Teaching descriptive functional assessment to portuguese language literacy teachers in primary schools

Abstract

This study verified if teacher’s (P1) exposure to a video of their own Portuguese language lesson and to researchers’ functional descriptive assessment models would aid in the learning of behavioral repertoires that define this kind of functional assessment. In Phase 1, Portuguese language classes taught by P1 on two didactic units (DU 1 and DU 2) were recorded and P1 was exposed to interview about DU 1 classes in the absence and in the presence of the DU 1 video. In Phase 2, P1 is exposed to the researchers’ functional descriptive model about DU 1 classes. Following that, the DU 2 videos were showed and P1 was asked to make a functional descriptive assessment model about the DU 2 video. After, P1 came into contact with researchers’ functional descriptive model of DU 2 classes. Finally, in Phase 3, DU 3 Portuguese language classes were recorded and P1 was exposed to the same Phase 1 questions. In the absence of DU1 and DU 2 video recorded classes, P1 early teaching repertoires stressed oral without knowledge about possible stimulus control relations in P1 classes. P1 teaching strategies in Phase 3 were related to past researchers’ functional interpretative models. Learning limitations about behavioral repertories used to make functional descriptive assessment were related with characteristics of the procedures adopted.

Keywords: descriptive functional assessment; behavior analysis; teacher education; teaching of Portuguese language.