Assessing teachers' intervention-related expectations and self-efficacy: An examination of the factor structure of the implementation beliefs assessment.

Individual-level determinants are hypothesized to enable or prevent successful implementation of evidence-based practices, yet there are limited options for measuring theory-informed, individual-level determinants that influence teachers' and other implementers' delivery of school-based interventions. The goal of this study was to develop a self-report scale that measures variables that have been associated with initial and sustained behavior change related to school-based intervention implementation according to the health action process approach (HAPA). Participants were a nationally representative sample of kindergarten through Grade 12 public school teachers, stratified by grade level and geographical region. Item generation was based on a systematic review of the literature on outcome expectations and self-efficacy, the core constructs related to initiating and sustaining behavior change from the HAPA and in consultation with the theory developer. The sample was randomly split; half of the sample was used for exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and the other half was used for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The EFA resulted in a final factor structure of three dimensions of the Implementation Beliefs Assessment (IBA): (a) implementation self-efficacy, (b) positive outcome expectations, and (c) negative outcome expectations. This structure was supported in the other half of the sample using CFA. Additional analyses supported the reliability of IBA data. The IBA represents a step forward toward psychometrically sound measurement of factors associated with initial and sustained behavior change. Implications for future research are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Using the Performance Diagnostic Checklist to evaluate and promote paraeducators' treatment fidelity.

Paraeducators, who increasingly serve as implementers for students in special education, can struggle with intervention fidelity. Special educators, often responsible for providing paraeducators with support, receive limited supervision training. From organizational behavior management, the Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services (PDC-HS) is a checklist to detect reasons for poor workplace performance and identify aligned support. Utilizing a multiple baseline design, this study evaluated the impact of PDC-HS indicated implementation support on the intervention fidelity of five paraeducators implementing six behavior intervention plans for students receiving special education services. The PDC-HS indicated that all paraeducators would benefit from behavior skills training and visuals of the plans, in addition to other specific supports for individual paraeducators (e.g., prompts, feedback). These implementation supports were effective in improving intervention fidelity for four paraeducators, whereas one paraeducator (across two students) did not respond to these supports. Changes in student outcomes (i.e., academic engagement, disruptive behavior) were inconsistent, suggesting that the behavior intervention plans may have needed to be revised. Usability data suggested that the PDC-HS and indicated supports were generally acceptable, but revisions may be warranted. The implications of this study for school-based implementation support research are discussed.

Considerations for school psychology to realize its promise: Commentary on the special issue from early career school psychologists.

As early career scholars, we have benefitted from the recommendations made by Conoley and Gutkin nearly 25 years ago. Our training and applied experiences were closely aligned with Conoley and Gutkin's view of school psychology practice. Namely, the content of our courses and our practice of psychology in practicum and internship were reflective of an applied ecological orientation within a prevention framework rather than focused solely on individual level services. As we reflected on the articles in the special issue, and the state of the field moving forward, we identified 2 broad recommendations we believe are integral to realizing the promise of school psychology, the applied use of an implementation science lens and the explicit centering of equity and social justice in school psychology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Increasing implementation science literacy to address the research-to-practice gap in school psychology.

Many evidence-based practices have not achieved their potential to broadly impact student outcomes as schools struggle with their adoption and implementation. This costly and consequential implementation gap must be addressed within school psychology through the focused study of implementation processes and outcomes. Implementation science is a multidisciplinary, translational field focused on increasing the usage and implementation of evidence-based practices into typical practice to improve outcomes. Despite the rapid development of the field of implementation science over the past decade it has been underexamined in school psychology research. As a step toward decreasing the implementation gap, the purpose of this introductory article is to increase school psychology researchers' implementation literacy. Specifically, this article provides an overview of implementation science, including (a) key terminology; (b) theories, models, and frameworks designed to explain, describe, or illustrate implementation processes or constructs; (c) strategies to support implementation across levels (e.g., provider, organization); (d) measures to capture implementation and related context; and (e) utilized research designs. By increasing school psychology researchers' implementation literacy, it is hoped that future research will attend to and evaluate implementation process and outcomes and thus facilitate the adoption and implementation of evidence-based practices to improve student outcomes.

Supporting Out-of-School Time Staff in Low Resource Communities: A Professional Development Approach.

Federally funded out-of-school time (OST) programs provide academic support, enrichment, and safety for students and families in low-resource communities. However, programs struggle to meet these aims, in part because of the lack of program structure and limited training and support for staff. This observational case study documents the training and technical assistance (TA) delivered to OST frontline staff and program leadership to implement Positive Behavior in Out-of-School Time (Positive BOOST), an adaptation of positive behavior interventions and supports conducted in multiple settings. Findings across three programs indicate that varied levels of TA (i.e., business as usual, performance feedback, coaching) are associated with different levels of staff- and program-level implementation. Taken together with previous research, these findings suggest that targeted investment in developing the skills of OST staff and improving program-wide outcomes is critical for supporting youth in low-resource communities.

Evaluating implementation supports delivered within problem-solving consultation.

Teachers participating in problem-solving consultation often struggle to maintain adequate treatment fidelity, which is necessary to improve student outcomes. Low levels of treatment fidelity may result from implementation barriers, such as intervention compatibility, implementer skill, and implementer motivation. This study involves the evaluation of five implementation supports designed to address implementation barriers (i.e., Implementation Planning, Role Play, Participant Modeling, Raising Awareness, Motivational Consulting) within problem-solving consultation. Across 14 randomized individual single-case AB intervention designs, we evaluated the impact of these implementation supports on teacher treatment fidelity of classroom management plans and class-wide academic engagement and disruptive behavior. Visual analysis, descriptive statistics, and randomization test analyses suggest that these implementation supports have the potential to be broadly effective in improving teachers' fidelity and student outcomes. Teachers required a different number of supports to increase fidelity levels and rated the implementation supports positively. Implications of the study's findings are described.

How are treatment integrity data assessed? Reviewing the performance feedback literature.

Collecting treatment integrity data is critical for (a) strengthening internal validity within a research study, (b) determining the impact of an intervention on student outcomes, and (c) assessing the need for implementation supports. Although researchers have noted the increased inclusion of treatment integrity data in published articles, there has been limited attention to how treatment integrity is assessed. The purpose of this study was to review how treatment integrity is typically assessed in single-case design performance feedback articles. Doctoral students in school psychology coded 58 performance feedback studies to determine how treatment integrity data are assessed in this literature, and common intervention characteristics linked to treatment integrity assessment. Findings indicate that, although data were collected most frequently via direct observation by a researcher targeting intervention adherence, intervention characteristics varied widely across studies. Implications of results are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Emailed implementation supports to promote treatment integrity: Comparing the effectiveness and acceptability of prompts and performance feedback.

Teachers struggle to maintain high levels of treatment integrity, which are associated with efficient improvements in student outcomes. To address this challenge, school psychologists can provide implementation support, such as prompts or performance feedback, to increase teachers' treatment integrity when it is low. Implementation prompts are an emerging implementation support having been investigated in one previous study, but are feasible and require little time to provide. Performance feedback is an evidence-based practice, but requires more time for school psychologists to coordinate and deliver. The current study sought to compare the emailed delivery of prompts and performance feedback directly. Three elementary school teachers from a diverse setting participated with their students in this experimental multiple baseline single-case design research study. Teachers were trained to implement a classwide group contingency intervention and, when treatment integrity was low, received prompts and then performance feedback. Direct observation of treatment integrity and classwide behavior indicated that performance feedback was slightly more effective at increasing treatment integrity, but implementation prompts were modestly effective, took less time to provide, and were viewed as more acceptable by teachers. Furthermore, student outcomes (academic engagement and disruptive behavior) were relatively stable across the emailed prompts and performance feedback phases, suggesting the supports were similarly effective. Future research might further investigate these findings and continue to build the research base for implementation supports to promote treatment integrity.

A comparison of problem identification interviews conducted face-to-face and via videoconferencing using the consultation analysis record.

School psychologists who experience challenges delivering face-to-face consultation may utilize videoconferencing to facilitate their consultation activities. Videoconferencing has been found to be an effective method of service delivery in related fields and emerging research suggests that it may be effective for providing teacher training and support in school settings. In this exploratory investigation, we used the Consultation Analysis Record (Bergan & Tombari, 1975) and its four indices to assess the effectiveness of conducting problem identification interviews via videoconferencing versus face-to-face. Overall, findings indicated significant differences across these two conditions, with videoconference interviews coded as having higher indices of content relevance, process effectiveness, and message control, but lower content focus, compared to face-to-face interviews. As these indices have been positively associated with favorable consultation outcomes, the results provide initial support for the effectiveness of consultation delivered via videoconferencing.

An exploratory investigation of teachers' intervention planning and perceived implementation barriers.

Increasingly teachers are the primary implementer responsible for providing evidence-based interventions to students. However, there is little knowledge regarding the extent to which teachers plan for intervention implementation, receive implementation support, or identify and address implementation barriers. This study explores survey data from over 1200 preschool through grade 12 teachers from 46 public school districts in a Northeastern state. Results indicate that teachers spend significant time engaging in intervention-related behavior and may be a primary source responsible for selecting student interventions. However, the current extent to which they plan for implementation and present levels of implementation support are inadequate to produce high levels of sustained intervention implementation. In addition, almost 60% of implementation barriers reported related to aspects of the intervention itself. Findings from this study provide guidance for future research and preliminary recommendations for ameliorating implementation barriers and proactively supporting treatment integrity in schools.

Increasing teacher treatment integrity of behavior support plans through consultation and implementation planning.

School psychologists commonly provide intervention services to children through consultation with teachers. Data suggest, however, that many teacher consultees struggle to implement these interventions. There are relatively few evidence-based strategies for promoting teacher consultees' intervention implementation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate Implementation Planning as a strategy for increasing the adherence and quality with which teacher consultees implemented behavior support plans. Implementation Planning involves adapting intervention steps to the implementation context, providing detailed logistical planning, as well as identifying implementation barriers and developing strategies to address them. Results indicated that teachers' implementation adherence levels increased and quality levels increased with corresponding decreases in variability, compared to standard behavioral consultation. Implications for future research on treatment integrity are discussed.