~Measuring Behavior~
Data Collection
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Welcome!
Welcome!
This site was created to provide staff with data collection resources related to behavior management. The goal is to help staff with collecting behavioral data to support increasing positive behaviors and/or decreasing negative behaviors.
The site includes the following:
Different Ways to Collect Data
Analyzing Data
Reporting Outcomes and Findings
Where to Begin
Where to Begin
1. Operationally define the behavior you wish to observe. The challenging behavior must be defined in clearly observable terms so the behavior can be observed and monitored by multiple people (who may have varying levels of familiarity with the student) and measured (to determine if the student is or is not making progress).
2. Decide which type of behavioral recording is best suited to monitor the behavior.
3. Decide when you will observe the behavior. Do you want to observe the behavior in a number of situations or just one (e.g., math class, recess)?
4. Decide how long each of your observations will last. Ten to twenty minutes is usually adequate, but the more time you spend observing, the more accurate your results will be. Repeat your observations at least three more times to give a more representative picture.
5. Observe and record the student's behavior.
Tips On Operationally Defining Behavior:
Describe what the person does and says (avoid labels)
Use active verbs (objective and unambiguous)
No inference about internal states or motivation
Define so that two people could agree
Baseline Data: Data collection must include baseline data. Data on how frequently the challenging behavior is occurring, with what intensity, and/or for how long (duration). Having data for as many dimensions of behavior as possible will allow for the challenging behavior to be monitored sufficiently. It is important that the most appropriate dimensions are selected.
ABC Data
Duration
Frequency/Rate
Interval
Behavior does not occur often
Want to know exact times behavior occurs per day
Behavior is easy to count and length of observation is consistent
Behavior occurs for long periods of time and the beginning and end of the behavior are observable
Behavior does not occur often, but when it does it occurs at for a long time
Want to know the length of time the behavior occurs
Behavior does not occur often
Want to know exact times behavior occurs per day
Behavior is easy to count and length of observation is consistent
Want to know how often or specific times a behavior occurs
Behavior occurs at a high frequency rate
The behavior occurs frequently and the duration is short
Behavior occurs constantly
Latency
Opportunities
Scatterplot
Permanent Product
Want to know how long it takes for student to start engaging in a behavior when presented with an opportunity
Want to know how often student engages in appropriate behavior when given opportunity
Want to know how often or specific times a behavior occurs
Behavior occurs at a high frequency rate
The behavior occurs frequently and the duration is short
Behavior occurs constantly
Want to document a specific intervention (e.g. token economy)
Want extra data to support primary method of data collection
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