Single Case Research Design: Teacher Outcomes

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Status: Completed

Conditions: Teacher Practice

Treatments: Behavioral: Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT06729177

1R21DC021024-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

514092

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study examines whether a professional development program helps teachers implement Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction (SISI) with higher fidelity. The training includes review of an intervention manual, live modeling of SISI components, and discussion of implementation expectations. Teacher fidelity is evaluated with the Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction Fidelity Tool, which rates the extent to which core components are used during a intervention session. The study also documents how often teachers receive additional support (e.g., coaching) to understand which procedures help strengthen implementation.

Full description

This project uses a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design across four teachers who serve deaf children in a deaf education program. The goal is to examine changes in teachers' SISI implementation fidelity following training and coaching.

At baseline, the PI observes each teacher's typical language arts instruction using the SISI Fidelity Tool. Three stable data points are collected for each teacher before intervention. Every SISI component is scored as 1 (fully implemented), 0.5 (partially implemented), or 0 (not implemented), and then summarized as a percentage of components implemented.

After baseline, the PI provides a two-day training in SISI procedures. Teachers then begin implementing SISI in a staggered fashion: Teacher 1 starts immediately after training for three weeks; Teacher 2 begins in Week 4; Teachers 3 and 4 begin in Weeks 7 and 10. All instructional sessions are video-recorded and uploaded to a cloud platform, where the PI and a second rater review them for daily fidelity monitoring.

Throughout the study, the PI offers coaching as needed to support implementation. The PI also tracks children's progress on their individually targeted sign language skills to confirm that intervention adjustments are appropriate and timely. If implementation challenges arise or if data collection procedures are insufficiently clear or consistent, refinements may be made. Any refinements are put in place immediately and monitored for their influence on teacher fidelity and the feasibility of study procedures.

Enrollment: 4 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 99 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Teachers of the deaf working in a school for the deaf across kindergarten to 3rd grade levels

Exclusion criteria

• Not teachers of the deaf working in a school for the deaf across kindergarten to 3rd grade levels

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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4 participants in 4 patient groups

Single Case Research Design: Teacher 1

Experimental group

Description:

The PI worked with teachers to increase SISI implementation fidelity using a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design across teacher participants. Four teachers who served deaf children were recruited from a school for the deaf. The SISI Fidelity Tool was used to observe teachers' business-as-usual language arts instruction and to establish three stable baseline data points for each teacher. Each SISI component was scored as 1 (fully implemented), 0.5 (partially implemented), or 0 (not implemented) and reported as the percentage of components implemented. After baseline observations were completed, the PI provided a two-day training on SISI implementation. Teacher 1 began implementing SISI for three weeks following the training, Teacher 2 began in Week 4, and Teachers 3 and 4 began in Weeks 7 and 10, respectively.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction

Single Case Research Design: Teacher 2

Experimental group

Description:

The PI worked with teachers to increase SISI implementation fidelity using a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design across teacher participants. Four teachers who served deaf children were recruited from a school for the deaf. The SISI Fidelity Tool was used to observe teachers' business-as-usual language arts instruction and to establish three stable baseline data points for each teacher. Each SISI component was scored as 1 (fully implemented), 0.5 (partially implemented), or 0 (not implemented) and reported as the percentage of components implemented. After baseline observations were completed, the PI provided a two-day training on SISI implementation. Teacher 1 began implementing SISI for three weeks following the training, Teacher 2 began in Week 4, and Teachers 3 and 4 began in Weeks 7 and 10, respectively.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction

Single Case Research Design: Teacher 3

Experimental group

Description:

The PI worked with teachers to increase SISI implementation fidelity using a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design across teacher participants. Four teachers who served deaf children were recruited from a school for the deaf. The SISI Fidelity Tool was used to observe teachers' business-as-usual language arts instruction and to establish three stable baseline data points for each teacher. Each SISI component was scored as 1 (fully implemented), 0.5 (partially implemented), or 0 (not implemented) and reported as the percentage of components implemented. After baseline observations were completed, the PI provided a two-day training on SISI implementation. Teacher 1 began implementing SISI for three weeks following the training, Teacher 2 began in Week 4, and Teachers 3 and 4 began in Weeks 7 and 10, respectively.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction

Single Case Research Design: Teacher 4

Experimental group

Description:

The PI worked with teachers to increase SISI implementation fidelity using a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design across teacher participants. Four teachers who served deaf children were recruited from a school for the deaf. The SISI Fidelity Tool was used to observe teachers' business-as-usual language arts instruction and to establish three stable baseline data points for each teacher. Each SISI component was scored as 1 (fully implemented), 0.5 (partially implemented), or 0 (not implemented) and reported as the percentage of components implemented. After baseline observations were completed, the PI provided a two-day training on SISI implementation. Teacher 1 began implementing SISI for three weeks following the training, Teacher 2 began in Week 4, and Teachers 3 and 4 began in Weeks 7 and 10, respectively.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction