Teaching classroom management skills to preschool staff: The effects of scripted instructional sequences on teacher and student behavior

We used a counterbalanced multiple baseline design to examine the effects of a direct instruction sequence that included the following: demanded eye contact, step-by-step directions, and modeling, praise, and redirectives on teacher and student behavior in a preschool setting. Following baseline, four teachers were observed implementing this instructional sequence during an art activity with and without the aid of implementation scripts, and again at one month follow-up. Results showed that all of the teachers implemented the instructional sequence with high levels of integrity following training, and engaged in more instructional statements, modeling, and praise compared to baseline. Collateral increases were also observed in appropriate behavior by each of the 14 students who participated in the study. Follow-up observations conducted one month later indicated that two teachers continued to use the instructional sequence with high levels of integrity, whereas the other two teachers showed decreasing trends. Implications are discussed for using direct instruction sequences and the potential benefits of implementation scripts for group instruction and teacher training in preschools.