Education and Human Sciences, College of (CEHS)
Date of this Version
5-2016
Document Type
Article
Citation
Holmes, S. R. (2016). Unpacking Conjoint Behavioral Consultation: Predictors and Conditions that Support Parent-Teacher Relationships (Doctoral dissertation). Open Access Thesis and Dissertations from the College of Education and Human Sciences.
Abstract
Empirical support confirms interventions with the goal of building partnerships between families and schools are effective methods for addressing childhood social-behavioral concerns and academic delays (for reviews see Jeynes, 2012). Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC; Sheridan & Kratochwill, 2008) is a problem-solving based intervention that seeks to remediate childhood behavior problems by enhancing working relationships between parents and teachers. CBC consistently yields positive effects for children, families, and teachers (Sheridan, Eagle, Cowan, & Mickelson, 200; Sheridan et al., 2012; Sheridan et al., in submission; Sheridan, Ryoo, Garbacz, Kunz, & Chumney, 2013) and these outcomes are achieved through supportive parent-teacher relationships (Sheridan et al., 2012; Sheridan et al., in submission). Although communication among parents, teachers, and consultants is considered an important process feature of CBC, its influence on perceptions of the parent-teacher relationship remains unexplored.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether CBC consultants’ use of communication strategies during problem-solving interactions with parents and teachers predicted reports of their relationships, and whether consultees’ (i.e., parents and teachers) displays of shared interactional qualities during these problem-solving interactions moderated the aforementioned prediction. One hundred and ninety-three collaborative, problem-solving meetings were coded for CBC consultants’ use of partnership-oriented communication strategies and the degree to which parents and teachers demonstrated shared interactions.
Multilevel analyses were conducted to explore whether consultants’ use of partnership-oriented communication strategies during problem-solving interactions with parents and teachers predicted the quality of the parent-teacher relationship, as well as the extent to which consultees’ (i.e., parents and teachers) displays of shared interactions moderated this prediction. Descriptive analyses revealed that CBC consultants, on average, used a partnership orientation during their interactions with parents and teachers. Similarly, parents and teachers, on average, displayed a high degree of shared interactions when engaging in collaborative problem solving. Results of the multilevel analyses did not yield any significant findings. Future research with the intent of systematically manipulating communication within the consultation process is needed to fully understand how communication operates within CBC.
Advisor: Susan M. Sheridan
Comments
A DISSERTATION. Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College of the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Major: Psychological Studies in Education (School Psychology), Under the Supervision of Professor Susan M. Sheridan. Lincoln, Nebraska: May, 2016
Copyright (c) 2016 Shannon R. Holmes