Date of Award:

5-2024

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling

Committee Chair(s)

Thomas S. Higbee

Committee

Thomas S. Higbee

Committee

Timothy A. Slocum

Committee

Casey Clay

Committee

Gregory Madden

Committee

Amy Odum

Abstract

Since many educators receive little-to-no formal training in evidence-based classroom management strategies, it may be helpful to train general education teachers in strategies that direct them to the underlying causes of problem behavior. One such strategy is functional behavior assessment, which is the process of gathering information to determine the function of problem behavior, or why behavior is occurring. One potentially effective way of training teachers in this process may be to use an interactive computer training, which has previously been used to train a variety of complex behavior analytic skills with other populations. In the current study, we trained four general education teachers (grades K - 8th) in a function-based approach to problem behavior using an interactive computer training. We evaluated the effects of the training using a multiple baseline across participants design, measuring participants' percentage correct composite scores in assessment sessions. Composite scores represented participants' overall accuracy collecting structured antecedent-behavior-consequence data from video examples, analyzing descriptive data presented in charts, and selecting, function-matched interventions. We also assessed whether the skills trained generalized to longer videos by calculating the percentage of Generalization Probes components participants included in their baseline and post-training narrative responses. We found that only one of four teachers (P6) achieved mastery-level performances in post-training assessment session composite scores. However, we also found that three of four participants (P1, P6, and P7) included a greater percentage of response components in post-training Generalization Probes after completing the interactive computer training. Potential explanations for these performances are discussed. We also explored the relationship between measures of within-session responding in the interactive computer training modules and training outcomes. Finally, we collected social validity data to assess participants' perceptions of the interactive computer training and the content covered within. Social validity data revealed that three of four participants (P1, P6, and P7) found the fully-remote training to be acceptable and all participants reported that learning about function-based approach to problem behavior was beneficial. We conclude by discussing ways the interactive computer training and the methods of assessing skill acquisition used in this study might be improved in future research.

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