The effects of two consultation conditions on teacher classroom management practices and student rule violations

Behavioral problem-solving (BPS) consultation is an effective strategy to help teachers implement Tier 1 classroom management practices with fidelity. However, some teachers continue to experience barriers to implementation even when receiving such consultation, suggesting that additional components may be needed. Using a randomized controlled trial design, we evaluated the extent to which an enhanced Multi-Component Motivational Consultation (MCMC) condition, that includes motivational interviewing and explicit strategies for addressing barriers, leads to greater growth in teacher practices (Aim 1) and greater reductions in student rule violations (Aim 2) than a BPS consultation condition, particularly among teachers with risks for low implementation fidelity. Participants were 134 general education elementary school teachers randomly assigned to one of two consultation conditions designed to enhance their classroom management practices. To assess risk for low implementation fidelity, we used motivational ruler questions and asked teachers to rate the importance of classroom management practices and their confidence in classroom management practices at baseline. Classrooms were observed nearly weekly throughout the trial. As hypothesized, teachers in both conditions demonstrated significant growth in appropriate response to student rule violations and teachers in the MCMC condition ended with higher levels compared to the BPS condition (effects size = 0.47). This pattern was moderated by teacher importance ratings, such that those with lower ratings of importance about classroom management practices (a risk for low fidelity) benefited significantly more from the enhanced MCMC condition than the BPS condition. Teachers in both conditions demonstrated significant growth in use of effective instructions and rate of labeled praise (no effect of condition or moderation). For praise, there was a significant main effect of importance ratings, such across both conditions, higher importance ratings were associated with greater growth in labeled praise and higher rates of labeled praise at the end of consultation. Classrooms in both conditions experienced significant declines in observed student rule violations. The findings have implications for enhancing consultative supports for teachers and for future research on consultation strategies.