Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

1-1-2023

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Khrystyna Bednarchyk

Keywords

behavioral skills training; classroom management; function-based interventions; functional behavior assessment; teacher training

Abstract

Effects of Behavioral Skills Training on Functional Behavior Assessment Teacher Training to Improve Classroom Management Skills. Sheryl Stafford, 2023: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: behavioral skills training, classroom management, function-based interventions, functional behavior assessment, teacher training This applied dissertation was designed to improve educational professionals and paraprofessionals’ knowledge and skills on functional behavior assessment procedures as they relate to and assist with classroom management. Educators and school personnel are not prepared to manage challenging behaviors in their classrooms. Functional behavior assessment is an evidence-based strategy that could benefit educational professionals by identifying the function of any behavior that is targeted for improvement or reduction. Even though the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 mandates the use of functional behavior assessment for students with disabilities who display challenging behaviors, the assessment procedures are not included in teacher training. Previous research has identified behavioral skills training as an effective model that has been successfully used to train educators on a variety of different skills. This study examined the effects of a behavioral skills training model on education professionals and paraprofessionals’ knowledge and skill acquisition in the area of functional behavior assessment. Four participants were recruited for this study. Relying on a multiple baseline across participants research design, the participants were trained to identify four common functions of behavior, three-term contingency, and functional redirection strategies. As part of the behavioral skills training, the researcher conducted a didactic training that was followed by practice sessions that involved a variety of real-life scenarios with feedback. The participants then returned to their classrooms to determine if the newly acquired functional behavior assessment knowledge and skills could be generalized to the classroom environment. All four participants displayed an increase in knowledge in basic functional behavior assessment procedures as determined by the analysis of the pre- and post-assessment data and interpretation of the line graph that demonstrated ascending trend during intervention and generalization phases of the study. The behavioral skills training model is an effective, evidence-based training approach designed to teach functional behavior assessment to education professionals and paraprofessionals.

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