Date of Award
2026
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Counseling and Human Services
First Advisor
Dr. Maria Helton
Abstract
Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can experience challenges learning academic skills, possibly because of altered reinforcement and learning processes. Reinforcement is commonly used to support learning and adaptive behavior; however, research examining continuous and intermittent reinforcement schedules for children with ADHD has produced inconsistent findings. Precision Teaching (PT) is a fluency-based, data-driven instructional approach that emphasizes rate and celeration of behavior and has been shown to effectively support academic learning for individuals with ADHD. This study compared the effects of a continuous reinforcement schedule with a small reinforcer and an intermittent reinforcement schedule with a larger reinforcer on fluency in academic skills in a PT setting. Academic performance was measured using rate and celeration on the Standard Celeration Chart. The results suggested that intermittent reinforcement with a larger reinforcer and continuous reinforcement with a small reinforcer are both effective for increasing fluency on academic skills. These findings may inform decision-making regarding reinforcement schedules for children with ADHD.
Recommended Citation
Pulling, Samantha, "INTERMITTENT VERSUS CONTINUOUS REINFORCEMENT: WHICH IS MORE EFFECTIVE FOR SKILL ACQUISITION IN CHILDREN WITH ADHD USING PRECISION TEACHING?" (2026). Masters Theses. 75.
https://collected.jcu.edu/masterstheses/75
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.