Team Discussion for Module 3
Your Discussion Team meeting will have three parts:
Part 1: Research Questions in Single Subject Research Designs
As a Team, examine the four types of research questions (demonstration, comparison, component, parametric).
As a Team, identify one example question for each type. Write the question as the examples were provided in the ASR and in the textbook (example, “Does x improve y for a learner…”). Try to think of questions that you are interested in, as if you were a researcher studying the concept.
Indicate the independent and dependent variables for each of your research questions.
Part 2: Data Collection
As a Team, observe the video of Elliot the rat – watch what he does and identify whether these appear to be more time or number based behaviors.
Discuss and agree on one behavior to target for a second observation, during which each member of the team will collect continuous data (determined based on the behavior selected). Operationally define the behavior and agree on the method of continuous data collection to be used. A single data sheet may be made and shared with each member, or each student may create their own data sheet (you will submit at least one example of the data sheet you used when you submit the discussion team assignment).
Watch the video again and record data.
Discuss the type of non-continuous or interval based system that would be appropriate for your identified behavior and why. Create a data sheet or sheets to be used for non-continuous data collection. You should score the same behavior as in step 3. The video includes a bell ringing at 10 second intervals.
Watch the video again and record the non-continuous data for Elliot.
Discuss whether your non-continuous data collection method over or under-estimated the “true” behavior or whether it was fairly close to the actual data.
Discuss how the length of the interval may have or could make a difference in the accuracy of data collected.
Conduct Total Count (Gross Count) IOA between two members for both the continuous and the non-continuous data.
Part 3: Interobserver Agreement
Complete IOA for the following data sets.
Discuss the differences between the IOA percentages that each of these yields
Discuss potential causes for IOA percentages lower than the minimum 80% and what a researcher or practitioner could do to address these issues.
Data Set 1: Calculate
Total/Gross Count IOA = ________
Trial-by-Trial/Point-by-Point IOA = _______
| Trial | Observer 1 | Observer 2 | Agree or Disagree? |
| 1 | + | + | ? |
| 2 | + | + | ? |
| 3 | – | – | ? |
| 4 | + | – | ? |
| 5 | – | – | ? |
| 6 | + | – | ? |
| 7 | – | + | ? |
| 8 | – | + | ? |
| 9 | – | + | ? |
| 10 | + | – | ? |
| Total Count |
Data Set 2: Calculate
Total Interresponse Time IOA = _______
Mean IRT IOA = _______
| IRT 1 | IRT 2 | IRT 3 | IRT 4 | IRT 5 | Total IRT | |
| Observer 1 | 15″ | 30″ | 20″ | 25″ | 60″ | |
| Observer 2 | 10″ | 45″ | 45″ | 25″ | 65″ | |
| IOA |
Data Set 3: Calculate
Occurrence/Scored IOA = _______
Non-Occurrence/Unscored IOA = ________
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| Obs 1 | + | + | – | + | – | + | – | – | – | + |
| Obs 2 | + | + | – | – | – | – | + | + | + | – |
| ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Discussion Question: Look at the IOA percentages for Data Set 1, and those for Data St 3 (they are the same data) – which IOA(s) have the most and least IOA? If you were using IOA to determine data collection fidelity, which would you rather rely on and why?
