Abstract:
This study assessed the usefulness of a cognitive behavior
modification (CBM) intervention package with mentally retarded students in
overcoming learned helplessness and improving learning strategies. It
also examined the feasibility of instructing teachers in the use of such a
training program for a classroom setting.
A modified single subject design across individuals was employed using
two groups of three subjects. Three students from each of two segregated
schools for the mentally retarded were selected using a teacher
questionnaire and pupil checklist of the most learned helpless students
enrolled there. Three additional learned helplessness assessments were
conducted on each subject before and after the intervention in order to
evaluate the usefulness of the program in alleviating learned
helplessness. A classroom environment was created with the three students
from each school engaged in three twenty minute work sessions a week with
the experimenter and a tutor experimenter (TE) as instructors. Baseline
measurements were established on seven targeted behaviors for each
subject: task-relevant speech, task-irrelevant speech, speech denoting a
positive evaluation of performance, speech denoting a negative evaluation
of performance, proportion of time on task, non-verbal positive evaluation
of performance and non-verbal negative evaluation of performance. The
intervention package combined a variety of CBM techniques such as
Meichenbaum's (1977) Stop, Look and Listen approach, role rehearsal and
feedback. During the intervention each subject met with his TE twice a
week for an individual half-hour session and one joint twenty minute session with all three students, the experimentor and one TE. Five weeks
after the end of this experiment one follow up probe was conducted. All
baseline, post-intervention and probe sessions were videotaped. The seven
targeted behaviors were coded and comparisons of baseline, post
intervention, and probe testing were presented in graph form. Results
showed a reduction in learned helplessness in all subjects. Improvement
was noted in each of the seven targeted behaviors for each of the six
subjects. This study indicated that mentally retarded children can be
taught to reduce learned helplessness with the aid of a CBM intervention
package. It also showed that CBM is a viable approach in helping mentally
retarded students acquire more effective learning strategies. Because the
TEs (Tutor experimenters) had no trouble learning and implementing this
program, it was considered feasible for teachers to use similar methods in
the classroom.
