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Evaluating the Effects of Tootling When Implemented in Special Education Classrooms

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Abstract

Managing student behavior in special education classrooms can be difficult, particularly with students with social-emotional and behavioral challenges. Effective classroom behavior management strategies maximize academic instruction time and decrease disruptive behavior. Tootling is a multicomponent classwide behavior intervention that involves students monitoring and reporting other students’ behaviors. Tootling has proven to be effective in decreasing disruptive behavior, increasing prosocial behavior, and increasing on-task behavior in the general education classroom. Special education classrooms may be another important setting for tootling implementation, but additional research is needed. The current study used a multiple baseline design across settings to examine the effectiveness of a tootling intervention in three special education classrooms with students who exhibit behavior difficulties. Results of the study demonstrated that the tootling intervention is effective in increasing on-task behavior with a sample of students in special education exhibiting behavioral difficulties. The tootling intervention was also effective in decreasing disruptive behavior, but not effective in increasing prosocial behavior. Additional research is needed to investigate the effectiveness of tootling in a variety of settings and with students with a variety of needs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Minnesota State University, 103 Armstrong Hall, Mankato, MN, 56001, USA

    Jannine E. Ray, Carlos J. Panahon, Shawna Petersen-Brown & Kevin Filter

  2. Department of Special Education, Minnesota State University, 313 Armstrong Hall, Mankato, MN, 56001, USA

    Alexandra Hilt-Panahon

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  1. Jannine E. Ray
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  4. Shawna Petersen-Brown
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Correspondence to Jannine E. Ray.

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Ray, J.E., Panahon, C.J., Hilt-Panahon, A. et al. Evaluating the Effects of Tootling When Implemented in Special Education Classrooms. J Behav Educ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-024-09544-w

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