Evaluating the Impact of Online Professional Development on Teachers’ Use of a Targeted Behavioral Classroom Intervention

Abstract

The use of technology for delivering professional development (PD) shows promise for reducing common barriers (e.g., feasibility, access) to dissemination of teacher-implemented classroom interventions. However, prior programs have been unable to produce satisfactory uptake and outcomes when used in isolation. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine a potentially more feasible level of support that leverages both online PD and low-intensity consultation to produce successful adoption of a daily report card (DRC) intervention and positive student outcomes. Using a quasi-experimental design, elementary school teachers (N = 33) were provided access to an interactive online program and brief, in-person consultation, as needed. Over half of teachers (51.5%) who received access to the Web site adopted the intervention for at least 8 weeks. These teachers demonstrated acceptable levels of implementation integrity, and their students demonstrated improvements in overall (d = .53) and hyperactive and inattentive (d = .83) problems. Importantly, teachers achieved these outcomes using an average of 32 min of face-to-face consultation. The results suggest that, for some teachers, online supports may offer a more feasible means of supporting implementation of a DRC than traditional face-to-face consultation. Online supports may provide a promising direction for increasing the dissemination of the DRC and other evidence-based interventions. Future directions for improving technology and implications for integrating online PD into a continuum of supports for teachers are discussed.