How to Modify Your Work Ethic

In the article “Increasing the On-Task Homework Behavior of Youth With Behavior Disorders Using Functional Behavioral Assessment”, researchers are furthering an attempt to perfect a method of assessing what motivates people to work and increase work ethic. However, the procedure was initially designed to test motivators for people with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) or learning disabilities (LD). Hawkins and Axelrod are testing Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA), which is stated in the article as, “a multimethod, multisource approach to identify relationships between specific individual characteristics and contextual variables that trigger and maintain behavior” (841). This research hypothesizes that there is a definitive efficacy of FBA to improve on-task behavior for those with EBD or LD.

The introduction includes information conceived by studies in the past that promote the hypothesis of this particular experiment. Some appears to be common sense, but is necessary to maintain a valid argument. Such findings include: an increase in the amount of time spent on homework results in better grades in school, completion of homework leads to more positive feelings about school, and that completion of homework is a problem for students with EBD or LD. Past research also shows that FBA can find a correlation between behavior and certain variables, allowing one to create conditions that promote a desired behavior (840-841). The variables include, but are not limited to environment and feedback.

The experiment performed by Hawkins and Axelrod involved four male adolescents: James, Rob, Tom, and Sean. James was diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactive disorder), ODD (oppositional defiant disorder), and a behavioral disorder. He was prescribed 20mg of Adderall XR (extended release). Rob was diagnosed with ADHD and a behavioral disorder, and prescribed 30mg of Adderall XR. Tom had ADHD, along with a learning disability in reading, and was prescribed 54mg of Concerta. The last subject was Sean, who was diagnosed with ODD and was not on medication (844). The students were housed together under the supervision of 2 family teachers (FT) who were married, and one assistant family teacher (AFT). The FTs and AFT supervised and analyzed the students during study time.

The main dependent variable being tested was on-task behavior, which was observed and analyzed by the FTs and AFT. The students were placed at the same table at a certain allocated time to work on homework individually. Baseline data was observed as the control, as there were no modifications made to the environment or structure of the students work time. Three modifications were made to determine what best suited the students in terms of staying on-task. The modifications were: break alone, break with preferred activities, and break with food. Each modification was granted to the student so long as they remained on task for 10 minutes, which was immediately followed by 5 minutes of the modification (i.e. break alone).

Each student responded to at least one modification in a positive way. James, Rob, and Tom responded best to being rewarded with a break alone, while Sean responded best to a break with food. One can already see that the modifications made were an effective means to promote on-task behavior in students. What I found interesting was that the data shows that James responded negatively to the break with food, and Rob was hardly motivated by it. This is most likely attributed to their medication, Adderall XR, which is very well known to cause a loss in appetite and weight loss. Tom also didn’t respond as well to the edibles, and he is prescribed Concerta, which is also known to cause a loss of appetite. Sean was under no medication, and under the break with edibles his percentage of on-task time doubled from baseline. The medication gap may be a flaw in the experimental design, as it is a variable that was not controlled and it was not discussed as a defect in this experiment.

Despite the lack of analysis of the students’ medications, the data concludes that FBA is an effective in determining environmental triggers in the behavior of someone diagnosed with LD or EBD. With that said, researchers are only steps closer to determining whether FBA could be effective for those who do not suffer from a mental condition. Imagine, a world were anyone could know what environment creates near-perfect working conditions. This research could be a move towards a brighter, more efficient world, and it’s only because someone changed the lights.

*Hawkins, Renee O., and Michael I. Axelrod. "Increasing the On-Task Homework Behavior of Youth With Behavior Disorders Using Functional Behavioral Assessment." Behavior Modification 32 (2008): 840-59. SAGE Journals Online. Web. 27 Mar. 2010.