Effectiveness of the Embedded Instructions Provided by Preschool Teachers on the Acquisition of Target Behaviors by Inclusion Students

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of the embedded instruction provided by preschool teachers to students with developmental disabilities (DDs) in their classes on the acquisition of target behaviors. The first author provided teacher training to four preschool teachers regarding providing instruction by using embedded instruction presented by a simultaneous prompting procedure. After completing the teacher training, the preschool teachers provided instructions to their four children with DD regarding their target behaviors. A multiple probe design with probe trials across dyads was used in the study, which is one of the models of single-subject experimental designs. The results revealed that the teachers were able to prepare their embedded instruction plans correctly, implement the prepared plans with high procedural fidelity, and maintain their instruction skills. In addition, the teachers were able to generalize their skill of preparing embedded instruction plans presented via simultaneous prompting procedures across different discrete behaviors. The children with DDs in regular education classes were able acquire their target behaviors through the instruction provided by their teachers and were also able realize maintenance and generalization regarding their target behaviors. In the social validity data, teachers and parents presented positive opinions regarding the study, and the children with DDs were able to reach the performance levels of their typically developing peers.