The Social Validity of Teacher Implemented Precision Teaching: Students’ Perspectives

Abstract Social validity is fundamental to upholding the applied and effective domains of ABA, but it remains underreported in the literature. This study aimed to explore the social validity of teacher-implemented Precision Teaching (PT) from a student’s perspective. A total of 81 students from second and third-grade classrooms in educationally disadvantaged schools in the Republic of Ireland participated in this study. Students shared their perspectives of participating in a PT and Frequency Building intervention with the Morningside Math Facts Curriculum. Focus groups were conducted to promote open honest dialogue. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three key themes were generated from the data specifically (a) Students as Active Drives in Their Learning, (b) Learning Can Be Hard. Nurturing Environments Are Key, (c) Punished by Rewards? Fostering Engagement through Positive Reinforcement. Generally, students’ accounts portrayed PT as a socially valid approach to learning across all three levels of social validity: the social significance of their goals, the social appropriateness of procedures, the social importance of effects. Implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed alongside strengths, limitations and recommendations for future research.