Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA.
University of South Florida, Tampa, USA.
Behav Modif. 2024 Nov;48(5-6):502-536. doi: 10.1177/01454455241264816. Epub 2024 Jul 26.
Ecological validity refers to the meaningfulness or practical significance of research outcomes in everyday settings or the extent to which an intervention can be implemented by typical people during naturally occurring opportunities. In education, ecological validity may contribute to the adoption of interventions by teachers working with students in school settings. Our purpose in this review was to examine the evidence for ecological validity of functional communication training (FCT) used to address challenging behavior in school-age individuals with disabilities. We reviewed 19 single-case experimental design (SCED) studies published between 1985 and 2023. First, we used the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Standards to evaluate the empirical evidence of each study. Second, we evaluated the extent to which behavioral assessment and FCT procedures were described in the 15 studies that met the WWC Standards. Third, we conducted a systematic analysis of the evidence for ecological validity of behavioral assessment and FCT. Results indicate that 95% of the SCED studies met the WWC Standards. The description of procedures was complete for 50% of the behavioral assessments and for 11% of the FCT. The overall evidence for ecological validity was moderate for 16.7% and low for 83.3% of the behavioral assessments. The evidence for ecological validity for all FCT procedures was low. Future research and implications related to ecological validity are discussed.
生态效度是指研究结果在日常环境中的有意义或实际意义，或者干预措施在自然发生的机会中可以被典型人群实施的程度。在教育中，生态效度可能有助于教师在学校环境中采用针对残疾学生的干预措施。我们在本次综述中的目的是检验用于解决残疾学龄个体挑战性行为的功能性沟通训练（FCT）的生态效度的证据。我们回顾了 1985 年至 2023 年期间发表的 19 项单案例实验设计（SCED）研究。首先，我们使用 What Works Clearinghouse（WWC）标准来评估每项研究的实证证据。其次，我们评估了在符合 WWC 标准的 15 项研究中，行为评估和 FCT 程序的描述程度。第三，我们对行为评估和 FCT 的生态效度证据进行了系统分析。结果表明，95%的 SCED 研究符合 WWC 标准。50%的行为评估和 11%的 FCT 程序的描述是完整的。16.7%的行为评估具有中等的生态效度证据，83.3%的行为评估具有较低的生态效度证据。所有 FCT 程序的生态效度证据均较低。未来的研究和与生态效度相关的影响将被讨论。
