Activity

Gain experience collecting data using both duration recording and latency recording.

By collecting data, educators can determine whether a student’s behavior is problematic and warrants intervention. Before they can do so, they must first operationally define the target behavior, or the behavior to be changed. In an operational definition, a behavior is explicitly or clearly defined so that it is measurable, can be identified by two or more observers, and can be identified across time and in different settings or contexts. Once educators operationally define the target behavior, they should choose a data collection system that provides the most accurate picture of student performance in the classroom. Two such methods are duration and latency recording.

Duration recording documents how long a student engages in a specified behavior. This type of data collection is appropriate for behaviors that have a distinct beginning and ending or for those that occur at very high rates (e.g., having a tantrum, being out of seat, not completing a task). To collect data on the duration of a behavior:

1. Start the stopwatch when the behavior begins.
2. Stop the stopwatch when the behavior ends.
3. Record the length of time the behavior occurred.
4. Repeat the above steps until the end of the observation period.
5. Calculate the total duration by adding together the duration of all episodes within the observation period.

Educators can report duration data in terms of the average duration per observation period (the total duration a student is engaged in the behavior and the number of observational periods) if the observation period is consistent (e.g., 15 minutes). For example, the student is given five minutes at the end of a class each day to work on homework. The student works on homework for a total of 15 minutes across five days. To calculate the average duration the student worked on homework, divide 15 minutes by five days. The average duration is three minutes per day.

Educators can also report the percentage of time the student engaged in the behavior. If the observation periods vary in length, the percentage of time the student engaged in the behavior can be calculated by dividing the total minutes of the behavior’s duration by the number of minutes in the observation period, then multiplying the quotient by 100. The ABC model is used to identify the antecedents (A) that set the stage for the problem behavior (B) to occur and the consequences (C) that appear to be maintaining the problem behavior. An observer might collect data over several sessions before obtaining enough information for a clear ABC pattern to emerge. This usually requires eight to 10 occurrences of the problem behavior (except in cases of extreme behaviors, such as fighting or self-injurious actions). In addition to recording the ABC events, the observer should note the setting and the time of day in which the behavior took place, as well as the persons involved.

Latency recording measures the amount of time that lapses between an antecedent (e.g., teacher’s directive) and when the student begins to perform a specified behavior. This type of data collection is appropriate for behaviors that follow a command or directive, or a distinct stimulus. For example, the teacher might expect the student to be seated and ready for class within 10 seconds of the bell ringing. To collect data on latency:

1. Start the stopwatch when the antecedent is provided.
2. Stop the stopwatch when the behavior occurs.
3. Record the number of seconds or minutes that elapsed between the end of the antecedent and the onset of the behavior.
4. Repeat the above steps until the end of the observation period.

1. Play the IRIS video, then use the duration recording form to record instances of the student’s off-task behavior.
2. Review the video again and use the latency recording form to record how long it takes the student to begin a task after the teacher gives a prompt. Be sure to use the stopwatch when recording your data. 
3. Answer the following questions.
   1. According to the duration data, what percentage of time was the student off task?
   2. Do you think the percentage of time that the student was engaged in off-task behavior is problematic? Explain.
   3. According to the latency data, when the teacher gave the initial directive for the class to begin working, how long was it before the student began the task?
   4. After redirecting the student, how long was it before the student began the task?
   5. Do you think the amount of time it took the student to begin the task after the teacher’s initial directions is problematic? How about after being redirected? Explain.

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