Abstract:
Federal mandates require teachers to implement evidence-based strategies in their classrooms; however, due to gaps between research and practice, these evidence-based practices are inconsistently implemented across educational settings. Although intended to address this, teacher professional developments are most commonly delivered in a “one-shot” format, which is inconsistent with what the literature finds effective. This study sought to determine whether a functional relation exists between a professional development package incorporating video modeling with teacher rate and integrity of implementation of behavior specific praise statements (BSPS) in their classrooms. Eight general education elementary teachers participated in a six-week series of professional development on the use of BSPS in the classroom and data were collected on teacher rate of BSPS use as well as the integrity of BSPS implementation. Results indicated a functional relation between the professional development package for both rate and integrity of implementation of BSPS. Implications related to effective educator professional development and video modeling as a facilitative tool for educator skill acquisition and implementation integrity are discussed.
