ERIC Number: EJ1260049
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Jul
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0014-4029
EISSN: N/A
Ecobehavioral Assessment of Paraeducator Behaviors That Support Engagement of Students with Disabilities
Mason, Rose A.; Wills, Howard P.; Irvin, Dwight; Jia, Fan; Kamps, Debra M.
Exceptional Children, v86 n4 p413-429 Jul 2020
Due to a shortage of special education teachers and an increase in the number of students with disabilities, the use of paraeducators is common. Paraeducators frequently provide instruction, under the direction of a teacher, to support elementary students with disabilities in elementary school classrooms. However, if and how paraeducators implement foundational instructional strategies is largely unknown (e.g., opportunities to respond [OTR], praise). Likewise, how students with disabilities respond to paraeducators' instructional behaviors is also unknown. With decades of evidence indicating that contextual factors (e.g., group size, activity type) influence interactions between educators and students, we relied on ecobehavioral assessment to measure paraeducators' use of core instructional strategies and students' response in the natural context. Our results indicated a correlation between higher rates of paraeducator-delivered OTRs and praise statements and increased student engagement. Of concern, paraeducators infrequently used core, evidence-based instructional approaches, and students often were not engaged. Findings suggest increased student engagement may depend on professional development efforts aimed at improving paraeducators' implementation of these essential core strategies.
Descriptors: Paraprofessional School Personnel, Students with Disabilities, Learner Engagement, Teaching Methods, Correlation, Positive Reinforcement, Student Participation, Behavior, Elementary Schools, Responses, Interaction, Student Characteristics, Educational Environment, Educational Attainment
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305H140048