The more we get together: Communities of practice for behaviour analysts

Recently I had the privilege to participate in a study with esteemed colleagues Louis Busch, Val Saini, Kimberley Zonneveld, Nancy Leathen, Madeline Asaro, Nick Eff which was published in the Canadian Journal of Behavioural Sciences. The study was on the use of peer-based groups that facilitate professional development amongst behaviour analysts in the form of a community of practice meetings. Below is a brief overview of the study and what we learned.

Why was this study done?

Behaviour analysts may find it challenging to acquire and maintain important clinical and professional competencies because of limited opportunities for peer-to-peer interaction and formal training outside of conferences or fee-for-service workshops. They already face significant time constraints, heavy caseloads, deficient professional networks, and limited organizational resources. Although the effectiveness of behavioural skills training for teaching specific skills to behaviour analysts is well established in the literature, it can be time-consuming and may not be feasible to develop every skill that practitioners need to maintain expertise in their areas of practice. In contrast, communities of practice are flexible peer-based groups that facilitate learning through repeated engagement in joint activities.

What did the study entail and what were the results?

The team of clinicians conducting this study, including Karen Chartier, Clinical Director at Lake Ridge Community Support Service, first evaluated self-reports of participant satisfaction and then evaluated pre and post-test scores on 3 practice topics to determine the utility of the community of practice meetings. Results showed that behaviour analysts responded favourably to membership and that participation in the sampled community of practice meetings led to improvements in all targeted skills. This article explores the concept of a community of practice and its potential utility for behaviour analysts.  

See the authors and link to the published article in the Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science below:

Busch, L., Zonneveld, K., Saini, V., Chartier, K., Leathen, N., Asaro, M., & Feltz, N. (2020). The more we get together: Communities of practice for behaviour analysts. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science / Revue Canadienne des sciences du comportement. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/cbs0000174