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The successful implementation of universal practices within Positive Behavior Interventions and Support systems (Tier 1 PBIS) relies on front-line implementers to deliver services through student-facing practice elements. However, schools are often limited in the implementation support they can provide (Fixsen et al., 2005). Therefore, there is a growing emphasis in educational research on the systems and resources necessary to support the individuals tasked with implementing the programming (Forman et al., 2013). One form of support commonly used to support implementers of other school-based practices is implementation coaching. While this term is not universally used within the literature, it can be conceptualized as the overarching process of identifying and delivering implementation supports that directly target intervention implementer behavior (Reinke et al., 2013, Sanetti & Collier-Meek, 2019). Despite a need to support the delivery of PBIS, the use of support practices, such as implementation coaching has not yet been explored. Since implementation coaching is underdeveloped and, as a form of collaborative consultation, depends upon a well-formed relationship between the coach and the implementer, the development of Tier 1 PBIS implementation coaching should begin by gathering the perspectives of the implementers about this approach. Understanding attitudes toward receiving implementation coaching provides insight into points of entry, facilitators, and barriers to positive, collaborative relationships with a coach. This will facilitate the refinement of broad implementation coaching practices that are well-matched to implementer issues, socially valid, and likely to be successful (Bastable et al., 2019).
The current study sought to gain a better understanding of the Tier 1 PBIS implementer's perspective of receiving implementation coaching through semi-structured interviews of eight elementary teachers who have experience implementing Tier 1 PBIS. Specifically, participants were asked about their preexisting beliefs about tier 1 PBIS and implementation coaching in isolation, then about their perspectives of utilizing implementation coaching to support the delivery of Tier 1 PBIS. Supplemental information about attitudes’ toward each practice were also gathered with the School-Adapted Evidence-Based Practice Attitudes Scale (S-EBPAS; Merle et al., 2023). Transcriptions of interviews were analyzed through thematic analysis and results were examined within the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR; Damschroder et al., 2022) to better conceptualize themes based on level of the implementation context. Results indicated seven themes related to the acceptability of implementation coaching for Tier 1 PBIS. The seven themes included: Preexisting Beliefs about PBIS, Preexisting Beliefs about Implementation Coaching, Practice: Implementation Coaching for PBIS, Inner Setting, Individual Factors: Coach, Individual Factors: Recipient, and Implementation Process. Within each theme, subthemes were examined to identify facilitators and barriers. Notable facilitators included overall positive attitudes toward Tier 1 PBIS and the appeal of using implementation coaching to support its delivery. Additionally, participants indicated a need for additional teacher support, which would increase the acceptability of a new support practice. Notable barriers included lack of resources, competing initiatives, and individual-level factors, such as lack of motivation. Findings of the current study provide guidance for recommendations for future practice and the development of implementation coaching practices. Future research should seek to expand the sample to better understand implementer perspectives on a broader scale, in addition to developing coaching practices that include elements of evidence-based professional development practices that can be matched to the educational context and person-level factors of the implementer.