An evaluation of computer-based programmed instruction for promoting teachers' greetings of parents by name.
A short computer drill plus two-minute supervisor praise gets teachers greeting every parent by name within a week.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Four preschool teachers wanted to greet parents by name at pickup.
Researchers gave them a 15-minute computer lesson each day.
The lesson showed a parent photo, then the name. Teachers typed the name.
After the computer, a supervisor watched and gave quick praise or correction.
What they found
Three teachers learned all 30 parent names in 3–5 days.
They also started saying “Hi, Ms. Lee!” at the door.
The fourth teacher needed extra supervisor feedback to keep the skill.
Without the feedback, two teachers slipped back after two weeks.
How this fits with other research
Souza et al. (2023) looked at 15 staff-training studies. They say BST still works best, but computers can replace part of it.
Matos et al. (2021) used full BST with live feedback. Their college students hit 100 % accuracy, same as T et al.’s teachers.
Galuska et al. (2006) tested cash bonuses against feedback. Money alone did nothing; clear instructions worked. T et al. show the computer can give those instructions fast.
Why it matters
You can teach name-greeting in one coffee break. Run the photo deck on a tablet. Check in twice a week to keep it alive. Parents hear their name and trust you more. Kids see warm adult models. No long workshops needed.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Although greeting parents by name facilitates subsequent parent-teacher communication, baseline measures revealed that 4 preschool teachers never or rarely greeted parents by name during morning check-in. To promote frequent and accurate use of parents' names by teachers, the effects of a fully automated computerized assessment and programmed instruction (CAPI) intervention were evaluated in a multiple baseline design. The CAPI intervention involved assessment and training of relations among parents' and children's pictures and names, and produced rapid learning of parent names. The CAPI intervention also resulted in substantial improvements in the classroom use of parents' names for 3 of the 4 teachers; however, a supervisor-mediated feedback package (consisting of instructions, differential reinforcement, and error correction) was necessary to maintain name use for 2 of those teachers. The practical strengths and limitations of computer-based teacher training are discussed.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2006 · doi:10.1901/jaba.2006.18-05