Predicting teacher participation in a classroom-based, integrated preventive intervention for preschoolers

Abstract

Preschools provide a promising setting in which to conduct preventive interventions for childhood problems, but classroom programs can only be effective if teachers are willing and able to implement them. This study is one of the first to investigate predictors of the frequency of teacher participation in a classroom-based, randomized controlled trial of an integrated prevention program for preschoolers. The intervention was designed to promote school readiness with an integrated social and academic program, to be implemented by teachers with the support of classroom consultants. The current study is part of a larger project conducted with Head Start and community child care centers that serve primarily economically disadvantaged families; 49 teachers from 30 centers participated in this study. Overall, teachers conducted approximately 70% of the program activities. Participation decreased significantly over time from the first to the final week of the intervention, and also decreased within each week of the intervention, from the first to the final weekly activity. Teachers working at community child care centers implemented more intervention activities than did Head Start teachers. Teacher concerns about the intervention, assessed prior to training, predicted less participation. In addition, teachers' participation was positively related to their perception that their centers and directors were supportive, collegial, efficient, and fair, as well as their job satisfaction and commitment. Teacher experience, education, ethnicity, and self-efficacy were not significantly related to participation. In multi-level models that considered center as a level of analysis, substantial variance was accounted for by centers, pointing to the importance of considering center-level predictors in future research.When children enter kindergarten, they are expected to demonstrate school readiness, which includes language, preliteracy, and numeracy skills, as well as appropriate socioemotional development. However, many children fall short of these expectations, and the consequences are significant and long-lasting. Poor emergent academic skills in young children often co-© 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to David H. Arnold, Psychology Department, University of Massachusetts, Tobin Hall, Amherst, MA 01003-7710; darnold@psych.umass.edu.. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptEarly Child Res Q. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2011 January 1. Published in final edited form...

Program and Teacher Characteristics Predicting the Implementation of Banking Time with Preschoolers Who Display Disruptive Behaviors

“…Existing research examining the association between teacher experience and implementation has shown inconsistent findings (e.g., Baker et al 2010 vs. Morris et al 2013). However, we hypothesized that less experienced teachers may be more willing to uptake a new strategy in their classroom (Morris et al 2013).…”

“…Type of Preschool Program Variability in intervention participation has been attributed to the type of center (i.e., Head Start or private child care; Baker et al 2010). In a study that examined implementation of a social-emotional and academic program targeting school readiness, Baker et al (2010) found that Head Start teachers were less likely than teachers in community centers to implement the intervention.…”

“…In a study that examined implementation of a social-emotional and academic program targeting school readiness, Baker et al (2010) found that Head Start teachers were less likely than teachers in community centers to implement the intervention. Researchers speculated that this may have been because teachers in Head Start must fulfill multiple federal requirements, and therefore, implementing a new program may have been especially difficult given teachers' competing demands.…”

The Politics of Quality Teacher Discourses: Implications for Pre-service Teachers in High Poverty Schools

“…The question of how quality teacher and teaching should be defined, studied, and measured is an important one, not least because of expanding policies for promoting highstakes practices associated with linking teacher compensation to student performance that are already in place in some countries (Baker et al, 2010). For example, discussions about "quality teachers" have led to measures of effectiveness linking pay to performance and retaining only those teachers who raise student achievement (Hanushek et al, 2004), terminating employment of the 5% of teachers deemed to be the "lowest performing" (Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2007) and punishing and rewarding schools based on "performance" (Dinham, 2013).…”

Intervening in Childhood Social Development

“…Teachers who report concern about the availability of program support are less likely to implement an intervention. In contrast, teachers who view their school environment in a positive light -such as good leadership by the director and collegiality among staff -tend to be more open and willing to implement a program (Baker, Kupersmidt, Voegler -Lee, Arnold, & Willoughby, 2010 ).…”