The current study was designed to replicate and extend the literature on the effectiveness of a classroom intervention known as Tootling (Skinner, Skinner, & Cashwell, 1998) in decreasing disruptive classroom behavior as well as increasing academically engaged classroom behavior. Tootling is a strategy that encourages and prompts students to report instances of their peers’ positive behaviors. Thus far, only three studies have utilized direct observation data for disruptive behavior during Tootling (Cihak, Kirk, & Boon, 2009; Lambert, 2012, 2014). To extend the research on Tootling, direct observation data of disruptive and academically engaged behaviors were collected on both entire classes of students as well as target students. Additionally, reinforcement on a daily schedule could be achieved by Tootling. Participants included lower elementary school students (i.e., second and third grade) and instructors in three classrooms in two Southeastern elementary schools. An interdependent group contingency and publicly posted feedback were used to encourage the production of Tootles during the study. An ABAB withdrawal design was used in three classrooms, with a multiple baseline element across two classrooms, to determine the effectiveness of the intervention for decreasing disruptive behavior for both the target student and the students in the classroom as a whole. Results demonstrated decreases in disruptive behaviors and increases in academically engaged behaviors during intervention phases as compared to baseline and withdrawal phases in Classrooms A and C, and to a slightly lesser extent in Classroom B. Limitations of the present study and directions for future research are discussed.
Doctoral dissertation: http://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/223/
","abstract_html":"<p>The current study was designed to replicate and extend the literature on the effectiveness of a classroom intervention known as Tootling (Skinner, Skinner, & Cashwell, 1998) in decreasing disruptive classroom behavior as well as increasing academically engaged classroom behavior. Tootling is a strategy that encourages and prompts students to report instances of their peers’ positive behaviors. Thus far, only three studies have utilized direct observation data for disruptive behavior during Tootling (Cihak, Kirk, & Boon, 2009; Lambert, 2012, 2014). To extend the research on Tootling, direct observation data of disruptive and academically engaged behaviors were collected on both entire classes of students as well as target students. Additionally, reinforcement on a daily schedule could be achieved by Tootling. Participants included lower elementary school students (i.e., second and third grade) and instructors in three classrooms in two Southeastern elementary schools. An interdependent group contingency and publicly posted feedback were used to encourage the production of Tootles during the study. An ABAB withdrawal design was used in three classrooms, with a multiple baseline element across two classrooms, to determine the effectiveness of the intervention for decreasing disruptive behavior for both the target student and the students in the classroom as a whole. Results demonstrated decreases in disruptive behaviors and increases in academically engaged behaviors during intervention phases as compared to baseline and withdrawal phases in Classrooms A and C, and to a slightly lesser extent in Classroom B. Limitations of the present study and directions for future research are discussed.</p> <p>Doctoral dissertation:<a href="http://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/223/"> http://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/223/</a></p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["McHugh, Melissa Bryanne"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Daniel Tingstrom","Keith Radley","Christopher Barry"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:44:27Z","subjects":["interdependent","group contingency","classroom","intervention","Tootling","Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms","Child Psychology","Psychology","School Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/67","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Daniel Tingstrom","Keith Radley","Christopher Barry"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["McHugh, Melissa Bryanne"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-01-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["interdependent","group contingency","classroom","intervention","Tootling","Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms","Child Psychology","Psychology","School Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/67"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The current study was designed to replicate and extend the literature on the effectiveness of a classroom intervention known as Tootling (Skinner, Skinner, & Cashwell, 1998) in decreasing disruptive classroom behavior as well as increasing academically engaged classroom behavior. Tootling is a strategy that encourages and prompts students to report instances of their peers’ positive behaviors. Thus far, only three studies have utilized direct observation data for disruptive behavior during Tootling (Cihak, Kirk, & Boon, 2009; Lambert, 2012, 2014). To extend the research on Tootling, direct observation data of disruptive and academically engaged behaviors were collected on both entire classes of students as well as target students. Additionally, reinforcement on a daily schedule could be achieved by Tootling. Participants included lower elementary school students (i.e., second and third grade) and instructors in three classrooms in two Southeastern elementary schools. An interdependent group contingency and publicly posted feedback were used to encourage the production of Tootles during the study. An ABAB withdrawal design was used in three classrooms, with a multiple baseline element across two classrooms, to determine the effectiveness of the intervention for decreasing disruptive behavior for both the target student and the students in the classroom as a whole. Results demonstrated decreases in disruptive behaviors and increases in academically engaged behaviors during intervention phases as compared to baseline and withdrawal phases in Classrooms A and C, and to a slightly lesser extent in Classroom B. Limitations of the present study and directions for future research are discussed.
Doctoral dissertation: http://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/223/
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Effects of the Tootling Intervention Using Daily Reinforcement"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Daniel Tingstrom","Keith Radley","Christopher Barry"],"dc:creator":["McHugh, Melissa Bryanne"],"dc:date.available":["2014-01-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The current study was designed to replicate and extend the literature on the effectiveness of a classroom intervention known as Tootling (Skinner, Skinner, & Cashwell, 1998) in decreasing disruptive classroom behavior as well as increasing academically engaged classroom behavior. Tootling is a strategy that encourages and prompts students to report instances of their peers’ positive behaviors. Thus far, only three studies have utilized direct observation data for disruptive behavior during Tootling (Cihak, Kirk, & Boon, 2009; Lambert, 2012, 2014). To extend the research on Tootling, direct observation data of disruptive and academically engaged behaviors were collected on both entire classes of students as well as target students. Additionally, reinforcement on a daily schedule could be achieved by Tootling. Participants included lower elementary school students (i.e., second and third grade) and instructors in three classrooms in two Southeastern elementary schools. An interdependent group contingency and publicly posted feedback were used to encourage the production of Tootles during the study. An ABAB withdrawal design was used in three classrooms, with a multiple baseline element across two classrooms, to determine the effectiveness of the intervention for decreasing disruptive behavior for both the target student and the students in the classroom as a whole. Results demonstrated decreases in disruptive behaviors and increases in academically engaged behaviors during intervention phases as compared to baseline and withdrawal phases in Classrooms A and C, and to a slightly lesser extent in Classroom B. Limitations of the present study and directions for future research are discussed.
Doctoral dissertation: http://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/223/
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/67"],"dc:subject":["interdependent","group contingency","classroom","intervention","Tootling","Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms","Child Psychology","Psychology","School Psychology"],"dc:title":["The Effects of the Tootling Intervention Using Daily Reinforcement"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:44:27Z"}