Abstract
This study investigated the perceived feasibility and pattern of implementation following an online training for teachers delivering an integrated intervention encompassing two school-based universal preventive interventions: Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum and the PAX Good Behavior Game (GBG). Forty-five teachers from three urban elementary schools completed an online training consisting of didactics and video demonstration and received in-person coaching across a 31-week implementation period. Data from 65 teachers from three schools who received in-person training and coaching provided a benchmark for comparison. Most teachers in the online training + in-person coaching (OLT + IPC) condition reported that the technology was easy to use and that the course was as effective as an in-person workshop. Teachers in the OLT + IPC group reported positive attitudes regarding PATHS and the PAX GBG that generally were not significantly different from attitudes reported by teachers who received in-person training + in-person coaching (IPT + IPC). Importantly, teachers in the OLT + IPC condition achieved a high level of implementation quality similar to that demonstrated by teachers in the IPT + IPC condition. The frequency of intervention delivery by OLT + IPC teachers was also not significantly different than that of IPT + IPC teachers. These findings provide evidence that the internet is a promising component in a training sequence designed to teach teachers to deliver evidence-based preventive interventions.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported in part by grants from the Institutes for the Education Sciences (R305A080326) and the National Institute of Mental Health (P30 MH086043 T32 MH018834). We wish to acknowledge the wonderful contributions of our teacher and administrator colleagues in the Baltimore City Public School System and the invaluable contributions of Dennis Embry, Ph.D. and Mark Greenberg, Ph.D.
Conflict of interest
Dr. Domitrovich is an author of the PATHS Curriculum and has a royalty agreement with Channing-Bete, Inc. She receives income from PATHS Training, LLC. This has been reviewed and managed by Penn State’s Individual Conflict of Interest Committee.
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Becker, K.D., Bohnenkamp, J., Domitrovich, C. et al. Online Training for Teachers Delivering Evidence-Based Preventive Interventions. School Mental Health 6, 225–236 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-014-9124-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-014-9124-x