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Research Program
In an
attempt to study the translation of research into practice, I have
developed a research agenda that focuses on three specific facets
of this issue. My work in
each of these areas is described below.
Developing
and validating assessment and intervention methodologies which are
both empirically supported and feasible. In studying assessment tools and
intervention activities, researchers generally focus primarily on
the efficacy and psychometric properties of those techniques. Less often considered is the
feasibility of their use in an educational environment. Since it is unlikely that
methodologically sound but impractical techniques will actually be
implemented as designed, I believe that it is critical to develop
assessment and intervention strategies that are both valid and
feasible. My interests in
this area are best illustrated by an
established line of research focusing on the systematic analysis of direct behavior ratings (DBR) that I
have conducted in conjunction with Dr. Sandra Chafouleas. To date, results of these
investigations have indicated that the
DBR offers
a potentially valuable complement to direct observation techniques
when measuring behaviors typically found in the school setting.
This line of research has produced several
publications
to date, as well as several manuscripts that are currently in
preparation. Additionally, Project VIABLE an IES-funded grant with goals to develop and
evaluate procedures for direct behavior rating scales to effectively
and efficiently measure student behavior will allow us to further
understand DBR.
Analyzing
consultation and intervention programs in order to maximizing
generalization, treatment integrity, and effectiveness. Given the critical importance of intervention
to the practice of modern school psychology, as well as to
education in general, the systematic analysis of intervention
strategies is necessary to increase the likelihood that they will
be successful. Examples of this line of research are empirical
studies I have conducted studies to examine generalization
programming, methods of selecting reinforcers used in consultation
and considering the impact of collaboration on treatment integrity.
Studying
usage of empirical research by practicing school psychologists, and
incorporating the resulting knowledge into training programs
designed to increase practitioners’ usage of empirically supported
practice. This facet of my research program
is highlighted by a series of acceptability studies that I have
conducted and published with Dr. Sandra Chafouleas, Dr. Tanya
Eckert and Dr. David Miller.
These studies have examined the acceptability of a number of
empirically supported activities such as suicide prevention
activities and assessment methods. I have also expanded this line
of research to focus on both the direct impact of acceptability on
practitioners’ usage of various empirically supported techniques,
and the development of methodologies to measure rates of
practitioner utilization.
Both extensions of this line of acceptability research have
been supported by grants from the Society for the Study of School
Psychology (in 2001 and 2004).
Current Grants
Co-Principal Investigator. Project
VIABLE Supplement. Funding Source: Institute
of Education Sciences of the
United States Department of Education. Duration of funding June 1st
2008 to May 31st 2010. Total amount funded: $165,000.
Co-Principal Investigator. Project
VIABLE: Validation of Instruments for Assessing
Behavior Longitudinally and
Efficiently. Funding
Source: Institute of Education Sciences of the United States
Department of Education. Duration of funding June 1st
2006 to May 31st 2010. Total amount funded: $1,496,000.
Representative Recent
Publications: Books
Riley-Tillman, T.C. & Burns,
M. K. (2009). Evaluating
Educational Interventions:
Single-Case Design for Measuring
Response to Intervention. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Chafouleas, S.M, Riley-Tillman,
T.C., & Sugai, G. (2007). School-Based
Behavior
Assessment and Monitoring for
Informing Instruction and Intervention. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Recent Publications: Journals
Schlientz, M. D., Riley-Tillman,
T. C., Briesch, A. M., Walcott, C. M., Chafouleas,
S.M., (in press). The Impact of
Training on the Accuracy of Direct Behavior Ratings (DBRs). School
Psychology Quarterly.
Riley-Tillman, T.C., Methe, S.A., &
Weegar, K. (2009). Examining the Use of Direct
Behavior Rating Methodology on Classwide
Formative Assessment: A Case Study. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 34, 224-230.
Christ, T.J., Riley-Tillman,
T.C., & Chafouleas, S.M. (2009). Foundation for the
Development and Use of Direct
Behavior Rating (DBR) to Assess and Evaluate Student Behavior. Assessment for Effective
Intervention, 34, 201-213.
Chafouleas, S.M., Riley-Tillman,
T.C., & Christ, T.J. (2009). Direct Behavior Rating
(DBR): An Emerging Method for
Assessing Social Behavior within a Tiered Intervention System. Assessment for Effective
Intervention, 34, 195-200.
Riley-Tillman, T. C., Chafouleas, S. M.,
Christ, T., Briesch, A. M., & LeBel, T.J. (in
press). The impact of wording and inference on the accuracy of
direct behavior rating scales (DBR). School Psychology Quarterly.
Chafouleas, S. M., Briesch, A.
M., Riley-Tillman, T. C., & McCoach, D. B. (2009).
Moving beyond assessment of
treatment acceptability: An examination of the factor structure of
the Usage Rating Profile – Intervention (URP-I). School Psychology Quarterly, 24,
36-47.
Chafouleas,
S.M., Christ, T.J., &
Riley-Tillman, T.C. (2009). Generalizability and
dependability of scaling
gradients on Direct Behavior Ratings (DBRs). Educational
and Psychological Measurement, 69, 157-173.
Chafouleas, S. M., Riley-Tillman,
T. C., Briesch, A. M., & Chanese, J. A. (2008). The Development and Validation
of the Usage Rating Profile (URP). Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 23, 175-189.
Kelleher, C., Riley-Tillman, T.C,
& Power, T.J. (2008). An
Initial Comparison of
Collaborative
and Expert-Driven Consultation on Treatment Integrity. Journal
of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 18(4), 294-324.
Methe, S.A. & Riley-Tillman, T.C.
(2008). An Informed Approach to Selecting and
Designing Early Mathematics Interventions. School Psychology Forum, 2(3), 29-41.
Riley-Tillman, T.C., Chafouleas,
S.M., & Eckert, T. (2008). Daily Behavior Report Cards and
Systematic Direct Observation: An Investigation of the
Acceptability, Reported Training and Use, and Decision Reliability
among School Psychologists. Journal
of Behavioral Education. 17(4), 313-327.
Riley-Tillman, T.C., Chafouleas,
S.M., Sassu, K.A., Chanese,
J.A.M., & Glazer, A.D.
(2008). Examining the agreement
of Direct Behavior Ratings and Systematic Direct Observation for
on-task and disruptive behavior. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 10(2),
136-143.
Damon, S., Riley-Tillman, T.C.,
& Fiorello, C. (2008). Comparing
methods of
identifying
reinforcing stimuli in school consultation. Journal of Educational and
Psychological Consultation,
18(1), 31-53.
Walcott,
C.M., Chafouleas, S.M., McDougal, J.L., Miller, D.N.,
Riley-Tillman, T.C.,
Blom-Hoffman,
J., & Volpe, R.J. (2008).
School-Based Health Promotion: An Introduction to the
Practitioner’s Edition. Psychology in the Schools,
45(1), 5-15.
Riley-Tillman,
T.C. & Wallcott, C.M. (2007). Using Baseline Logic to Maximize
the
Value
of Educational Intervention. School Psychology Forum, 1(2), 87-97.
Chafouleas, S.M., Christ, T., Riley-Tillman,
T.C., Briesch, A.M., & Chanese, J. (2007). Generalizability and
dependability of Direct Behavior Ratings to measure social behavior
of preschoolers.
School Psychology Review, 36(1), 63-79.
Miller, D.N., Blom-Hoffman, J.,
Chafouleas, S.M., Riley-Tillman, T.C., & Volpe, R.J., (2007).
Navigating a Successful Academic Career in Psychology: Tips and
Recommendations for Graduate Students. Graduate Student Journal of Psychology, 9, 49-55.
Riley-Tillman, T.C., Chafouleas,
S.M., & Briesch, A.M. (2007). A school practitioner’s guide to using Daily Behavior
Report Cards to monitor interventions. Psychology in the Schools,
44(1), 77-89.
Chafouleas, S.M., &
Riley-Tillman, T.C., Sassu, K.A., LaFrance, M.J., & Patwa, S.S.
(2007). Daily Behavior Report Cards:
An Investigation of the consistency of On-Task Data Across Raters
and Methods.. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. 9(1), 30-37.
McDougal, J.L., Miller, D.N.,
Chafouleas, S.M., Blom-Hoffman, J., & Volpe, R.J.,
Riley-Tillman, T.C. (2007). Promoting Behavioral Competence: An
introduction to the practitioner’s edition. Psychology in the Schools 44(1), 1-5.
Link to Dr.
Riley-Tillman's Faculty Page
Link
to Dr. Riley-Tillman's Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
Workshop Information
Office: 121 Rawl
Phone: 252-328-1371
Fax: 252-328-6283
Email: rileytillmant@ecu.edu
Mailing Address:
Department of Psychology
Rawl 104
East Carolina University
Greenville, North Carolina 27858-4353
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