A Systematic Review of Training Educators to Implement Response Prompting

Abstract

Systematic prompting is a versatile evidence-based practice that can improve a range of outcomes for students with disabilities, but many teachers and paraeducators are not familiar with systematic prompting or may struggle with implementation. In this systematic review, the authors identified 28 articles that evaluated training practices for school practitioners implementing systematic prompting procedures in school settings. Fifteen studies focused on paraeducators and 13 on teachers, with an increased focus on paraeducators in more recently published studies. The authors found that a variety of training approaches were effective, and that all studies included two core strategies: didactic instruction and performance feedback. These two strategies represent only a subset of recommended practices from the broader staff training literature but may be sufficient for training basic practices like systematic prompting. Future research is needed to directly compare training approaches and identify the most efficient means for enabling educators to implement systematic prompting with fidelity.