THE EFFECTS OF DIDACTIC INSTRUCTION AND PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK ON PARAEDUCATORS’ USE OF POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT STRATEGIES IN INCLUSIVE SETTINGS

With the shift to inclusive practices and with legislation (IDEIA, 2004; NCLB, 2001) mandating that students with disabilities be educated in the least restrictive environment (LRE), the educational service delivery for both students with disabilities and the paraeducators that provide support services has evolved. The responsibilities of paraeducators have shifted from duties that were primarily clerical in nature to now supporting students with disabilities, both instructionally and behaviorally. At the very least paraeducators are now providing academic instruction, serving as interventionists, communicating with parents, and adapting instructional materials. Although paraeducators assume a variety of roles, many paraeducators have no formal education beyond high school and are provided with minimal professional development once on the job. As more schools turn to inclusionary practices the impetus for highly qualified and trained paraeducators becomes of even more importance. Examination of the current paraeducator training literature reveals that research on paraeducator training is not only limited, but also contains several areas of methodological weakness. Although several training approaches have been investigated with paraeducators, the current paraeducator training literature does not provide evidence in support of the most effective way to provide training to paraeducators. Therefore, the following study aims to expand the research base by analyzing the general and comparative effectiveness of didactic instruction and performance feedback on paraeducators’ use of positive behavior support strategies with students with disabilities in inclusive settings. Further, this study also seeks to strengthen the current literature base on paraeducator training by improving on the areas of methodological weaknesses addressed in the review. Implications for practice and future directions for research are also discussed