Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Anne Toth
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
adult learning, barriers, children, collaboration, community of practice, community of practitioners, early intervention, early intervention system, early interventionists, facilitator, federal law, implementation, informal learning, interventions, knowledge, natural environments, natural learning environment practices, NLEP, participation, practitioner development, practitioners, professional development, qualitative data, rural communities, safe environment, skill development, teacher education, teacher training, trust, varying outcomes, workplace learning
Abstract
The problem addressed in this applied dissertation project was that children in a rural four-county early intervention system were not receiving interventions in natural environments as mandated by federal law. The purpose of this applied dissertation project was to assess to what extent a community of practice approach increased early interventionists knowledge, skill, and implementation of natural learning environment practices (NLEP).
The writer formed a community of practitioners interested in increasing their knowledge, skills, and implementation of these practices. They met on a regular basis engaging in various activities to address personal and systems barriers to implementing NLEP. The group collectively decided what information they needed and how they wanted to obtain that information.
An analysis of the data revealed that the community of practice approach was effective in increasing practitioners’ knowledge, skills, and implementation of NLEP to varying degrees. Types and amount of participation resulted in variations in outcomes for the participants. On many outcomes, the participants that consistently received higher scores on various aspects of participation made significantly higher gains in their knowledge, skills, and implementation of NLEP. Characteristics of the group that practitioners felt were important were extrapolated from the qualitative data. They included a sense of focus, challenge without judgment, trust in the facilitator, and a feeling that the group was a “safe” place to voice challenges and weaknesses.