Homework: Applied Sciences- Writing and Reporting Single Case Design Research

Description: Your signature homework for this class is a proposed SCDR study with hypothetical subject/s, data and interpretation. You will write the methods for your study, enter hypothetical data, interpret and report those data in graphs and narrative form. Finally, you will reflect on the rigor of your study and evaluate the methods and reporting of results through the lens of Kratchowil et al. (2013).

Part I: Methods

A. Introduction

Write a brief introductory paragraph that links back to your research question. Your introduction should clearly and specifically state the methodology and design. Methodology would be Single Case Design. Research design would be one of the following: Multiple baseline across (subjects/activities/settings), Multiple Probe across (subjects/activities/settings), Reversal design, Withdrawal design, Multiple Component, Alternative Treatment, Changing Criteria.

B. Subjects (Hypothetical)

1. Describe your subject/s using pseudonyms or initials. (Give rich description of your subjects. This helps with external validity. Make sure your subject description does not "overshare" information not relevant to the study, or expose bias or subjectivity)

a. Criteria for inclusion and exclusion
b. Who are they/it?

C. Setting

Where does your research take place? Describe the setting and any relevant information such as demographic information, geographic local, distinguishing features.

D. Independent Variable:

1. What is your intervention / treatment / curriculum (e.g., What are you manipulating?) If it is a treatment of treatment package, thoroughly describe it but don`t yet go into the procedures. The specificity with which you write your IV is important to internal validity. It should be easily understood by an informed reader. Be specific but concise. This is what your literature review should have led you to.

E. Dependent Variable:

1. What is the behavior or skill you are changing or teaching? How are you operationally defining that behavior or skill. Be specific (e.g., time on task, phonemic awareness, Mean length of word utterance, Social initiations with peers, SIB). This is the focus behavior from your literature review.

F. Measures:

1. What is the dimension/s of the behavior that you are going to measure (e.g., duration, frequency, latency, rate, intensity)? Will you also be looking at artifacts (e.g., completed homeworks)? Direct measurement is preferred in ABA.

2. How will you be measuring? (e.g., time sample, event recording, stopwatch, video recording, daily record review?)

3. Who will measure?

4. How are you ensuring the accuracy, validity and reliability of the measure?

a. Training others to collect the data?

b. What method/ percentage of overlap will you use for IOA? (reliability, critical for internal validity)

5. Procedures

a. Describe the steps of your intervention from baseline until completion. This section may be a sequential bulleted list. It should read like a recipe for those wanting to replicate your study.

6. Ethical considerations

a. What are the ethical considerations for your research. Refer to the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.

Part II: Results of the Research

1. [Introductory paragraph that includes research question and measure]

2. Research Findings (Use Hypothetical data)

a. Insert the appropriate SCDR graph with data.

b. Interpretation of the data. Use a narrative format to discuss the data across phases/subjects depending on your study. Be sure to address relevant criteria.

3. Functional Relationship: Discuss the findings in terms of a functional relationship. Justify your response

Part III: Evaluation

This section is where you demonstrate your ability to be a critical consumer of research as well as your potential to contribute as a professional to the research literature in applied behavior analysis. This section should also have APA headings and follow the guidelines for in-text citations. This section should be 4 to 5 pages. Remember APA is always double spaced!

1. Internal validity and control over the IV: Evaluate your study in terms of internal validity. Were there confounds or unexpected occurrences that interfered? Use your readings in Cooper to evaluate your internal validity

2. External Validity - Does your study as written meet criteria for external validity per Hitchcock, Kratochwill & Chazen (2015)?

3. Rate your study per the criteria set out in Kratochwill et al., (2013). Give examples to justify your position.

4. If you were to replicate this study, what would you do the same and what would you do differently based on what you learned?