SPCD 619

The Application of Applied

Behavior Analysis to Academic

Research in the Special

Education Classroom

Fall 2014

Wednesdays, 4:15 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.

CTLB 230

Professor: Susan Copeland, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Teaching Assistant: Rob Shauger, M.A.

SPCD 619 Syllabus

Table of Required Readings/Tasks

Comprehensive Article Review

Template to use to write the Comprehensive Article Review

Description of the Research Proposal Assignment.doc

Checklists & Rubrics.

This document contains the rubrics and checklists class assignments (other than the Article Critique) that will be used to evaluate the assignments. You can print out a copy to include with your assignments, or copy and paste into your documents.

Writing Resources

Purdue Online Writing Lab (great help with academic writing and APA formatting)

UNM Zimmerman Library Research Tutorials

UNM Graduate Resource Center

Course Description

The purpose of the course is to introduce graduate students to single-case research and its utility as a research methodology. Although use of single-case research in other disciplines will be considered, its application to educational research will be emphasized. This will include discussion of practitioner use of single-case methodology to evaluate the efficacy of educational practices.

Students in this course will learn the components of various single-case designs and their efficacy in addressing differing research questions. Students will evaluate and compare strengths and weaknesses of each design type. They will critically analyze singe-case research studies to inform their understanding of research design. They will also demonstrate proficiency in behavioral observation and data collection and in designing a single-case research study to examine a research question. There will be consideration and discussion of ethical research practices with an emphasis on issues related to single-case methodology. The format of the course will be a mixture of lecture, seminar discussions of readings and topics, and in-class activities.

Course Objectives

Students in this course will:

•Describe the components, uses, advantages, and limitations of single case designs that examine the effects of an intervention (e.g., withdrawal design, reversal design, multiple baseline designs, multiple probe design, changing criterion design) and those that compare the effectiveness of one or more interventions (e.g., alternating treatments design, multielement designs, repeated acquisition designs).

•Describe ethical issues that must be considered when conducting research in educational settings, especially when conducting research with individuals with disabilities.

•Operationally define behaviors and develop appropriate systems to measure these behaviors.

•Demonstrate the ability to display data graphically.

•Define reliability, validity, and generalization in regards to single-case research design.

•Define and demonstrate evaluation of interobserver agreement and procedural fidelity.

•Define and describe possible assessment approaches to social validity.

•Define and demonstrate appropriate analysis of single case data.

• Write a research proposal for a single case study that includes formulation of a research question, review of relevant literature, detailed description of methods, and proposed analysis of data.

Required Texts

Gast, D. L. (2010). Single subject research methodology in behavioral sciences. New York:

Routledge.

American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) Washington, DC: Author.

Kratochwill, T. R., Hitchcock, J. Horner, R. H., Levin, J. R., Odom, S. L., Rindskopf, D. M., & Shadish, W. R. (2010) Single-case design technical documentation, Version 1.0 (Pilot). Retrieve this from What Works Clearinghouse website: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/wwc_scd.pdf

Other Required Readings are in a course pack available at the COE Copy Center.

Contact Information: 505-277-7276 Email: coepub@unm.edu

Recommended Texts

Bailey, J. S., & Burch, M. R. (2002). Research methods in applied behavior analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Franklin, R. D., Allison, D. B., & Gorman, B. S. (1997). Design and analysis of single-case

research. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Graham, S. (2005). Criteria for evidence-based practice in special education [Special Issue].

Exceptional Children, 71(3).

Hersen, M., & Barlow, D. H. (1976). Single-case experimental designs: Strategies for studying

behavior. New York: Pergamon Press.

Kazdin, A. E. (1982). Single-case research designs: Methods for clinical and applied settings. New York: Oxford University Press.

Kennedy, C. H. (2005). Single-case designs for educational research. Allyn & Bacon: Boston: MA. [technical but full of excellent information]

Kratochwill, T. R., & Williams, B. L. (1988). Perspectives on pitfalls and hassles in single-

subject research. Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 13, 147-154.

Spooner, F., & Browder, D. M. (2003). Scientifically based research in education and

students with low incidence disabilities. Research & Practice for Persons with Severe

Disabilities, 28, 117-125.

Tawney, J. W., & Gast, D. L. (1984). Single subject research in special education. New York:

Merrill.

Thompson, T., Felce, D., & Symons, F. J. (2000). Behavioral observation: Technology and applications in developmental disabilities. Baltimore, P. H. Brookes.

Class Schedule & Handouts

Week 1

Overview of course

What is single-case research?

Handouts: Baer_Wolf_& Risley: Some Current Dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis

Week 2

History of single-case research; overview of logic and foundations

Ethics and Research

Handouts: 1. Belmont Report

Ethics&Research

Foundations Single Case Research Designs

List of funding sources for graduate students attending conferences for (thanks to Yi Ling!)