The research study of Gary Duhon and other researchers is vital to the study on treatment integrity of an
educational intervention.
Duhon wrote
Treatment Implementation Following Behavioral Consultation in Schools: A Comparison of Three Follow-up Strategies with emphasis on how teachers implement treatment plans next to consultation processes. Treatment strategies for children are based on the environment and behavior. Hence, effective intervention for children starts with altering the behavior of parents, teachers in the classroom, including guardians and other care givers. The question posed by Duhon and other researchers is that: How could a consulting psychologist sway adult’s conduct so that a useful treatment plan will be implemented? The answer to this question lies on the understanding of treatment integrity.
Using the meaning of treatment integrity as mentioned earlier, it is proper to claim that there is a significant link between treatment integrity and treatment outcome. The awareness of problem-solving team on the fact that intervention programs that are poorly implemented would yield negative results could help them improve program implementation as planned. The assurance of plan implementation is more difficult to achieve compared to treatment plan having greater likelihood to succeed. In the context of performance feedback, conceptualization of treatment implementation must be done through establishment of procedures that are helpful to a successful intervention program. Other than educational setting, performance feedback was studied in employment institutions as a way of maintaining changes in adult behavior.
In connection, the factors of the method in assessing the connection of various contexts like treatment integrity, treatment acceptability, and change of student behavior as well as ratings of student issues by teachers include participation and settings, measures, consultation and treatment plan development, experimental designs and conditions, integrity of consultation procedures, and results. In the study conducted by Duhon and other researchers, the most relevant findings are consistent with that of Hawkins and Wilkinson. There are relevant findings, however, are emphasized in this study. First, lack of performance feedback would affect the success of a treatment implementation. The deterioration of the outcome of treatment is normal when performance feedback is not applied in the intervention process. Besides, performance feedback is an efficient means of securing proper implementation of intervention or treatment plans.
Furthermore, as extension of past studies, the research study finding includes the fact that there is a rapid deterioration of the of the performance feedback procedure to once in every week. Consultants who give performance feedback are seen by consultees in a positive way in similar to those who failed to do so. Teacher ratings give a uniform positive evaluation of conference compared to more direct behavior measures could effectuate.
The reasonable connection between treatment implementation and child behavioral result gives additional proof sustaining the significance of attending to treatment integrity. In sum, this information gives empirical support for performance feedback as one technique of responding to an insidious, intractable, and under-researched difficulty in the psychological and educational treatment of children ensuring proper implementation of treatment plan.