Vol. 1(2) SEP 2011 - SAVAP International

Academic Research International
ISSN: 2223-9553
Volume 1, Issue 2, September 2011
for each session during the reading racetrack phases. Unfortunately, we could not provide
any evidence that the reading intervention would have been effective without the use of our
reward system.
The present research adds to the growing literature on the positive outcomes when racetrack
procedures are employed (McLaughlin, Weber, Derby, Hyde, Violette, Barton, et al.,
2009). The present outcomes replicate our previous research (Anthony et al., 1997; Falk et
al., 2003; Printz et al., 2006; Rinaldi & McLaughlin, 1996; Rinaldi et al., 1997). Also, we
were able to demonstrate that reading racetracks could be effective with a student with mild
intellectual disabilities. Racetrack procedures could be employed with other subject matter
areas such as math (Beveridge, Weber, Derby, & McLaughlin, 2005). Additional research in
such subject-matter areas such as spelling, social studies, and science appears warranted.
This study demonstrates that reading racetracks paired with flashcards and a reward system
was an effective way to teaching sight words to two participants with moderate disabilities in
a self-contained classroom. To better evaluate the effects of reading racetracks, data could be
gathered from various settings and with students with various disabilities. Finally, one could
compare the effects of reading racetracks with and without employing a reward system. One
could employ an alternating treatments design (Barlow et al., 2008) to add and remove such a
system across racetracks as a way to assess its contributions of classroom reward procedures.
AKNOWLEDGEMENT
The researcher would like to thank the participants and their parents for their cooperation, support,
and enthusiasm for learning. Also, we would like to extend her gratitude toward the cooperating
teachers for their assistance and guidance throughout this study.
Author(s) Note
This research was completed in partial fulfillment for the Bachelor of Education in Special Education
at Gonzaga University. Requests for reprints should be addressed to the authors, Department of
Special Education, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA 99258-0025 or via email at
mclaughlin@gonzaga.edu
REFERENCES
Adams, G. L. (1990). Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print. Cambridge, MA: MIT
Press.
Alberto, P. A., & Troutman, A. (2008). Applied behavior analysis for teachers (8 th ed.).
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall/Pearson.
Upper
Arkoosh, M., Weber, K. P., & McLaughlin, T. F. (2009). The effects of motivational/reward system
and a spelling racetrack on spelling performance in general education: A case report. The Open
Education Journal, 2, 17-20.
Askov, E. N. (1991). Literacy: Impact on the workplace, family, and school. Education, 111,
542,548.
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