Project Activities
The research team will iteratively develop and test the intervention across three phases. In Phase 1, feedback from focus groups of teachers and paraprofessionals, and additional consultation with select teachers, will be used to gather feedback on barriers, changes, and ideas for enhancing the program. The program will be revised based on this feedback. In Phase 2, the research team will collect information on the program's feasibility, usability, and preliminary promise through two single-case design studies. In Phase 3, the program will be pilot tested in a quasi-experimental, matched comparison group study to determine its promise for improving teacher and student outcomes post-program and at 3-month follow up.
Structured Abstract
Setting
The research will take place in elementary schools in California and Massachusetts.
Sample
Phase 1 research activities will include approximately 20 general education kindergarten through 2nd grade teachers and paraprofessionals. In Phase 2, approximately eight general education teachers and eight of their students with ASD will participate in the single-case design studies. For the pilot study, the sample will include 30 teacher-student dyads.
The project will result in a professional development program with three components: (1) a set of online training modules that provide information on ASD, strategies for managing behaviors and symptoms in the classroom, guidance in making accurate attributions for children's challenging behaviors, strategies for forming close and low-conflict relationships, and direct instruction techniques; (2) a teacher-as-interviewer training on how to conduct relationship-building interviews with parents of students with ASD; and (3) a Time2Connect component, which involves training and coaching to support teachers in conducting daily one-on-one relationship-building interactions with students with ASD. Teachers will engage in each component sequentially, enabling them to apply the knowledge gained from the online modules to conduct interviews with parents and to conduct relationship-building activities with students with ASD.
Research design and methods
In Phase 1, the research team will conduct focus groups with general education teachers and paraprofessionals to gather feedback on barriers, changes, and ideas for enhancing the program. They will also select teacher consultants to participate in additional interviews. These teachers will include ones who were particularly helpful in initial focus groups as well as new teachers. Teacher consultants will review and try each part of the program and reflect on its usability, feasibility, and social validity. Throughout Phase 1, the research team will revise the program based on this feedback. In Phase 2, two single-case multiple-probe design studies will be conducted to assess the program's feasibility, usability, and preliminary promise for improving student-teacher relationships. In Phase 3, the program will be pilot tested in a quasi-experimental matched comparison group study to determine its promise for improving teacher knowledge and skills; student-teacher relationships; and students' social, behavioral, and academic outcomes at the conclusion of the program and a 3-month follow up. Participating teachers will be matched based on the size of their school, years of teaching experience, and grades taught.
Control condition
For the Phase 3 pilot study, teachers in the control condition will continue their typical instruction.
Key measures
: Feasibility, usability, and acceptability will be assessed using focus groups and a researcher-developed usability and feasibility survey. Fidelity will be assessed using a variety of methods, including system usage data from the online platform as well as researcher-developed fidelity checklists (teacher self-report and observational). Teacher outcomes related to knowledge of ASD, self-efficacy for teaching students with ASD, expectations of student ability and behavior, student-specific knowledge, and parent-teacher relationship quality will be assessed using existing and newly-developed teacher-reported measures. Student-teacher relationship quality will be measured via observational ratings on the Individualized Classroom Assessment Scoring System (inCLASS) and through teacher-report on the Student Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS). In the behavioral domain, students' compliance and on-task behavior will be assessed using the Teacher Report Form (TRF) and the inCLASS respectively. Academic engagement will be assessed with the Academic Engagement Scale, and students' social skills will be measured using the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS-T) and the inCLASS.
Data analytic strategy
During the development of the intervention, focus group and interview data will be analyzed using an inductive approach based on grounded theory to identify themes, and findings will be used to guide changes and enhancements to the professional development program. Data from the single-case design studies will be analyzed using visual analysis to determine effects of each program component on teacher-student relationship quality. Researchers will also calculate between-case standardized mean effect sizes. Quantitative data on feasibility, usability, social validity, and fidelity surveys will be analyzed descriptively. After evaluating baseline equivalence between the intervention and comparison groups, the pilot study will use analyses of covariance and effect sizes to evaluate the promise of the program in improving teacher, student, and relational outcomes.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
Products and publications
Products: This project will result in a fully developed program designed to improve general education teachers' readiness to teach students with ASD, student-teacher relationÂships, and student outcomes. Products will also include peer-reviewed publications and presentations.
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Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
