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. 2015 Oct 2;8(2):123-133.
doi: 10.1007/s40617-015-0090-z. eCollection 2015 Oct.

In Dreams Begin Responsibility: Why and How to Measure the Quality of Graduate Training in Applied Behavior Analysis

Thomas S Critchfield  1
Affiliations

In Dreams Begin Responsibility: Why and How to Measure the Quality of Graduate Training in Applied Behavior Analysis

Thomas S Critchfield. Behav Anal Pract. .

Abstract

Although no one knows just how effective graduate training may be in creating effective practitioners of applied behavior analysis, there are plenty of logical and historical reasons to think that not all practitioners are equally competent. I detail some of those reasons and explain why practitioner effectiveness may be a more pressing worry now than in the past. Because ineffective practitioners harm the profession, rigorous mechanisms are needed for evaluating graduate training programs in terms of the field effectiveness of their practitioners. Accountability of this nature, while difficult to arrange, would make applied behavior analysis nearly unique among professions, would complement existing quality control processes, and would help to protect the positive reputation and vigorous consumer demand that the profession currently enjoys.

Keywords: Applied behavior analysis; Graduate training; Value added.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Hypothetical distributions of practitioner effectiveness. See text for explanation
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Risks inherent in pursuing, versus not pursuing, the systematic evaluation of graduate training quality. See text for explanation
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The general logic of value-added analyses. The progress of individual clients (left) is quantified and related to the practitioners (middle) who worked with them. The aggregate results for practitioners are related to the programs that trained them (right). Training programs thus are evaluated in terms of the aggregate field effectiveness of their graduates. See text for additional explanation
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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