Preschool Teachers' Perceptions of Noncompliance and Antecedent Interventions

Abstract

This study examined the impact of a preschool child’s gender on preschool teachers’ perceptions of potentially problematic behavior. We also evaluated the influence of efficacy data and how it impacted preschool teachers’ ratings of acceptability of specific interventions. Thirty-seven preschool teachers in the Middle Tennessee area completed a survey packet in which they read a vignette depicting noncompliant behavior displayed by either a boy or girl and rated the severity of the behavior. Participants then read a description of three potential interventions and completed the Treatment Evaluation Inventory-Short Form to rate the acceptability of each intervention. Results indicated that the participants who received efficacy data rated the warning intervention as less acceptable than those who did not receive this information. Further, results indicated that there were no significant differences in teachers’ perceptions of the severity of the behavior in the vignette in regards to the gender of the child.