Ensuring the Power of Educational Research: Can a Rigorous Training Paradigm Promote Intervention Fidelity?

• In Event: Roundtable Session 24
  In Roundtable Session: Taking Professional Development to Scale in Arts Education

Abstract

Intervention fidelity is required to sustain the power of educational research for innovation in practice and policy. Providing rigorous facilitator training is one method of promoting intervention fidelity. This study documents the rehearsal paradigm and implementation of a Head Start drama program. The intensive facilitator training schedule, designed to ensure that each drama facilitator had a high level of facilitator expertise and could faithfully administer the program, successfully fostered intervention fidelity. Although, the rigorous training paradigm described in this presentation was designed to prepare professional actor-teachers to administer a theatre-in-education intervention in Head Start, the depth, breadth, and rigor of the training paradigm can inform other forms of teacher preparation and instruction.

Author

• Wendy K. Mages, Mercy College