Project Activities
The research team will refine and complete development of a web-based intervention, Goal Guide, aimed at improving functional outcomes for students with mild or moderate autism. In the first 2 years, the research team will focus on the iterative development of Goal Guide, curriculum integration, and examination of the application's usability and feasibility of implementation. In the final year, Goal Guide will be pilot tested using a within-subjects repeated measures study to evaluate the promise of the intervention for improving students' goal setting and other outcomes.
Structured Abstract
Setting
The study will take place in rural and urban middle and high schools in Oregon.
Sample
Approximately 25 parents and 10 teachers will be recruited to provide design input and to facilitate use and evaluation across school and home settings. The project will involve 40 middle and high school students and students in transition to high school or postsecondary lives with mild to moderate ASD ages 14-21.
Intervention
Goal Guide is a web-based application designed to support the self-management and goal setting of students with mild or moderate autism. Goal Guide promotes self-management through the following steps: (1) create activity goals, (2) monitor their own performance, (3) evaluate progress through accessible information displays, (4) share performance and evaluate goal accomplishment and designated incentives with others, and (5) revise or renew goals. The intervention includes a goal-management mobile application that incorporates a step-by-step guide for using the application, a dashboard facilitating the ease-of-use of the application, and universal design principles. The application also includes an integrated curriculum component, where teachers provide instructional support for key concepts. In order to promote student accountability, teachers and parents stay involved in students' progress through email updates on students' interactions with their goals.
Research design and methods
In the first 2 years, the research team will iteratively develop the web-application, Goal Guide, using feedback collected from multiple sources. In Year 1, the research team will conduct focus groups to obtain usability and feasibility feedback about the intervention. In Year 2, the research team will analyze the usability and feasibility of the intervention through a multiple baseline single-case design study of six high school students with autism. Students will be randomly assigned to the order of starting the program. The research team will collect measures prior to and following the intervention. In Year 3, over the course of 12 weeks, 18 high school students will participate in a within-subject repeated measures study designed to evaluate the promise of Goal Guide. The research team will collect student data prior to, directly following, and 12 weeks following the intervention.
Key measures
The students will be screened for eligibility using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, adaptive behavior assessments, and IQ tests. Students will be assessed on goal accomplishment as measured through Goal Attainment Scaling; student academic and functional outcomes (e.g., student report cards and standardized test scores, content knowledge, goal task performance); and sense of self-determination as measured by the AIR Self-Determination Scale. Teachers' self-efficacy will be assessed using the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale-Short Form-Adapted. Parents', teachers', and students' satisfaction with the intervention will be measured using a researcher-developed survey. Usability, feasibility, and fidelity of implementation data will be collected using observational checklists throughout the study, supplemented by an online implementation checklist.
Data analytic strategy
The research team will analyze data collected from the Year 2 multiple baseline study using visual analysis, trend analysis, and effect sizes. For the pilot study data collected in Year 3, the researchers will conduct analyses of covariance to assess the main effect of using Goal Guide on students' goal-setting and academic and behavioral outcomes.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Products: The products of this project will include a fully developed goal management application with integrated goal-setting curriculum; findings from its evaluation for usability, feasibility, and promise of efficacy; and peer-reviewed publications and presentations to disseminate those findings.
Additional project information
Previous award details:
Previous award number:
R324A160252
Previous awardee:
Supplemental information
Co-Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Sprague (University of Oregon)
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
