Teaching Students with Severe Emotional or Behavioral Disorders to Use a Musical Mnemonic Technique to Solve Basic Division Calculations

A multiple-baseline across-subjects design using a multiple-probe technique was employed to functionally assess the effects of teaching three students with severe emotional or behavioral disorders to use a mnemonic to solve basic division fact calculations. The results of this pilot study indicate that instruction in the use of the technique did increase the percentage of correct basic division facts calculated on independent work samples for all three students. The discussion reflects the authors’ optimism about the potential of the use of mnemonics with students with emotional or behavioral disorders and suggests the need for further research, as well as methodological considerations for that research.