Clinician perspectives of engaging parents in behavioural interventions: a thematic analysis in Aotearoa New Zealand.

PURPOSE: Engaging parents in child-focused interventions is considered important for intervention effectiveness but is rarely investigated in behaviour analysis literature. METHODS: This qualitative study conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 clinicians working with parents in child-focused behavioural interventions in Aotearoa New Zealand. Interpretive description was the overarching methodology for the study, with thematic analysis utilised to analyse data. The study was guided by the research question; 'how is parent engagement understood by behavioural clinicians?' RESULTS: Three themes were developed to explain the process of parent engagement from the perspective of clinicians: (a) establishing parent context and needs, (b), developing connection and relationship, (c) facilitating behaviour change. These findings suggest that parent engagement is heavily relational and occurs over time. CONCLUSIONS: Aligned with parent engagement literature from other allied health fields, this study highlights the relational and dynamic elements of engagement within a child-focused intervention. Behaviour analysts should focus on interpersonal connections with parents at the start of intervention and may benefit from additional training to achieve this.

Behavioural clinicians understand parent engagement as heavily informed by relationship and likely to change over time.Attending carefully to parent expectations, values, learning histories, and preferences at the start of intervention will support fostering of parent engagement in child treatments.Behaviour analysts should prioritise building connection with parents before focusing on levels of parent adherence to developed interventions.

How Can Qualitative Methods Be Applied to Behavior Analytic Research: A Discussion and Suggestions for Implementation.

Behavior analysts in research and clinical practice are interested in an ever-expanding array of topics. They are compelled to explore the social validity of the interventions they propose and the findings they generate. As the field moves in these important directions, qualitative methods are becoming increasingly relevant. Representing a departure from small-n design favored by behavior analysts, qualitative approaches provide analysts a unique set of tools to answer questions that prioritize voice, experience, and understandings in context. Despite recognition of the value of qualitative approaches in other disciplines, application of qualitative methods in behavior analysis remains limited. One likely explanation is that behavior analysts are not yet fluent in applying qualitative approaches within their clinical and research investigations. To address this issue, exploration of qualitative research approaches in behavior analytic literature is needed, alongside practical advice for analysts who are interested in using qualitative methods. This article briefly outlines qualitative literature which pertains to behavior analysts wanting to incorporate qualitative methods into their inquiries. Attention is primarily drawn to the need for coherence in designing and implementing a robust qualitative study that aligns with the behavior analyst's aims and perspective on knowing. A set of guiding questions are provided to orient behavior analysts to considerations in qualitative research and outline how analysts can conceptualize a strong qualitative study. This article aims to support increased application of qualitative methods by behavior analysts, where these methods best address the function of the behavior analytic investigation.

Rethinking the Place of Qualitative Methods in Behavior Analysis.

Single-case design research is pervasive and dominant in the field of behavior analysis (BA). It allows for effective application of behavior change technologies in a wide variety of real-world settings. However, as the field has grown, behavioral scholars have suggested incorporating other methods into the investigator's toolbox to supplement single-case design. To date, the call to expand beyond using only variations of single-case design as the standard for behavior analytic research has gone largely unheard. Given the need for behavior analytic work to be more closely aligned with consumer and stakeholder needs and priorities, along with a proliferation of practitioners and researchers in the field, now is the time to consider the benefits of qualitative research methods for behavior analysts. In particular, in areas of social validity and in exploring diverse applied topics, qualitative methods may help the field of behavior analysis to achieve greater success with documenting the outcomes from behavior change interventions. The present article explores areas where behavior analysis may benefit from utilizing qualitative methods, namely social validity and breadth of topics for study, and provides examples of the value of qualitative research from other fields. A brief outline of qualitative research is provided alongside consideration of the seven dimensions of applied behavior analysis. In situations where single-case design does not offer behavior analysts sufficient methodological opportunity, qualitative research methods could form a powerful addition to the field of behavior analysis.