4 research outputs found
Three-Year Trajectory of Teachersâ Fidelity to a Drug Prevention Curriculum
Little is known about the trajectories over time of classroom teachersâ fidelity to drug prevention curricula. Using the âConcerns-Based Adoption Modelâ (C-BAM) as a theoretical framework, we hypothesized that teachersâ fidelity would improve with repetition. Participants comprised 23 middle school teachers who videotaped their administration of three entire iterations of the All Stars curriculum. Investigators coded two key curriculum lessons, specifically assessing the proportion of activities of each lesson teachers attempted and whether they omitted, added, or changed prescribed content, or delivered it using new methods. Study findings provided only partial support for the C-BAM model. Considerable variability in teachersâ performance over time was noted, suggesting that their progression over time may be nonlinear and dynamic, and quite possibly a function of their classroom and school contexts. There was also evidence that, by their third iteration of All Stars, teachers tended to regress toward the baseline mean. That is, the implementation quality of those that started out with high levels of fidelity tended to degrade, while those that started out with very low fidelity to the curriculum tended to improve. Study findings suggest the need for ongoing training and technical assistance, as well as âjust in timeâ messages delivered electronically; but it is also possible that some prevention curricula may impose unrealistic expectations or burdens on teachersâ abilities and classroom time