Blending Practice-Based Professional Development With Mixed-Reality Simulation: Improving School Psychologists’ Perceptions and Knowledge of FBA-Based Interventions

Mixed-reality simulation (MRS) offers professional development providers with the option of enhancing practice-based professional development (PBPD) with realistic opportunities to practice a skill. Blending PBPD and MRS not only moves away from traditional lectures, but it focuses on supportive, low-stakes, and intentional practice opportunities. In this study, we used one group pretest-posttest study design and qualitative thematic analyses to examine the extent to which a PBPD and MRS was effective in teaching 24 school psychologists how to design, implement, and evaluate functional behavior assessments (FBA) and behavior intervention plans (BIP). We found participants’ perceived knowledge, confidence, usefulness, and actual knowledge of FBA-BIP practices significantly increased. Additionally, participants provided positive ratings of PBPD and MRS on social validity measures, and several themes on MRS strengths, benefits, and drawbacks were identified.