Background/Purpose: Despite the recommendations for the use of token economies (Lavay, French, & Henderson, 2006), few studies have examined their effectiveness within physical education settings. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a token economy on the overhand throw performance of elementary physical education students.
Method: Nine second grade students were selected from an intact class. Students participated in ten overhand throw sessions, consisting of five throws per session. A multielement design (i.e., single-case design variation) was used, consisting of two alternating phases: baseline and token economy. During baseline phases, participants performed the throwing task while peers performed a process assessment. During token economy phases, token reinforcement was added; peers rewarded their partners with tokens based on the results of their assessment.
Analysis/Results: The researcher observed videos of each trial and assigned each a score (i.e., the skill was divided into four components; one point was awarded for each component performed correctly). Scores for baseline and token sessions were plotted on a graph and inspected for response differentiation between the two phases. Analysis revealed the token economy was effective in six out of nine participants. Additionally, eight out of nine participants increased the number of overhand components performed correctly during token phases by 10 to 27% per session.
Conclusions: A functional relation between token reinforcement and overhand throw performance was evident in most participants. Therefore, token reinforcement can be effective in helping students increase achievement and can be an effective tool for physical educators.