The Effects of a Peer-Mediated Self-Evaluation Procedure on the Recess Behavior of Students with Behavior Problems

The trend in elementary schools to shift recess supervision from certified staff to classified staff has weakened the quality of recess supervision. One approach to remedy this problem is to rely more on the students themselves. The purpose of this study is twofold: (a) to investigate the effects of a self-evaluation procedure on the recess behavior of students with behavior problems and (b) to determine whether the use of peers in the procedure facilitates the generalization of behavioral gains. Following the baseline, a peer-mediated self-evaluation procedure was introduced in the morning recess period according to the time-lagged procedures required by a multiple baseline across subjects design. Results revealed that the procedure produced clear improvements in the recess behavior of the target students. These improvements were maintained throughout all experimental conditions as the self-evaluation procedure was systematically faded. In addition, the treatment effects generalized to an afternoon recess period.