Review of the fidelity measures in universal behavioral supports

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to review the fidelity measures in school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports; SWPBIS) with an emphasis on their instrumental characteristics and contents. A total of eight instruments, both domestically and internationally developed, were chosen and reviewed in terms of the purpose, the methods of assessment, the criterion scores on adequacy, the composition, and the accessibility. Also, through the in-depth investigation of the item contents (from 258 items), core and sub-elements were identified, and all relevant items within a specific core element were reviewed according to three dimensions including exposure of the intervention, quality of the intervention providers, and responsiveness of the intervention recipients. As a result, the fidelity measures in the universal behavioral supports are used in a school or research and provide multiple functions (e.g. school teams’ use for the regular implementation monitoring, survey of school faculty and staff’s perception) with varied assessment methods. To enhance the user’s understanding, most measures serve different types of information (e.g., measurement, scoring, utilization methods) and materials (e.g., data collection form, action plan form) in addition to the rating scales and are open to the public at no cost through relevant websites or research publications. Also, the review of the item contents found 10 core elements(e.g., defining and teaching the expected behaviors) and 60 sub-elements (e.g., defining the expectations and rules in a clear and positive manner), and those elements were measured evenly in all three dimensions. In the end, the study provided several implications regarding the further development and utilization of fidelity measures in universal behavioral supports.