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Mind the Gap: Addressing the Need for Post-Graduate Training in Behavioral Assessment and Intervention

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Abstract

School psychologists play a critical role in the provision of functional, student-centered, and data-driven behavioral assessments and intervention. However, research examining their procedural knowledge and comfort conducting these assessments is minimal. In this manuscript, we will review the results of a mixed method study indicating that school psychologists perceive a gap between their knowledge of behavioral assessment and intervention and what they are expected to perform in the educational environment. Future implications and directions are discussed.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to public availability violating the consent that was given by research participants.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX, USA

    Jaime Flowers, Daniel F. McCleary, Dallin Marr & Jessica Cuitareo

  2. Southern California Educational Assessment and Consultation, Irvine, CA, USA

    Stephanie Domzalski

  3. Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA

    Ryan Farmer

Authors
  1. Jaime Flowers
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  2. Stephanie Domzalski
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  3. Daniel F. McCleary
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  4. Ryan Farmer
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  5. Dallin Marr
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  6. Jessica Cuitareo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jaime Flowers.

Ethics declarations

Ethics Approval

Ethical approval was granted by the faculty ethical committee at the host university.

Consent to Participate

All participants provided informed consent.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Appendix

Appendix

Interview Guide

Pre-Professional Training/Early Career

  1. 1.

    Why/how did you choose school psychology?

  2. 2.

    Where did you go to graduate school?

  3. 3.

    Tell me about your graduate school experience. What were the most significant experiences in the classroom or in the field?

  4. 4.

    What kinds of experiences were you provided during your training in the area of behavioral change?

  5. 5.

    What do think were the strengths and limitations of your academic training in the area of behavior change

  6. 6.

    What do think were the strengths and limitations of your field experiences in the area of behavior change?

  7. 7.

    How confident were you during your first year in the area of behavior change?

  8. 8.

    What additional training in behavior change did you receive once you started working?

Current Practice

  1. 9.

    How many years have you worked as an SP?

  2. 10.

    How many at elementary? Middle? High?

  3. 11.

    What do you enjoy most about your job? Why?

  4. 12.

    Is there an area of practice that you feel especially competent in?

  5. 13.

    How did you develop your competence in these areas?

  6. 14.

    Are there areas that you feel less confident in?

  7. 15.

    What do you feel are the most important issues in SP today?

  8. 16.

    How did you learn how to conduct behavioral assessment?

  9. 17.

    Has your approach to conducting behavioral assessments changed over time? Why?

  10. 18.

    What percentage of your time do you spend on behavior assessments (FBAs), intervention planning (BIPs), and behavioral consultation? How does that compare to other aspects of the job?

Current Feelings About Behavioral Assessment/Intervention

  1. 19.

    How do you feel being responsible for conducting behavioral assessments?

  2. 20.

    Have you felt a desire to pursue additional training in behavior change? Why? What has encouraged or impeded the process?

  3. 21.

    What is your approach working with students? Their families?

  4. 22.

    What helped to shape that approach? Who were your biggest influences?

  5. 23.

    Do you think there is one approach to behavioral assessment that is superior to others?

  6. 24.

    What sources do you use to develop your process?

  7. 25.

    How does your process for behavioral assessment compare to your colleagues?

  8. 26.

    What is your primary goal when conducting a behavioral assessment?

  9. 27.

    Have you assisted others in their development/understanding of behavioral change?

  10. 28.

    How effective do you feel you are conducting school-based behavioral intervention?

  11. 29.

    How do you know what you’re doing is working?

  12. 30.

    How do you decide what you want to accomplish?

  13. 31.

    Do you solicit feedback? When? From who? How often?

  14. 32.

    Were there times you felt like you didn’t possess the skills to be an effective behavioral change agent?

Climate

  1. 33.

    Is there anything you would change about your district that would help make you more effective in the area of behavior change?

  2. 34.

    If you wanted to make a major change in your approach, what would you do?

  3. 35.

    Who would you talk to?

  4. 36.

    Would this process be easy or difficult?

Future Orientation

  1. 37.

    Are you pursuing more training or certification in the area of behavior change? Why?

  2. 38.

    Have you had a desire to earn a BCBA? Why or why not?

  3. 39.

    Do you have any long-/short-term goals?

  4. 40.

    Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

  5. 41.

    How important do you feel having behavioral training in addition to that obtained in graduate school will be in the coming years?

Further Training Opportunities

  1. 42.

    Would you be interested in pursuing additional training in the area of behavior change?

  2. 43.

    What would an ideal behavior change training program look like (content, cost, time)?

  3. 44.

    Do you feel like you graduate school class(es) contained the elements of an ideal behavior change training program?

  4. 45.

    What changes would you expect to see in your personal practice as a result of completing a training program in behavior change?

  5. 46.

    How important is having a nationally recognized figure be a part of the curriculum development and implementation of a training program?

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Flowers, J., Domzalski, S., F. McCleary, D. et al. Mind the Gap: Addressing the Need for Post-Graduate Training in Behavioral Assessment and Intervention. Contemp School Psychol 27, 358–369 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-021-00394-1

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