Staying on Task: Use of Self-Monitoring and Peer Coaching to Support Inclusive Postsecondary Education

ABSTRACT

Although applications (apps) for technology-based self-monitoring have received little attention in the literature for college-level students with intellectual disability (ID) in inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) programs at institutions of higher education, novel tools regularly arrive and are applied within current support structures. I-Connect, a smartphone or web-based self-monitoring tool, has the potential to be an important instrument for promoting independence and access to inclusive academic and workplace environments. The current study used a multi-treatment A-B-A-B-C withdrawal single-case design to determine the effects of peer coaching and a smartphone-based self-monitoring app on the on-task behavior of a college student with autism and intellectual disability. Measurement included the impact of the I-Connect app and peer tutoring in combination with the app and the social validity of the intervention. Findings demonstrated a functional relation for the use of I-Connect with some limitations. The data showed promise for the addition of peer support and were confirmed by a social validity measure. The combination of technology-based self-monitoring supports with the peer supports typically available in inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) programs can potentially increase key self-determination outcomes. The authors discuss further implications and suggestions for confirming these findings in subsequent inquiries.

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the students and staff of the inclusive postsecondary education program that participated in this study. Without their support and willingness, this research would not have been possible. This research study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Georgia Southern University, approval number H21126.

Disclosure statement

There are no financial or non-financial competing interests to report for this study. The researchers have no connection to the I-Connect software used in this study other than it is free software.

Data availability statement

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was not supported under any grants.