Improving students' perceptions of a mathematics assignment by increasing problem completion rates: Is problem completion a reinforcing event?

Sixth-grade students were given 8 minutes per assignment to work computation problems on a mathematics assignment containing 25 four-digit by one-digit problems (control condition) and an assignment containing 25 similar problems plus nine interspersed one-digit plus one-digit problems (experimental condition). As expected, total problem completion rates were higher on the experimental assignment. When presented with a choice for their third assignment, significantly more students chose the experimental assignment, even though it contained more problems. Current results showed that interspersing additional tasks that take relatively less time to complete can improve students' preference for assignments without reducing assignment demands (i.e., watering down the curricula). Discussion focuses on future applied and theoretical research related to task completion as a reinforcing event, schedules of reinforcement, student preference, and student choice.