The effect of self-management strategies training on improving on-task behavior in students with learning disabilities

Introduction: Most students with learning disabilities suffer from poor attention to the academic tasks that leads them to various educational problems. Self-management strategies emphasize on the learner’s responsibility for his or her own behavior and boost students’ achievement. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of self-management strategies training on on-task behaviors of students diagnosed as learning disabled. Methods and Materials: The Participants selected for the treatment sessions were 5 students with diagnosis of learning disabilities attending in sub-special psychiatric clinics in Tabriz. Changing criterion design as a type of single subject design was applied and data points for each treatment session were exactly gathered. Self-management strategies training was conducted through 12 sessions (each session lasts about 45 minutes). Results: The findings indicated that self-management improves students’ on-task behaviors and increases their attention to the task. The findings show that self-management is an effective technique for improving students’ academic attainment. Conclusions: Practical implications and recommendations for school psychologists, teachers and clinicians for appropriate application of self-management strategies are discussed.