Co-Principal Investigators: Schussler, Deborah; Greenberg, Mark

Purpose: In this study, researchers developed and tested a teacher professional development program to enhance middle and high school teachers' capacity for interpersonal communication, conflict management, and social and emotional competencies to create a supportive context for teaching and learning. Interpersonal communication skills are critical to the success of professionals in a variety of settings. These skills are particularly important for teachers, who must learn to interact successfully with a diverse array of students, colleagues, and parents on a daily basis. Teachers with the capacity to provide emotional support and communicate effectively are better prepared to manage student behavior, de-escalate conflict situations, and build more positive relationships with students, colleagues, and parents, resulting in better education outcomes for students.

Project Activities: In Years 1 and 2, the researchers iteratively developed program content, determined the effectiveness of supplemental components, assessed the acceptability and feasibility of program content and materials, and developed valid measures of implementation fidelity. In Year 3, the research team conducted a randomized pilot study to determine promise of the final version of the program.

• A fully developed teacher training program including curriculum, workbook, and training videos illustrating key intervention concepts.
• Evidence that virtual role play is a core intervention component that improves aspects of teacher communication such as fluency.

Structured Abstract

Setting: Study activities took place across 12 diverse school districts located in rural, urban-fringe, and suburban areas of Pennsylvania.

Sample: A combined total of 134 middle and high school teachers and 2,577 students participated in study activities. A total of 19 teachers and 358 students participated in initial development and evaluation activities.  During the second phase of the study, 53 teachers and 1,008 students participated in the evaluation of program content using a Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) component evaluation trial. In the final RCT phase of the study, 62 teachers and 1,211 students participated in study activities.

Intervention: Project RESPECT program content is designed to support teachers' interpersonal communication and conflict management skills to disrupt coercive cycles of interaction that interfere with teaching and learning in the classroom. The content of the curriculum addresses the following core constructs: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, active listening, different forms of communication (e.g., oral, written, nonverbal), assertive communication, and conflict management. The final version of the curriculum is designed to be delivered in approximately 12 contact hours which can be scheduled flexibly across the academic year and 3-5 hours of phone-based coaching. Curriculum content is delivered in a workshop style format and is presented through a combination of direct instruction supplemented with Power Points and handouts, case study analysis and reflection, guided discussions, role playing, experiential activities, and analysis of video vignettes. Extended practice with curriculum concepts is delivered through interactions with one of 8 online virtual role play student-teacher interaction simulations. Implementers may also choose to include an online teacher self-care training, which provides teachers with personalized recommendations, training, and resources for improving their overall level of self-care personal well-being.

Research Design and Methods: The researchers used the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) methodological framework to develop and test the effectiveness of intervention components, followed by a pilot RCT to document the effectiveness of the final intervention package. In Year 1, they engaged in a six-month planning phase, followed by development of program content with feedback from teachers and students gathered through interviews, focus groups, surveys, and field observations. They worked with teachers to develop all elements of the program (scope and sequence of lessons, activities, Power Points, knowledge assessments, and workbooks) and supplementary components (self-care activities, virtual role play, and coaching protocol). They developed the virtual role play using the Paradigm for Dialogue System Evaluation (PARADISE) protocol to design and assess the quality of the virtual role play application. In Year 2, the researchers tested the effectiveness of individual components (e.g., the core curriculum, the coaching) using a MOST factorial design. In the final year, the researchers randomly assigned teachers to participate in the professional development or a wait-list control group to determine its promise for changing targeted outcomes. The researchers evaluated acceptability and usability of the program during each phase of the study.

Control Condition: Teachers randomly assigned to the control group were placed on a wait-list to receive the professional development after the pilot study was completed.

Key Measures:  The researchers evaluated fidelity and acceptability through interviews with teachers, audio recordings of coaching sessions, direct observation, and teacher report using the Behavior Intervention Rating Scale. The researchers developed and validated measures of intervention fidelity. Teachers completed self-report measures including the Teacher Efficacy Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, Toronto Empathy Scale, Implicit Theories of Intelligence, Mindfulness in the Classroom Scale, Emotional Labor Scale, Classroom Management Profile, Teacher Verbal & Non-Verbal Behavior Scale, and Teacher Withitness Scale. Students completed complimentary reports of teacher behavior using the Teacher Verbal and Nonverbal Scale, Teacher Withitness scale, and Mindfulness in the Classroom Scale. In addition, students completed several self-report measures including the Academic Competence and Evaluation Scales, Implicit Theories of Intelligence Scales, Grit-Short Scale, and Responsive Environmental Assessment for Classroom Teaching Scales (REACT). The researchers conducted blinded observations using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS-Secondary Version). The emotional, cognitive, and structural components of teacher and student speech during routine instruction was transcribed and then analyzed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) framework.

Data Analytic Strategy: The researchers analyzed data from teacher interviews, narrative feedback in teacher logs, focus group data, and field notes by developing descriptive codes, parsimonious categories, and the iterative formulation of an organizational scheme for the entire set of categories. They used axial coding to analyze findings related to specific lessons and convergence and divergence across user groups. They used descriptive statistics to analyze quantitative data derived from teacher ratings. The researchers evaluated intervention effectiveness and the value added of supplemental components using paired t-tests and analysis of covariance.

Products and Publications

ERIC Citations:Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.

Select Publications

Schussler, D. L., Frank, J. L., Lee, T. K. & Mahfouz, J. (2017). Using virtual role-play to enhance teacher skills in responding to bullying. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education 25(1), 91–120.

Additional online resources and information: RESPECT training is currently hosted on a YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I7TD0Egj7g#action=share).