Meta-Analysis of Behavioral Self-Management Interventions in Single-Case Research

The current study meta-analyzed 47 single-subject studies of behavioral self-management interventions that were published between 1971 and 2011. In addition to obtaining an overall measure of effect across all self-management studies (phi = 0.93), analyses were conducted to assess whether treatment effectiveness was moderated by factors such as student characteristics (e.g., grade level, student disability) or the intervention components included. Although no significant differences were identified depending on the grade level of the student or educational setting, lower effect sizes were identified for students diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and specific learning disabilities. Additionally, stronger effect sizes were identified in those studies that (a) assessed student rating accuracy, (b) asked students to reflect on their behavior over a period of time, and (c) did not incorporate evaluation or rewards. The implications of these findings for applied use and future research are discussed.