Equipping Paraprofessionals to Teach Adaptive Skills in School Classroom Settings Through Effective Use of Prompting Strategies via Teacher-led Instruction

Abstract

Teachers are frequently expected to do more with fewer resources. This challenge is intensified in rural settings, where teachers may have limited staff support, fewer training opportunities, or inadequate classroom materials. Although a plethora of research addresses teacher education and professional development strategies, few studies have examined how teacher-delivered training for classroom paraprofessionals affects outcomes. This study replicates the Brock et al.’s (2025) investigation of teacher training for paraprofessionals and its effects on the use of appropriate prompting skills. A multiple baseline across participants design was used to examine whether a functional relation exists between teachers’ implementation of a coaching curriculum and paraprofessionals’ adherence to prompting strategies while teaching novel skills within the classroom setting. Results demonstrated an intervention effect across all four participant triads. Participants who completed the follow-up social validity survey also rated the intervention favorably. These findings support continued use and further investigation of similar training models, particularly in rural settings.