Teacher Perceptions of School Consultant Social Influence Strategies: Replication and Expansion

ABSTRACT

The goals were to (a) replicate the findings of previous research with regard to the Consultee/Teacher Version of the Interpersonal Power Inventory (IPI), and (b) advance the literature by examining IPI scores about a current consultation relationship. Sample 1 included 99 elementary school teachers (44.4% Hispanic) who completed the IPI. Results replicated Erchul et al. Sample 2 (N = 37; 45.9% Hispanic) represented a subset of Sample 1 who participated in a consultation project and completed the IPI about influence in their current consultation relationship. The results advance the literature by offering evidence for convergent and predictive validity of the IPI soft power bases. Teachers who reported being influenced by soft power strategies experienced greater change in their behaviors and their students’ behaviors than those who reported being not influenced by such strategies. Implications for research and practice in school consultation are discussed.

Funding

The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant No. R324A120272. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.

Notes

¹ There were 58 teachers who participated in the year-long consultation process. The 37 included in the current sample did not differ significantly from the remaining 21 on years of teaching experience or IPI soft subscale scores.

² The DRC is a well-established school intervention for children with or at risk for ADHD (Evans, Owens, & Bunford, 2014; Vannest, Davis, Davis, Mason, & Burke, 2010). The DRC can be tailored to each student via individualized target behaviors, use at various times of day, frequency of feedback, types of rewards, use of pictorial cues, and degree of student involvement in tracking behviors.

³ Investigators conducted an assessment to determine that the student had an IQ estimate score of 80 or above within the 95% confidence interval; was in the general education classroom at least 50% of the day; was demonstrating classroom impairment and symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity; and had no prior diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, or cognitive or developmental disability per parent report.

⁴ An appropriate response is defined as any verbal or nonverbal action that follows a rule violation to provide a response to the behavior. Appropriate responses contain appropriate content and are delivered with appropriate affect with a neutral tone of voice of normal pitch and intensity, and without including any behavior included in inappropriate response (i.e., verbal or nonverbal behavior that is antagonistic, accompanied by excessive or inappropriate gestures, or delivered with inappropriate affect or an inappropriate tone of voice).

Additional information

Funding

The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant No. R324A120272. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.

Notes on contributors

Julie Sarno Owens

Julie Sarno Owens, PhD, is professor in the Psychology Department at Ohio University and co-director of the Center for Intervention Research in Schools. She received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Purdue University. Her research focuses on the development and evaluation of school-based interventions for elementary school-aged youth with ADHD, with a focus on identifying strategies for supporting teachers and providers who implement the interventions.

Madeleine E. Schwartz

Madeleine E. Schwartz, BA, is pursuing her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at Ohio University.

William P. Erchul

William P. Erchul, PhD, ABPP, is a professor and director of the School Psychology Program at the University of California, Riverside. He received his doctoral degree at University of Texas at Austin. He is a past president of the American Academy of School Psychology and the Society for the Study of School Psychology. His research interests include processes and outcomes associated with school consultation, as well as relational communication and social influence.

Lina K. Himawan

Lina K. Himawan, MS, obtained her Master of Arts degree from University of Maryland at College Park. She is a biostatistician in the Psychology Department at Ohio University. She assists faculty and graduate students with writing grant proposals, conducting power analyses, selecting research designs, conducting data analyses, and presenting results of analyses for publication.

Steven W. Evans

Steven W. Evans, PhD, is a professor in the Psychology Department at Ohio University and co-director of the Center for Intervention Research in Schools. He received his doctoral degree in clinical Psychology at Case Western Reserve University. His research focuses on the development and evaluation of school-based interventions for students with ADHD.

Erika K. Coles

Erika K. Coles, PhD, received her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from University at Buffalo. Her area of expertise includes behavioral interventions for ADHD in home, school, and recreational settings. She is currently the clinical director at the Center for Children and Families at Florida International University.

Ann C. Schulte

Ann C. Schulte, PhD, is a research professor in the School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University. She received her doctoral degree in Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests are focused on improving school services and outcomes for students with disabilities.

Note: The authors report that, to the best of their knowledge, neither they nor their affiliated institutions have financial or personal relationships or affiliations that could influence or bias the opinions, decisions, or work presented in this article.