Article Critique
Jessica Foley (Hingle) jhingle@vt.edu
April 17, 2008
Ingvarsson, Einar T., Hanley, Gregory P. (2006). An Evaluation of Computer-Based
Programmed Instruction for Promoting Teacher's Greetings of Parents by Name. Journal
of Applied Behavior Analysis. 39(2), 203-214.
The main problem addressed by this study is the perceived lack of parent-teacher
communication caused by the teacher failing to greet parents by name. Although the
phenomenon is described in detail and is assumed to be the root problem, the article does not
specifically state that this is indeed the problem that spawned the study. It is also possible that
this problem was found and created after already identifying the purpose.
Clearly stated, the main purpose of this study “…was to examine the extent to which
computer-based programmed instruction would promote behavior change in a classroom setting,
and if so, whether that behavior change would persist in the absence of additional interventions
(i.e., ongoing performance feedback” (Ingvarsson & Gregory, 2006, p. 205). There is no stated
hypothesis in this study, but based on the approach used when presenting background material, I
would assume that the author does indeed expect that the computer-based programmed
instruction will promote a behavior change. However, that viewpoint is not explicitly stated.
Single-subject research was used to analyze the behaviors of each of the teachers, from
an initial baseline, through treatment, and with the application of feedback if necessary.
Application of the treatment was phased in and each teacher was treated as an individual in terms
of the amount of feedback necessary. Participants enrolled in a two-semester preschool teacher-
training program were used as subjects for the study. Their interaction with 17 parents and 17
children was observed. It was not specifically stated how these subjects were obtained, but it can
be assumed that the subjects were simply convenient to the experimenter at that point in time and
not random.
The results of the study show that the use of parents’ names by the subject teachers
significantly increased for three of the four subjects following the computer-based programmed
instruction. Feedback intervention was utilized with the subject who did not show improvement,
and subsequent improvement was observed. Feedback intervention was also successfully applied
when a decrease of name usage was noted following the initial improvement in two subjects.
One subject showed a consistently high level of name usage following the computer-based
programmed instruction and did not require feedback intervention. It was concluded that
“…computer-based training consumed little time (range, 7.0 to 35.5 min, M = 14.3 min) yet
resulted in considerable performance improvements for 3 of the 4 participants. This outcome
suggests that computer-based instruction may be used as an adjunct to more traditional stafftraining procedures” (Ingvarsson & Gregory, 2006, p. 212). I believe these conclusions could be
valid if additional studies were conducted with a larger sample, variety of environments, and
additional subject material. At the moment the conclusion statement is too broad to account for
the actual facts of the study.
Overall, this study contributes to the notion that knowledge gained from computer-based
programmed instruction can be generalized and applied in alternate environments. This finding is
important because it is possible that the same technique could be used in various other situations,
such as language instruction or even produce recognition by cashiers in a supermarket. As
mentioned in the article, computer-based programmed instruction reduces the amount of staffing
required to implement training, is flexible enough to accommodate alternate time schedules, can
be altered to control the amount of interaction the student experiences, are not dependant on a
“specialist” as long as the instructions are detailed enough, can be configured to provide more or
less prompts, and can automatically collect and analyze training data (Ingvarsson & Gregory,
2006, p. 203). These positive aspects are only noteworthy if the training itself is effective. This
study showcases an example of how it can indeed be effective and therefore make an important
contribution to advancing knowledge.
One flaw in this study is the mix of computer-based programmed instruction and
feedback from the monitoring staff members. The results of the study would have been more
powerful had the only method of feedback and instruction been from the computer-based
programmed instruction. The act of the supervisory staff providing feedback in the classroom
could have contaminated the results and been the true cause of improved behavior by the
teachers. Had these variables been separated, the study results would have been stronger.
Additionally, the study was conducted with a very small number of subjects, all located at the
same -semester preschool teacher-training program. What were the admittance criteria for that
program? Do the students in the program have a common variable that influenced their ability to
learn from computer-based programmed instruction?
Working in a military setting, it is common for the goal of instruction to involve learners
ability to accomplish a non-computer based task. This study is applicable because it shows a
successful case of utilizing computer-based instruction to successfully transfer knowledge about
a non-computer based mission. In my occupation, the technique could be used to assist
warfighters with learning the names of equipment parts, so that they are able to quickly locate
the required part in a high stress situation.