Does Fidelity of Implementation Account for Changes in Teacher–Child Interactions in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Banking Time?

ABSTRACT

This study examined fidelity of implementation in a randomized trial of Banking Time, a classroom-based intervention intended to improve children's behavior, specifically for those at risk for developing externalizing behavior problems, through improving the quality of teacher–child interactions. The study sample comes from a randomized controlled trial that took place over three years and included 183 teachers and 470 preschool children recruited across three sites. Results exploring fidelity of implementation indicated that Banking Time practices were present across treatment and nontreatment groups. In addition, the presence of more Positive Banking Time Practices accounted for improvements in teacher–child interactions while Restricted Banking Time Practices showed inconsistent patterns, relating both to positive and negative teacher–child interactions. Further, random assignment to Banking Time resulted in the presence of more Positive Banking Time Practices and fewer Restricted Banking Time Practices, which accounted for the improved teacher–child interactions. Thus, findings point to the critical need to better account for intervention fidelity across conditions in randomized trials, allowing for better understanding of the mechanism through which interventions lead to intended outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Preschool
• randomized trial
• teacher–child relationships
• fidelity of implementation

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the generous programs and teachers who participated in this study and all project staff for their contributions to this work.

Additional information

Funding

This manuscript was supported by a grant to the University of Virginia by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, Grant #R324A100215. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the U.S. Department of Education.