ABSTRACT
A component analysis is an approach where two or more independent variables are evaluated as a package and independently. The approach is used to assess and identify which component of a treatment package is the most effective. The purpose of this review is to document the application of component analyses to improve or mitigate non-academic behaviors with individuals with disabilities. We identified 21 research articles that used a component analysis to evaluate treatment packages with students who were identified as having or at-risk for a disability in classroom and/or alternative settings. Results from reviewing 21 articles (22 cases) indicate that 11 intervention packages had a single component that was critical for successful behavior change. Two articles suggested the entire intervention package was necessary while nine articles did not report a critical component or had variable results pertaining to critical components. The benefits and drawbacks of using component analyses for single case research are discussed. Implications for future research are also presented.
Subject(s)
Disabled Persons , Students , Education , HumansABSTRACT
Literature reviews allow professionals to identify effective interventions and assess developments in research and practice. As in other forms of scientific inquiry, the transparency of literature searches enhances the credibility of findings, particularly in regards to intervention research. The current review evaluated the characteristics of search methods employed in literature reviews appearing in publications concerning behavior analysis (n = 28) from 1997 to 2017. Specific aims included determining the frequency of narrative, systematic, and meta-analytic reviews over time; examining the publication of reviews in specific journals; and evaluating author reports of literature search and selection procedures. Narrative reviews (51.30%; n = 630) represented the majority of the total sample (n = 1,228), followed by systematic (31.51%; n = 387) and meta-analytic (17.18%; n = 211) reviews. In contrast to trends in related fields (e.g., special education), narrative reviews continued to represent a large portion of published reviews each year. The evaluated reviews exhibited multiple strengths; nonetheless, issues involving the reporting and execution of searches may limit the validity and replicability of literature reviews. A discussion of implications for research follows an overview of findings.
