Use of Choral and Individual Attentional Responses with Constant Time Delay when Teaching Sight Word Reading

Abstract

This study evaluated using choral and individual attentional responses with a constant time delay procedure in teaching students with mild handicaps to read sight words. Each student learned a different set of words; a choral spelling attentional response (i.e., all students simultaneously spelled the word before the target student read it) was used with half of the words, and an individual spelling attentional response (i.e., only the target student spelled the word before reading it) was used with the other half. Constant time delay was used to teach all words. Students were assessed on reading their words, reading others words, (i.e., observational learning), and spelling all words (i.e., incidental learning). A multipleprobe design across behaviors was used to evaluate the procedures. The results indicate that (a) constant time delay was implemented reliably and was effective in teaching word reading with minimal errors, (b) words taught with an individual spelling attentional response were learned in fewer sessions and with lower error percentages, (c) observational and incidental learning occurred for all students, (d) choral and individual attentional responses did not influence observational word reading, and (e) choral attentional responses resulted in students learning to spell other group members' words more than did the individual attentional responses.