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Abstract
Behavioral skills training (BST) has continuously demonstrated to be an effective means of training others in new skills and techniques. A limitation of BST, however, is that it requires extensive time and a professional trainer. Currently, there is a lack of literature comparing BST to alternative and effective training methods that require less resources, such as written directions and video modeling. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine which training modality (i.e., behavior skills training, written directions, or video modeling) was most effective at increasing staff members’ correct implementation of applied behavior analysis procedures (i.e., forward chaining, shaping, discrete trial training) at a therapeutic day school. Using a multiple baseline across participants design, the percentage of correct implementation was monitored when participants were exposed to BST, written directions, and video modeling. Results suggested that all three methods were effective in increasing correct skill implementation across participants, with BST being the most effective. Implications of the study include all three training modalities producing comparable improvements. Limitations of this study included the absence of real students when participants were trained to perform the skills and a lack of data on development time for each training modality. These limitations present opportunities for future research.
