Project Activities
The research team will use a combination of qualitative (focus groups and interviews) and quantitative (single-case design studies) methods to iteratively develop and refine the AVID training modules and test their feasibility and usability. Following development of the AVID training modules, a pilot randomized controlled trial will test the promise of the modules for improving preservice teachers' implementation of function-based intervention.
Structured Abstract
Setting
The development-stage research will take place in Tennessee and Utah, at university-based and elementary school settings. The pilot study will take place in university settings in Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia.
Sample
Focus groups will include three of each type of participant: adults with autism, parents of children with autism, in-service teachers of students with autism, university instructors of classroom management courses, school-level administrators, and district-level administrators. Approximately six preservice teachers and six students with autism and challenging behavior and their parents will participate in the first set of single-case design studies and an additional 6 to 10 preservice teachers will participate in a second set of single-case design studies. For the pilot study, approximately 60 preservice teachers will participate. Eligible teachers will include those enrolled in programs to prepare them to serve elementary school students with autism.
Intervention
AVID training modules will leverage VR-based technology to provide opportunities for teachers to practice and receive feedback without support from a live trainer. Modules will instruct teachers on how to design and implement a function-based intervention process informed by trial-based functional analysis. Trial-based functional analysis allows implementers to determine the function of challenging behavior via brief trials embedded into daily activities. Trials typically aim to demonstrate that the behavior does not occur in the absence of a situation thought to set off the behavior and to observe whether the behavior occurs in the presence of the potential triggering situation. Modules will include tutorials on aspects of trial-based functional analysis. The VR component includes simulated experiences that approximate real classroom settings and provide an opportunity for preservice teachers to practice addressing challenging behavior and receive corrective feedback. Teachers will receive contingent and immediate feedback following errors associated with movements and vocalizations that occur before or in response to child-avatar behavior. After trials in which errors occur, brief video models will highlight correct steps and teachers may try again. When techniques are executed correctly in a trial, modules will document mastery and advance to subsequent steps.
Research design and methods
To begin, the research team will develop initial versions of the training content and conduct focus groups with adults with autism, parents, and teachers to inform revisions. They will then conduct single-case design studies with preservice teacher and student dyads to test the feasibility, usability, and fidelity of the modules, first without and then with the VR simulations. These studies will also be used to determine whether the training results in improved teacher practices and reduced challenging behavior for students. Following these studies, the research team will conduct interviews with teachers and parents. Additional single-case design studies will be conducted with preservice teachers only to test features of the VR technology. Focus groups will be conducted with university instructors and school and district administrators to inform revisions. Throughout development, the team will consult an advisory board of experts in function-based intervention; school-based intervention; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and dissemination and commercialization. To test the promise of the modules for improving preservice teachers' implementation of trial-based functional analysis and intervention, the research team will conduct a randomized controlled trial in which preservice teachers will be assigned to the intervention or control condition.
Control condition
In the pilot study, preservice teachers in the control condition will receive business-as-usual instruction in their behavior-management courses.
Key measures
During the development-stage research, the team will assess feasibility and usability of the AVID modules via surveys, interviews, rating scales, focus groups, and fidelity checklists. The team will evaluate student outcomes using several measures of behavior, including direct measures of challenging behavior that occur within the context of the trial-based functional analysis, parent and teacher reports of the daily occurrence and impact of challenging behavior during typical activities, and the Social Skills Improvement System rating scales. Outcomes for the pilot study will include module-specific fidelity during role plays assessed through checklists, module-specific content knowledge as measured by multiple-choice tests, and case study analysis. The case study analysis, serving as a comprehensive evaluation of teachers' understanding of and ability to apply the AVID training module content to a student, will involve case conceptualization, assessment and intervention design, data interpretation, and iterative problem solving.
Data analytic strategy
Focus group and interview data generated during the development stage will be analyzed using open coding followed by thematic analysis. Single-case design data will be analyzed using visual analysis and descriptive statistics. For the pilot study, module-specific outcome data (fidelity during role plays and content knowledge tests given at the start and end of each module) will be analyzed using multilevel regression models, with module scores nested within preservice teachers, to generate effect size estimates. Data gathered from the case study analysis at the start and end of the pilot study will be analyzed using regression to determine additional effect size estimates.
Cost analysis strategy
The research team will use the ingredients method to identify the costs associated with the AVID training modules across the domains of personnel, equipment, supplies, training, and space. The team will use cost data to determine the per-teacher cost of the intervention and compare this cost with the business-as-usual condition. They will also calculate a cost-effectiveness ratio.
Products and publications
Products: This project will result in a series of fully automated modules on how to implement trial-based intensive intervention for preservice special education teachers preparing to serve students with autism in elementary school. The project will also result in peer-reviewed publications and presentations as well as additional dissemination products that reach education stakeholders such as practitioners and policymakers.
ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.
Supplemental information
Co-Principal Investigators: Balakrishnan, Bimal; Clay, Casey; Rispoli, Mandy
Questions about this project?
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