Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Date of Graduation
8-15-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Educational Specialist (EdS)
Department
Department of Graduate Psychology
Advisor(s)
Tiffany Hornsby
Deborah Kipps-Vaughn
Sara Snyder
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of communication styles brought on by distanced learning and its effect on collaboration for school psychologists and Bord Certified Behavioral Analysts (BCBAs). Prior studies have addressed collaboration habits between these school-based professionals. The current study aims to analyze the impact that COVID-19 had on these practitioners’ collaboration habits and to investigate their current communication and collaboration habits. A mixed methods locally developed anonymous survey was created and used for data collection. Participants were recruited through social-media groups and via word-of-mouth sharing. 20 school-based practitioners shared their perceptions and experiences with collaboration through the survey. The study found that while video chat communication became a frequent method of communication during distanced learning, practitioners prefer collaborating with one another in person. The practitioners saw a decrease in collaboration during distanced learning for varied reasons (i.e., change in student need, preferred method of collaboration was unavailable, and access to staff). Working in a post-COVID-19 environment, practitioners in the sample report rarely and sometimes using video chat communication in their day-to-day practice. These findings imply that practitioners form stronger collaborative relationships with others who demonstrate that they value collaborative relationships. Practitioners can demonstrate a willingness to work together by considering others’ recommendations and using their colleagues’ preferred methods of communication when coming together and helping students. Creating habits around video chat collaboration may strengthen collaborative relationships as findings show that the convivence of the tool may continue to foster collaborative relationships.
Recommended Citation
Bronaugh, Taylor J., "The impact of COVID-19 on collaboration between school psychologists and board-certified behavioral analysts" (2023). Educational Specialist, 2020-current. 63.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/edspec202029/63
