A Follow-Up Evaluation of Helping Skills Training

The retention of verbal helping skills by human service worker trainees who had completed the Danish and Hauer (1973) training program seven months earlier was explored. Twenty-six trainees engaged in three helping interviews'before training, immediately following training, and seven months later. Consistent with other follow-up studies, high skill levels at posttraining were generally not maintained at follow-up. Contrary to these other studies, however, they remained higher than pretraining levels. Two specific verbal responses, affective responses and closed questions, remained at posttraining levels. The relationship of this study to other follow-up studies is discussed.     

Conference Diary

The reported level of use of eight instructional strategies in a sample of 531 special educators in the Czech Republic was examined in this study. Consistent with recent parallel studies in North America and Australia, the respondents reported that they used a combination of evidence-based instructional practices (such as direct instruction and applied behaviour analysis) and other practices that may be considered unproven or disproved (such as perceptual motor training and modality instruction). The details of the pattern of use of strategies differed from previous parallel studies including relatively high levels of use of perceptual motor programmes, possibly reflecting local historical factors. Overall, the results support the conclusion that commitment to evidence-based instruction has only partially permeated special education practice and provide a baseline for monitoring future change.     

Personalizing Research: Special Educators’ Awareness of Evidence-Based Practice

Although evidence-based practices are considered critical to student success, a research-to-practice gap exists. This qualitative study examined practicing special education teachers’ perceptions of their use of evidence-based practices. Special education teachers were interviewed and their classroom practices examined. Major themes emerged and findings revealed that (a) teachers believe they are using evidence-based practices, (b) teachers’ awareness of research varies, and (c) teachers’ personalization of research varies by awareness level. Awareness levels of credible evidence-based practices ranged from Aware, Partially Aware, and Unaware. Sources of evidence varied greatly from university coursework, research articles, co-workers’ ideas, and self-generated ideas. Personalization of evidence-based practices consisted of teachers adapting and modifying practices to meet their own needs, rather than relying on fidelity of treatment measures. Implications for the special education classroom are discussed.     

Teacher self-assessment of evidence-based classroom practices: preliminary findings across primary,intermediate and secondary level teachers

The limited implementation of evidence-based classroom practices and ways to provide effective professional development to address this challenge remain enduring concerns in education. Despite these concerns, there exists a well-established research literature on evidence-based practices for effective classroom management and instructional practices. One identified area of need is research investigating the extent that different classroom practices are more or less important across school and grade levels. The current study examined results from 612 general education teachers across school levels (323 primary, 208 intermediate, 81 secondary) who completed an on-line self-assessment of their use of evidence-based classroom practices. Statistical analysis found significant differences in teachers’ self-reported use of several evidence-based classroom practices across school levels (primary, intermediate, secondary). Implications are presented for using teacher self-assessment to inform professional development in schools.     

The Effects of Professional Counselor Training on Empathy: Continued Cause for Concern

The evidence reviewed, especially that from the most methodologically sound studies, indicates that professional training in counseling generally fails to increase trainees' empathy. Further, professional status may establish social distance between counselor and client, and posttraining experience in counseling cannot be counted on to have uniformly positive, empathy-enhancing effects. The review points to the needs for: (a) the incorporation into professional programs of brief, effective empathy-skills training, (b) supplementing intellectual program selection methods with more counseling-relevant measures, (c) defining and upgrading of acceptable posttraining empathy levels and retention of training effects, and (d) research into differences between professional programs that do and do not enhance empathy.     

Online Versus Face-to-Face Training of Critical Time Intervention: A Matching Cluster Randomized Trial

This study examined the effectiveness of online education to providers who serve people experiencing homelessness, comparing online and face-to-face training of Critical Time Intervention (CTI), an evidence-based case management model. The authors recruited 184 staff from nineteen homeless service agencies to participate in one of two training conditions: (a) Online Training + Community of Practice or (b) Face-to-Face Training + Telephone Consultation. Each group received twenty-four hours of instruction and support. Through baseline, follow-up, and nine-month posttraining surveys, the authors examined satisfaction, knowledge gains, knowledge retention, and readiness to implement CTI. Although satisfaction rates were higher among participants in the face-to-face group, the two training conditions produced comparable pre/postknowledge gains. Furthermore, both groups showed increased knowledge retention scores at nine-month follow-up, with the online group scoring higher than the face-to-face group.     

Training Outcomes of Field Instructors in the Evidence-Based Practice Process Model

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated a continuing education training program designed to increase field educators’ capacities to support students in their application of the evidence-based practice (EBP) process. A cohort of social work field instructors and task supervisors from agency-based settings (N = 186) attended a 1-day interactive skill-based training. Pre- and postsurveys assessed learning outcomes. Findings reveal a significant improvement from pre- to posttraining in the social work educators’ familiarity, t(179) = 22.8; attitude, t(180) = 12.73; and intentions, t(178) = 11.89, regarding EBP. Results indicate that skill-based training in the EBP process model via continuing education is feasible and acceptable.     

Effects of tactile training on visual speechreading: performance changes related to individual differences in cognitive skills

We report on a follow-up study of the R?nnberg, Andersson, Lyxell, & Spens (1998) speech tracking training study. The purpose was to examine, initially and after training, the effects of different tactile aids on tasks of visual speechreading. We also examined cognitive prerequisites for initial baseline speechreading and posttraining speechreading performance. Compared with speechreading alone, tactile aids impaired sentence-based speechreading at first, although performance improved with training. No effects of vibrotactile aids or training were obtained for visual word-decoding. Initial baseline speechreading performance and posttraining performance correlated with cognitive skills, but the size of the correlations changed. The size of the correlations also varied with the different tactually mediated speechreading conditions.     

Improved Processing Speed: Online Computer-based Cognitive Training in Older Adults

In an increasingly aging population, a number of adults are concerned about declines in their cognitive abilities. Online computer-based cognitive training programs have been proposed as an accessible means by which the elderly may improve their cognitive abilities; yet, more research is needed in order to assess the efficacy of these programs. In the current study, a commercially available 21-day online computer-based cognitive training intervention was administered to 34 individuals aged between 53 and 75 years. The intervention consisted of computerized training in reaction time, inspection time, short-term memory for words, executive function, visual spatial acuity, arithmetic, visual spatial memory, visual scanning/discrimination, and n-back working memory. An active solitaire control group was also included. Participants were tested at baseline, posttraining and at three-weeks follow-up using a battery of neuropsychological outcome measures. These consisted of simple reaction time, complex reaction time, digit forwards and backwards, spatial working memory, digit symbol substitution, RAVLT, and trail making. Significant improvement in simple reaction time and choice reaction time task was found in the cognitive training group both posttraining and at three-weeks follow-up. However, no significant improvements on the other cognitive tasks were found. The training program was found to be successful in achieving transfer of trained cognitive abilities in speed of processing to similar untrained tasks.     

视频示范教学法在自闭症谱系障碍者职业技能训练中的应用

视频示范教学法在自闭症谱系障碍者职业技能训练中的应用模式包括基本视频示范教学模式、自我视频示范模式、视频提示和视频反馈,并经常与虚拟现实和提示系统等其他循证实践一起使用。未来的研究和实践中应使用视频示范教学加强对非操作性技能的训练,探索更具竞争性的职业种类进行训练,培训专业人员,研发视频示范教学关联软件、注重被试样本的多样性及差异性、比较不同应用模式的干预效果。     

Feedback about Teaching in Higher Ed: Neglected Opportunities to Promote Change

Despite ongoing dissemination of evidence-based teaching strategies, science teaching at the university level is less than reformed. Most college biology instructors could benefit from more sustained support in implementing these strategies. One-time workshops raise awareness of evidence-based practices, but faculty members are more likely to make significant changes in their teaching practices when supported by coaching and feedback. Currently, most instructional feedback occurs via student evaluations, which typically lack specific feedback for improvement and focus on teacher-centered practices, or via drop-in classroom observations and peer evaluation by other instructors, which raise issues for promotion, tenure, and evaluation. The goals of this essay are to summarize the best practices for providing instructional feedback, recommend specific strategies for providing feedback, and suggest areas for further research. Missed opportunities for feedback in teaching are highlighted, and the sharing of instructional expertise is encouraged.     

Effects of articulation training on the production of trained and untrained phonemes in conversations and formal tests

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of articulation training for specific phonemes on the production of phonemes in conversational language samples, the 108 Single Word Articulation Test (Paatsch, 1997), and the Phonetic Level Evaluation (Ling, 1976). Speech production skills of 12 hearing-impaired children were assessed using these evaluation tools pre- and posttraining. A total of six phonemes were selected for each child to be trained during 15-to 20-minute daily sessions throughout an 8-week speech production program. Three phonemes, with a particularly high error rate, were trained at a phonetic level (category 1) while three phonemes, with an intermediate error rate of 40% to 70%, were trained at a phonological level (category 2). Results showed improvements in the percentage of correctly articulated category 1 phonemes and category 2 phonemes. The improvements for category 2 phonemes were larger than for category 1 phonemes for all test materials. It may be that phonological level training is more effective than phonetic level training or that phonemes with an intermediate error rate are easier to train than phonemes with a high error rate. Untrained vowels and consonants also improved slightly after training. Phonological process analysis showed that many of the errors apparent in the trained phonemes also had occurred in the untrained phonemes. This may have resulted in the generalization and carryover of taught speech skills into other aspects of the child's spoken language.     

Evidence-Based Reform in Education

Education policies should support the use of programs and practices with strong evidence of effectiveness. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) contains evidence standards and incentives to use programs that meet them. This provides a great opportunity for evidence to play a stronger role in decisions about education programs and practices. However, for evidence-based reform to prevail, three conditions must exist: many practical programs with solid evidence; trusted and user-friendly reviews of research; and more education policies that provide incentives for use of proven programs. The article discusses recent progress in each of these areas and notes difficulties in each. It makes a case that if these difficulties can be effectively addressed, evidence-based reform may begin to make a meaningful difference in education outcomes at the national level.     

Evaluating a training intervention to prepare geriatric case managers to assess for suicide and firearm safety

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to report on the implementation and initial evaluation of a 1-day training intervention targeting direct care providers in the Ohio aging services network. A primary objective is to describe the training intervention that consisted of two parts: (a) a gatekeeper training for assessing suicide risk among older adults, and (b) CALM (Counseling on Access to Lethal Means)—a brief training that teaches effective strategies to talk with clients about reducing access to lethal means. A second objective of this study is to report on changes in providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices immediately posttraining related to suicide and firearm assessment and safety counseling with community dwelling older adults. Sixty-six employees in one regional office participated in the study. Results indicated that training increased participants’ perceived knowledge, preparedness, and efficacy regarding suicide assessment. Training also positively impacted knowledge and attitudes of firearm assessment and safety counseling among participants. At posttest, however, gatekeeper reluctance did not demonstrate a significant decrease. This study is unique in its contribution to literature on suicide prevention training with its focus on geriatric care providers and attention to measuring firearm assessment and safety counseling.     

Evidence-Based Reviews: How Evidence-Based Practices are Systematically Identified

Evidence-based reviews are a type of systematic literature review used to identify evidence-based practices. When conducting an evidence-based review, researchers apply predetermined standards to identify evidence-based practices—practices that have been shown to reliably improve an outcome for a population of learners, according to evidence from a body of rigorous, experimental studies. In this article, we describe evidence-based reviews, provide an overview of one set of evidence standards used in special education, and describe important caveats and considerations related to evidence-based reviews. We conclude with two examples of evidence-based reviews in the field of learning disabilities. Our take-home message is that evidence-based reviews are a trustworthy approach for identifying generally effective instructional practices—but no practices, not even evidence-based practices, are effective for all learners.     

Innovation in Practice: Preparing Doulas to Support Cesarean Births

Despite growing initiatives to support patient-centered labor and birth care, implementation of this care in the operating room is still limited. Doulas can be utilized in the operating room to facilitate evidence-based practices such as skin-to-skin contact for patients and newborns during cesarean birth. This article evaluates a curriculum and training method that was developed to educate doulas to provide safe and effective care during the cesarean birth experience. This intervention was found to be effective at improving doulas'' self-perceived confidence in skills essential to support cesarean births and may serve as a model for other institutions to address barriers to the implementation of patient-centered evidence-based care in the operating room.     

HIV/AIDS Education for Counselors: Efficacy of Training

This article discusses the efficacy of an intensive model of HIV/AIDS counselor training. Positive changes in knowledge and attitudes were reported at the posttraining stage and were sustained over time.     

Education and training: Impacts on farm management practice

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a large Australia‐wide survey which collected farm financial information and information about changes to farm‐management practices, as well as information about education and training, and a smaller survey of farmers who attended one of three training courses for farmers. The paper considers the relationship between education and training outcomes at macro and micro levels. At the macro level, education and training as well as prompts for change are considered, while at the micro level the influence of training on changes to practice is examined. Education and training enhance farmers’ ability and willingness to make successful changes to their management practice. The training program is generally only one of several factors which influence participants to make changes in their practice. Training events are opportunities for interaction between participants and with expert trainers. This interaction assists in altering values and attitudes toward new practices.     

Adapting Self-Regulated Strategy Development in Persuasive Writing for Adolescents Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Within the special education community, research and policy focus on teachers implementing evidence-based instructional practices with fidelity. However, special education teachers may have to adapt evidence-based practices if the research supporting those practices has not yet included studies that represent populations in the classrooms (i.e., students with low-incidence disabilities). That is, there may be a tension for teachers between adopting evidence-based instruction and adapting lessons to meet the needs of students. This article describes one teacher's adaptations to an evidence-based practice in writing to meet the needs of her adolescent students who are deaf. Her experience models ways teachers can use professional wisdom to adapt evidence-based practices to meet the needs of students with disabilities.