Functional Analysis in Simulated Environments

Abstract

The need for highly effective and qualified special educators continues to be a national concern. One of the primary reasons why teachers leave the profession is a lack of effective behavior management skills. Learning how to assess challenging behavior and its causes through functional analysis is one method to enhance teacher skillset in this critical area. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of a simulation environment to train pre-service and in-service general and special education teachers to conduct functional analysis procedures with fidelity and compare those results to traditional didactic instruction. The results of the study show that simulated rehearsal experiences can be as effective as traditional role play experiences in training teachers to implement functional analysis procedures and may have added benefits such as increased safety and access to immediate feedback and coaching.