Implementing Kinder Training as a preventive intervention: African American preschool teacher perceptions of the process, effectiveness, and acceptability

Kinder Training was developed by White, Flynt and Draper (1997) as a consultation model for school mental health workers. Kinder Training consists of training teachers to become therapeutic agents of change by teaching them basic principles of child-centered play therapy and Individual Psychology to be used during special play sessions with their students. The purpose of Kinder Training is to enhance the teacher-child relationship, thereby improving the child's school adjustment and providing teachers with the opportunity to improve classroom management skills. Research investigating teacher perceptions of the process, effectiveness, and acceptability of Kinder Training is limited. The purpose of this research was to qualitatively examine teacher perceptions of the process, effectiveness, and acceptability of Kinder Training as a preventive intervention for preschool students.;The participants for this study consisted of six African American preschool teachers working within a large, urban school district in the southeastern United States. Each preschool teacher participated in two semi-structured interviews. Two focus group interviews were also conducted. Additional data sources included participant observations and reflective journal entries written by the Kinder Training consultants.;The data analysis process revealed that Kinder Training was a moderately acceptable and effective intervention. From the teachers' perspectives, positive aspects of Kinder Training included improved child competencies. Specifically, children's on-task behavior increased, self esteem improved, and behavior problems decreased. Teachers also noted that children began to engage in greater verbal communication with the teacher. Despite that teachers expressed liking for certain aspects of Kinder Training, the intervention was not found to be entirely acceptable. Factors influencing the treatment acceptability of Kinder Training included a need for additional training, characteristics of the teachers, child characteristics, and a lack of comprehensive understanding of Kinder Training concepts and skills.;Results from this research provided support for Kinder Training as a promising intervention technique to enhance teacher-child relationships, improve child competencies, and build upon teacher competencies. Based on the findings of this study, implications for the implementation of Kinder Training and future research directions of Kinder Training were discussed.