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Author ORCID Identifier
Date Available
4-29-2026
Year of Publication
2026
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College
Education
Department/School/Program
Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education
Faculty
Sally B. Shepley
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of an abbreviated training package and full-length behavioral skills training (BST) on staff implementation of embedded instruction (EI) procedures in a university-affiliated inclusive early childhood center. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across participants was used with four student workers in inclusive preschool classrooms. The initial intervention included a package of didactic instruction and in-vivo modeling. Full BST was planned for participants who did not reach mastery criteria following the brief training.
The primary dependent variable was participant fidelity of EI implementation, and the secondary dependent variable measured the rate of unrelated task demands presented during sessions. Results indicated a functional relation between the abbreviated training package and increased fidelity of EI procedures with three participants reaching mastery criteria without requiring full BST. Improvements generalized across untrained instructional domains, and modest reductions in unrelated demands were observed for some participants.
Training was efficient, requiring less than 15 min, on average, and participants reaching mastery in approximately five post-training sessions. Social validity data suggested the training was acceptable and aligned with participant learning preferences. Findings provide preliminary support for a tiered, resource-efficient approach to professional development and highlight the potential for abbreviated training models to promote uptake of evidence-based practices in early childhood settings. Limitations and future research are discussed.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2026.157
Archival?
Archival
Recommended Citation
Keene, Hannah Elizabeth, "EVALUATING THE EFFECTS OF ABBREVIATED AND FULL-LENGTH TRAINING FORMATS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF EMBEDDED INSTRUCTION PRACTICES" (2026). Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education. 182.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/edsrc_etds/182
Included in
Applied Behavior Analysis Commons, Early Childhood Education Commons, Special Education and Teaching Commons
