| This study investigated the acceptability of collaborative problem solving to elementary and secondary teacher interns. Participants included 68 teacher interns in an 11-week course designed to teach skills in collaborative problem solving. As part of the course, teacher interns received direct instruction and guided practice in collaborative problem solving as they worked with consultants to design, implement, and evaluate classroom based interventions to address the needs of their students. For this study, teacher interns in 2 elementary and 2 secondary sections completed five 18-item Acceptability Questionnaires (adapted from the Intervention Rating Profile, Witt & Martens, 1983); one after each step of the problem solving process and at the end of the course.;Descriptive statistics demonstrated high ratings for acceptability of collaborative problem solving. However, an independent samples t-test demonstrated significant differences between elementary and secondary teacher interns' ratings, with elementary interns' acceptability ratings of the overall collaborative problem solving process higher than those of secondary teacher interns. Using a repeated measures 1-within design, significant differences also were found between teacher interns' acceptability of individual steps of collaborative problem solving. A visual analysis revealed a downward linear trend, with problem identification the highest rated step and problem evaluation the lowest. Additionally, a 1-within and 1-between repeated measures design found a significant difference between elementary and secondary interns in the level of their acceptability ratings across steps. Specifically, elementary interns rated all four steps higher than secondary interns. Significant positive correlations were found between teacher interns' ratings of overall acceptability of the collaborative problem solving process and both their acceptability ratings for each of the four steps of problem solving and ratings of target student outcomes.;Findings of this research have implications for practitioners using a collaborative problem solving model of consultation, as well as researchers in this area. These findings support the social validity of using all four steps of collaborative problem solving to meet students' needs. However, different training supports may be needed for elementary and secondary teachers learning the process. Replications of this research with teacher interns as well as experienced teachers are needed. |
