Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities - Division on ...

Us<strong>in</strong>g Self-Monitor<strong>in</strong>g to Increase Follow<strong>in</strong>g-Direction Skills
of Students with Moderate to Severe <strong>Disabilities</strong>
<strong>in</strong> General <strong>Education</strong>
Mart<strong>in</strong> Agran
University of Northern Iowa
S<strong>and</strong>ra Alper <strong>and</strong> Michael Cav<strong>in</strong>
University of Northern Iowa
Carolyn Hughes
V<strong>and</strong>erbilt University
Thomas S<strong>in</strong>clair
Eastern Ill<strong>in</strong>ois University
Michael Wehmeyer
University of Kansas
Abstract: We used two multiple basel<strong>in</strong>e designs to <strong>in</strong>vestigate effects of a self-monitor<strong>in</strong>g strategy on follow<strong>in</strong>gdirection
skills of six middle school students with moderate to severe disabilities <strong>in</strong> general education. Students
were <strong>in</strong>structed to acknowledge a given direction, complete the task, <strong>and</strong> monitor their performance. Results
suggest that all students learned the strategy <strong>and</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed their performance at mastery levels for the
duration of the ma<strong>in</strong>tenance condition. Social validation data obta<strong>in</strong>ed from participat<strong>in</strong>g general <strong>and</strong> special
educators supported these f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs. Implications for promot<strong>in</strong>g student-directed learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>clusive education
are discussed.
The value of promot<strong>in</strong>g student-directed
learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> general curriculum is receiv<strong>in</strong>g
<strong>in</strong>creased attention (Agran, K<strong>in</strong>g-Sears, Wehmeyer,
& Copel<strong>and</strong>, 2003; Hughes et al., 2002;
Wehmeyer, S<strong>and</strong>s, Knowlton, & Kozleski,
2002). Student-directed learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>volves
teach<strong>in</strong>g students to use one or more selfdirected
<strong>in</strong>structional strategies to plan, perform,
<strong>and</strong> monitor a learn<strong>in</strong>g task (Agran,
1997). These strategies occasion a shift from
teacher-directed <strong>in</strong>struction to one that is
more student-directed, thus provid<strong>in</strong>g students
opportunities to direct <strong>and</strong> regulate
their own learn<strong>in</strong>g. Specifically, the strategies
The study was completed by the second author
dur<strong>in</strong>g his Ed.D. Graduate degree program at the
University of Northern Iowa. The study was supported
<strong>in</strong> part by U.S. Department of <strong>Education</strong>
grant #H023D9790502-98 awarded to Drs. Agran,
Hughes, <strong>and</strong> Wehmeyer, <strong>and</strong> does not necessarily
reflect the op<strong>in</strong>ions of the Office of Special <strong>Education</strong>
Programs. Correspondence concern<strong>in</strong>g this article
should be addressed to Mart<strong>in</strong> Agran, Department
of Special <strong>Education</strong>, 158 SEC, University of
Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0601. E-mail:
mart<strong>in</strong>.agran@uni.edu
<strong>Education</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Developmental</strong> <strong>Disabilities</strong>, 2005, 40(1), 3–13
© <strong>Division</strong> on <strong>Developmental</strong> <strong>Disabilities</strong>
allow students to regulate their expectations
about what they can learn <strong>and</strong> how much;
make choices <strong>and</strong> decisions about how they
will learn <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> what sequence; <strong>and</strong> execute,
monitor, <strong>and</strong> evaluate actions taken (Mithaug,
Mithaug, Agran, Mart<strong>in</strong>, & Wehmeyer, 2002).
By us<strong>in</strong>g these strategies, dependence on external
support is m<strong>in</strong>imized, engagement <strong>and</strong>
motivation are <strong>in</strong>creased, <strong>and</strong> learn<strong>in</strong>g is maximized.
Although student-directed learn<strong>in</strong>g strategies
cont<strong>in</strong>ue to be underutilized (Agran,
Snow, & Swaner, 1999; Wehmeyer, Agran, &
Hughes, 2000), the positive effects of studentdirected
learn<strong>in</strong>g strategies for students with
moderate to severe disabilities <strong>in</strong> general education
have begun to be reported <strong>in</strong> the
research literature. For example, Gilberts, Agran,
Hughes, <strong>and</strong> Wehmeyer (2001) taught
five middle school students with severe disabilities
to monitor 11 classroom survival skills. All
students were enrolled <strong>in</strong> a variety of general
education content classes (e.g., Spanish, U.S.
history). Among the target skills were ask<strong>in</strong>g
<strong>and</strong> answer<strong>in</strong>g questions, greet<strong>in</strong>g teachers
<strong>and</strong> students, br<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g appropriate materials
to class, <strong>and</strong> acknowledg<strong>in</strong>g teacher com-
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