Assessing Antecedent Variables: The Effects of Instructional Variables on Student Outcomes Through In-Service and Peer Coaching Professional Development Models‪.‬

Abstract A student's behavioral performance within the classroom is influenced, in large part, by the interaction that student has with the learning environment and the people in that environment. Identifying antecedent variables that effect student performance enables practitioners to set the stage for prosocial behavior and academic learning. One targeted strategy that has been recommended in the literature as essential for insuring student learning is increasing the number of student opportunities to respond (OTR). The current study utilized two separate professional development models, traditional in-service and peer coaching, to assess the effects of optimizing teacher levels of four instructional strategies, often defined as core to OTR, on students' academic and social behavior. Data were collected across a total of 16 teachers and 16 target students across two diverse elementary schools. Standardized, survey, direct observation, and work product measures were collected and are reported across academic, behavior, and social student outcomes. Implications for next steps research regarding instructional strategies as potent antecedents for academic and social behavior outcomes and professional development models are discussed.