Collaborative Partnerships During Fieldwork Experiences to Promote Evidence-Based Practices
Pair preservice teachers with staff in a four-step BST loop to lock EBPs into place before day one.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Kim et al. (2024) drew a road map for early-childhood teacher prep.
They weave Behavioral Skills Training into real fieldwork. Preservice teachers, university coaches, and classroom staff form one team.
The paper is a blueprint, not a trial, so no kids were tracked.
What they found
The authors lay out four steps: plan together, model the practice, let the candidate rehearse, and give immediate feedback.
They argue this loop turns textbook EBP knowledge into smooth classroom action.
How this fits with other research
Sherman et al. (2021) gives the missing proof. They ran a short BST package with active teachers and saw near-perfect fidelity in signal delivery, error correction, and praise. Their data say the Kim model should work.
Lerman (2024) zooms out. He offers a wider blueprint for handing behavior-analytic tools to any non-behavioral staff. Slide his packaging rules into Kim’s fieldwork plan and you can scale the partnership beyond preschool.
Miltenberger (2018) reminds us that good training needs both clear lessons and steady mentoring. Kim’s collaborative loop is the modern version of that old mentor role.
Why it matters
You supervise preservice teachers or RBTs. Use the Kim steps next semester: co-plan a small lesson, model it, watch the trainee rehearse, and give on-the-spot feedback. Loop until fluent. You will graduate students who already teach like pros.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
In early childhood education, implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) is crucial for enhancing children's developmental outcomes. While educator preparation program coursework often covers the content knowledge of EBPs, the application of this knowledge in fieldwork settings is limited. This results in infrequent implementation of EBPs in early childhood settings, highlighting the need for better strategies. One effective way to promote educators' implementation of EBPs is integrating the behavioral skills training (BST) model during fieldwork experiences. Incorporating BST into early childhood educator preparation programs can foster strong collaborative partnerships among team members, facilitating the identification and intentional use of EBPs to support individual children's learning and development. We describe this new collaborative partnership model in fieldwork experiences to demonstrate how preservice educators, in-service educators, and teacher educators play pivotal roles in influencing each other's performance. This collaborative effort aims to promote the implementation of EBPs that lead to the children's improved developmental outcomes.
Early Childhood Education Journal, 2024 · doi:10.1007/s10643-024-01692-y