Acceptability, defined as the perception that an intervention is appropriate, fair, and reasonable, is crucial to assess during implementation (Kazdin, 1981). Despite its original conceptualization as a dynamic process, repeated assessments have appeared in only a small fraction of intervention research. Previous studies did not report or analyze differences in acceptability across sessions. We know of no study analyzing the stability of acceptability ratings across sessions among elementary school students. The present study served as a proof of concept, implementing a 6-week performance feedback writing intervention with 45 fourth-grade students and assessing acceptability after each session. Related outcomes, including writing productivity and intervention comprehension, were also investigated. Results indicated that acceptability and comprehension did not significantly vary across sessions. A statistically significant within-student relationship emerged between writing productivity and acceptability, supporting the established relationship between intervention effectiveness and acceptability. Although students did not experience coordinated changes in acceptability between sessions, repeated measurements could highlight dynamic patterns in other interventions, particularly ones with more situational variation, rather than presuming acceptability is static. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Young et al. (Mon,) studied this question.