Evaluating the Efficacy, Preference, and Cultural Responsiveness of Student-Generated Content in an Undergraduate Behavioral Course

Abstract

Increasing diversity in the field of behavior analysis may begin with an evaluation of culturally responsive practices in the college classroom. This study leveraged the various backgrounds of students in a university nationally recognized for diversity to evaluate the effects of peer-generated course materials on student performance in an undergraduate behavior analysis course. First, graduate students created multimedia examples (videos, pictures) of the behavioral principles in their everyday lives. Next, we curated an online bank of these examples corresponding to 4 topics (respondent conditioning, reinforcement, antecedent control, extinction and punishment) taught in an undergraduate behavior analysis course. We used a multiple-probe and between-group design to evaluate the effects of these peer-generated materials as supplements to traditional instruction. Students showed evidence of concept acquisition on all topics. However, results showed that peer-generated examples, as supplements to textbook and lectures, did not enhance students' performance on knowledge assessments but were rated by students as more preferred, culturally responsive, and diverse than textbook examples.