THE EFFECTS OF SELF-EVALUATION AND BEHAVIOR STANDARD SETTINGS ON TOOTHBRUSHING BEHAVIOR IN A PRESCHOOL CLASSROOM

Abstract

The present study was designed to investigate whether 7 preschool children brushed their teeth by self-evaluation (SE), and to compare the effects of general behavior standard settings with specific ones. The reversal design of single subject designs was used in the present study consisting of 9 phases: 1) pre-check, 2) baseline I, 3) baseline I, 4) SE I, 5) baseline III, 6) SE II, 7) baseline IV, 8) SE IE III, and 9) revised SE. On SE I II III, judgements of SE were based on general behavior standard and revised SE was based on two kinds of specific behavior standards. The results were as follows: (1) children could regulate their toothbrushing behaviors by self-evaluation in a preschool classroom, and (2) it was necessary to set specific behavior standards for SE, then toothbrushing behaviors were remarkably improved.