Instruction in Functional Assessment, 2014a

Chapter 5
Teaching Functional
Analysis
Focus Questions:
What are empirically-based methods to teach college students the skills involved with
conducting functional analysis?
How can generalization of functional assessment skills be promoted?
To implement functional analysis (FAn) and treatment procedures specific, welldefined
skills are required by the college student to deliver antecedents and consequences
for the client’s behavior accurately and reliably. Although college students may be able to
describe a procedure in verbal or written form, that does not mean they can do it (Iwata et
al., 2000; Wallace, Doney, Mintz-Resudek, & Tarbox, 2004). Role play and performancebased
teaching are two strategies to establish the necessary skills.
Role Play
A ROLE PLAY strategy is a more physically active manner of participation in the learning
situation than computer simulation. Role play teaches procedural behaviors by the individual
reenacting the situation while assuming another person’s identity. For instance, Jones and
Eimers (1975) taught two teachers to use a behavior management approach to decrease the
disruptive behavior of children in their classroom. Disruptive behaviors including talking to
neighbors, out-of-seat behaviors, and inappropriate talk were behaviorally defined. A single
participant research design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the classroom behavior
management procedure on students’ disruptive behaviors. In this multi-component training
package, the teacher training procedures entailed a combination of role playing student
and effective teacher behaviors, feedback, self-reflection on what went well or not, group
discussion, until mastery learning. The results of this teacher training approach led to less
student disruptive behavior and higher student academic performance.
Gardner (1972) compared role play versus lecture instructional methods to teach
paraprofessionals behavioral skills. Using a simple experimental research pre-test, post-test