Factors Associated with Teacher Delivery of a Classroom-Based Tier 2 Prevention Program

Area of Science:

• Early Childhood Education
• Behavioral Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Teachers face challenges implementing evidence-based programs for young children's behavioral issues.
• Ensuring program integrity is crucial for preventing and ameliorating chronic problem behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors influencing teacher treatment integrity in delivering the BEST in CLASS program.
• To examine the relationship between teacher characteristics and program delivery quality.

Main Methods:

• Latent growth curve analysis was used to assess changes in adherence and competence over time.
• Ninety-two early childhood teachers and 231 at-risk children participated.
• Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) and teacher self-efficacy were measured.

Main Results:

• Both adherence and competence in program delivery improved over time.
• Higher teacher education correlated with initial higher adherence and competence.
• Higher initial Emotional Support (CLASS) predicted greater initial competence and growth in both adherence and competence.

Conclusions:

• Teacher education and initial classroom emotional support are key factors for successful tier-2 program implementation.
• Classroom organization showed a negative association with adherence growth.
• Teacher self-efficacy, particularly regarding student engagement, did not predict adherence and was linked to lower competence growth.