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Improving Pre-Service Teachers’ Performance Skills Through Behavioral Skills Training

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Abstract

In higher education, instruction that incorporates effective performance skills training is vital to equipping pre-service teachers with the tools they will use to educate children. This study evaluated the effects of behavioral skills training (BST) on performance of evidence-based practices by undergraduate pre-service special education teachers. A pre–post design was used to evaluate performance during role-play. BST sessions produced higher levels of correct performance than baseline measures across all seven participants. We discuss limitations of these results with suggestions for future research, along with recommendations for incorporating BST into university settings.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Aubrey Daniels Institute, 3344 Peachtree Road, Suite 1050, Atlanta, GA, 30326, USA

    Mary R. Sawyer

  2. Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, USA

    Natalie R. Andzik

  3. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA

    Michael P. Kranak & Emily S. L. Curiel

  4. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Carolyn P. Willke, Lauren E. Hensley & Nancy A. Neef

Authors
  1. Mary R. Sawyer
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  2. Natalie R. Andzik
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  3. Michael P. Kranak
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  4. Carolyn P. Willke
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  5. Emily S. L. Curiel
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  6. Lauren E. Hensley
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  7. Nancy A. Neef
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mary R. Sawyer.

Ethics declarations

This research was conducted at The Ohio State University, where all authors were affiliated at the time of the study.

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Conflict of Interest

Mary Sawyer declares that she has no conflict of interest. Natalie Andzik declares that she has no conflict of interest. Michael Kranak declares that he has no conflict of interest. Carolyn Willke declares that she has no conflict of interest. Emily Curiel declares that she has no conflict of interest. Lauren Hensley declares that she has no conflict of interest. Nancy Neef declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Additional information

• Pre-service special education teachers must be trained to use a specialized set of performance skills known as evidence-based practices that have been shown to improve academic and social outcomes for students with disabilities.

• Although legislation has mandated the use of EBPs, they are infrequently implemented in classrooms.

• If teachers are to use EBPs in their classrooms, teacher educators must be competent in training them to do so.

• When using EBPs in the classroom with fidelity, students with disabilities demonstrate positive outcomes.

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Sawyer, M.R., Andzik, N.R., Kranak, M.P. et al. Improving Pre-Service Teachers’ Performance Skills Through Behavioral Skills Training. Behav Analysis Practice 10, 296–300 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-017-0198-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-017-0198-4

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