Application of Single Subject Experimental Designs in Adapted

Physical Activity Research: A Descriptive Analysis

Jiabei ZhangWestern Michigan University

Ying QiColumbia Middle School

Application of Single Subject Experimental Designs in Adapted Physical Activity Research: A Descriptive Analysis

> Introduction> Method> Results> Discussion> Conclusion

Application of Single Subject Experimental Designs in Adapted Physical Activity Research: A Descriptive Analysis

> Introduction~ What are single subject research designs - Small number of Participants . A single participant . Several participants - Time series with two conditions . A baseline condition . An intervention condition ‘ Two conditions are repeated ` Reversal ` Multiple

Application of Single Subject Experimental Designs in Adapted Physical Activity Research: A Descriptive Analysis

> Introduction~ Why use single subject research designs - Hard to find a large of participants - Hard to use same dependent tests~ Application in many areas in researching - Behavioral psychology - Special education - Adapted physical education~ What is the profile of research using subject research designs in adapted physical education?

Application of Single Subject Experimental Designs in Adapted Physical Activity Research: A Descriptive Analysis

> Method~ Data source: All research articles using single subject experimental designs published in the journal of Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly from 1984 to 2013 ~ Code categories and sub-categories: - (a) the size of sample: small or large - (b) the age of participants: children or adults - (c) the type of disabilities: mental or physical - (d) the type of analysis: descriptive or inferred

Application of Single Subject Experimental Designs in Adapted Physical Activity Research: A Descriptive Analysis

> Method~ Code categories and sub-categories: - (e) the type of designs: multiple, repeat, other - (f) the independent variables: 4, e.g., therapy - (g) the dependent variables: desired behavior~ Data coding: two independent people: - Graduate student - Instructor in adapted physical education~ Data analysis: - Descriptive statistics: #s and %s - Trend inspection: over 30 years

Application of Single Subject Experimental Designs in Adapted Physical Activity Research: A Descriptive Analysis

> Results ~ the interrater reliability: mean = 96%

Category Agreement Disagreement Coefficient

The size of sample 27 0 100.00%

The age of participants 27 0 100.00%

The type of disabilities 27 0 100.00%

The type of data analysis 25 2 92.59%

The type of designs 24 3 88.88%

The independent

variable

23 4 85.18%

The dependent variable 23 4 85.18%

Mean --- -- 93.12%

~ The Proportion of Completed Research Articles Using Single Subject Designs in Research

> Results

Application of Single Subject Experimental Designs in Adapted Physical Activity Research: A Descriptive Analysis

Total Articles with SSED (A) Total Research Articles

(B)

% of A in B

27 661 4.08

Application of Single Subject Experimental Designs in Adapted Physical Activity Research: A Descriptive Analysis> Results

~ Descriptive Statistics of Coding Subcategories in the Seven Categories of Analysis Category

Subcategory

Descriptive Statistics

f %

The size of sample

Small sample size (< 10)

Large sample size (≥ 10)

The age of participants

Children (< 18 years old)

Adults (≥ 18 years old)

 

25 92.59

2 7.41

 

18 66.66

9 33.34

Application of Single Subject Experimental Designs in Adapted Physical Activity Research: A Descriptive Analysis

> Results~ Descriptive Statistics of Coding

Subcategories in the Seven Categories of Analysis The type of disabilities

Learning/behaviors impairments

Physical/health impairments

The type of data analysis

Visual inspection with descriptive statistics

Visual inspection with inferred statistics

The type of designs

Multiple baseline design

 

23 85.19

4 14.81

 

22 81.48

5 18.52

 

12 44.44

Application of Single Subject Experimental Designs in Adapted Physical Activity Research: A Descriptive Analysis

> Results~ Descriptive Statistics of Coding

Subcategories Basic reversal design

Other designs

The independent variable

Therapy treatment

Inclusion research

Teaching procedure

Consequence study

Antecedent research

The dependent variable

Desired behaviors

Undesired behaviors

Compound behaviors

8 29.63

7 25.93

 

8 29.63

6 22.22

6 22.22

5 18.52

2 7.41

 

2 1 77.77

2 7.41

4 14.81

Application of Single Subject Experimental Designs in Adapted Physical Activity Research: A Descriptive Analysis

> Results~ The number of Research Articles Using

Single Subject Designs Published over 30 years

Phase

Period

Phase I

1989-

1993

Phase II

1989-

1993

Phase III

1994-

1998

Phase IV

1999-

2003

Phase V

2004-

2008

Phase VI

2009-

2013

Articles 7 6 4 3 3 4

> Discussion~ A total of 10 characteristics - A small portion in APAQ - Using a small sample size - Using children as subjects - Focusing on learning/behavior impairments - Visual inspection with descriptive statistics - Using more multiple baseline designs - More on therapy, inclusion, and strategy - Measure more desired behaviors - Showing a decreasing trend over years

Application of Single Subject Experimental Designs in Adapted Physical Activity Research: A Descriptive Analysis

Application of Single Subject Experimental Designs in Adapted Physical Activity Research: A Descriptive Analysis

> Conclusion~ Profile: a small portion of articles used single subjects designs, in which most researchers used a small sample size, recruited children as subjects, emphasized learning and behavior impairments, selected visual inspection with descriptive statistics in the data analysis, preferred a multiple baseline design, focused on effects of therapy, inclusion, and strategy, and measured desired behaviors more often, with a decreasing trend over years 1984-2013.