STRENGTHENING AND SUPPORTING PRESCHOOL TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM: A PROGRAM EVALUATION USING EXPLORATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS

Includes bibliographical references (pages 65-76).The number of students presenting with serious emotional and behavioral problems is\ud increasing. The research on challenging behaviors has led to an almost exclusive focus on the long-term effects of behavioral problems, with little attention given to the teacher training on how to address those behaviors in the classroom. Early detection and intervention is one of the most powerful course of action in ameliorating life long problems associated with children at risk for emotional/behavioral disorders. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the course evaluation surveys from an early childhood mental health consultant program, the Early Childhood Social Emotional Behavior Regulation Intervention Specialist (EC-SEBRIS) Certificate Program. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used on the post course evaluation surveys completed by 89 students to determine how many factors would best represent the overall knowledge items on the course forms. The study also attempted to compare the extracted factors to the California Training Guidelines Standards (CTG), as the program was developed to be aligned with the CTG standards. Lastly, the study examined both pre- and post-course evaluation surveys to determine if there was a change over time. Results from the EFA revealed that a 6-factor model would best explain the knowledge domains in the course evaluation surveys. Of those six factors, five appeared to be directly related to the five courses themselves. Furthermore, by comparing the factors with the CTG Domains, results showed that all 6 factors were aligned with the 9 CTG\ud Domains. Lastly, results from the paired samples t-test showed there was in fact, a change over time based on students' self-reported knowledge on the course evaluation surveys