Effects of Behavioral Skills Training With Directed Data Collection on the Acquisition of Behavioral Practices by Workers in a Private, Not-for-Profit Child Care Center

Abstract

Thirty-one workers at a childcare center were observed working with children and data were recorded on their performance of seven behavioral practices. Each week data from observations of individual workers were aggregated into a single data point for each strategy, presented graphically, and posted publicly in the center. Approximately once per month supervisors provided 30 minutes of training (video modeling with directed data collection and discussion) to all workers. Staff reached criterion with training for three skills, and without training for four skills. By study’s end aggregate worker performance was demonstrated at, or above, 80% for all skills.

KEYWORDS:

• employee training
• childcare provider
• modeling
• video modeling
• directed data collection

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank David Lindeman, Yusuke Hayashi, and Kathryn Saunders for reading early versions of this article. Thank you also to Sharla Hopper, Director and Deanna Knight, Assistant Director for their partnership in this investigation.