Therapy, Virtual token economy

Abstract

Shortly following the temporary nationwide school dismissal amid COVID-19, the current exploratory case-study evaluated the feasibility of two engagement strategies delivered during group teletherapy: Class Dojo and opportunities to respond (OTR). Three elementary students with emotional and behavioral difficulties participated. An A-B-A design was used to evaluate the effects of Class Dojo on student engagement with therapist-delivered OTRs. Due to one student’s poor response to the contingency, an A-B-C design was used to evaluate the additive effect of student-delivered OTRs on his engagement. Results indicated moderate to high rates of student attendance, and consistently high rates of engagement for two students. When students delivered OTRs, the student who initially struggled to engage demonstrated an increase in engagement. Practical issues are discussed and recommendations are considered for future research on increasing student engagement during online settings.

Author Biographies

Hunter King, University of Utah

Hunter C. King, M.A., M.Ed., BCBA, earned his master’s in clinical psychology and is currently a school psychology doctoral student at the University of Utah. He is primarily interested in the development and implementation of evidence-based, behavioral interventions for child and adolescent problem behavior. Within this area, he focuses on the assessment and effectiveness of contemporary rewards for adolescent populations, behavioral momentum in naturalistic contexts, and teleconsultation to support educators and caregivers.

Katerra Miller-Johnson, University of Utah

Katerra Miller-JohnsonUniversity of Utahu1143093@utah.eduCollege of Education, 1721 Campus Center Dr., SAEC 3202, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112.

Keely McCulla, University of Utah

Keely McCullaUniversity of UtahKeely.Lundy@utah.eduCollege of Education, 1721 Campus Center Dr., SAEC 3202, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112.

Aaron J. Fischer, University of Utah

Aaron J. FischerUniversity of Utahaaronjasonfischer@gmail.comCollege of Education, 1721 Campus Center Dr., SAEC 3202, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112.0000-0002-3589-8071

Shengtian Wu, Illinois State University

Shengtian WuIllinois State Universityswu1234@ilstu.eduDeGarmo Hall Room 435, Campus Box 4620, Normal, IL 61790-46200000-0001-9128-9388

Mikey Miller, University of Utah

Mikey MillerUniversity of Utahmikeymomiller13@gmail.comCollege of Education, 1721 Campus Center Dr., SAEC 3202, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112.

References

King, H.., Miller-Johnson K., McCulla, K., Fischer, A. J., Wu, S., & Miller, M. (2021). A preliminary evaluation of a digital token economy to increase student engagement during group teletherapy. International Journal of Technology in Education (IJTE), 4(4), 729-751. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijte.175

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Published

2021-10-01

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 4 (2021)

Section

Articles

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