Utilizing Direct Observation Methods to Measure Social-Emotional Behaviors in School Social Work Practice.

Educational mandates, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), and educational approaches, such as Response to Intervention (RTI) and Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS), demonstrate a trend toward datadriven decision making in public education (Glover & DiPema, 2007; Horner, Sugai, Todd, & Lewis-Palmer, 2005; IDEA, 2004; Lane, Menzies, Oakes, & Kalberg, 2012; NCLB, 2001). Similarly, the National Association of Social Workers' Standards for School Social Work Practice (NASW, 2012) emphasize the importance for school social workers of collecting data, through direct observations and standardized assessments, in order to inform assessment and intervention development. Although these laws, approaches, and standards do not require a specific method for data collection, their intent delineates the lack of and need for academic and behavioral interventions grounded in empirical data. Although many schools employ some type of data collection in their daily practices for academics and behavior, concerns that arise from a social-emotional origin often produce data that are either unreliable or invalid as a result of the problem definition or the data collection procedure (Alberto & Troutman, 2003 ; Baer, Harrison, Fradenburg, Petersen, & Milla, 2005). Gathering and interpreting behavioral data related to social-emotional issues becomes more problematic because this lack of consistency in definition and measurement increases with vague interpretations of psychological symptoms (Insel et al., 2010). Controversies have even plagued the mental health community, perpetuating criticism from practitioners and researchers that the criteria and methods used to diagnose psychiatric conditions are too subjective and thus fueling the need for more objective behavioral definitions and data collection practices to enhance client mental health outcomes in a variety of settings (Frances, 2013; Insel et al., 2010).To ensure the proper identification and treatment of social-emotional problems, as well as the appropriate dissemination of vital (and often scarce) mental health resources in the schools, operational definitions and measurements of these issues are essential (Constable & Massat, 2009; Franklin & Hopson, 2004). Reliable and valid methods of data collection can and should include both standardized assessments and direct observation of the student in order to accomplish this task. Thus, the purpose of this article is to establish the need for objective data, specifically acquired through direct observation of social-emotional issues evidenced in educational settings, to promote effective interventions and improved outcomes for students.The Scientific Process and Objective DataThis article argues that the scientific process should be applied to social-emotional issues within the schools. Because the concept of reliable and valid data is foundational to the scientific process, the first step in this process is to clearly define the issue. All involved parties must agree upon a set of operationally defined variables that validly represent the presenting problem (Baer et al.. 2005). The second step in the scientific process is data collection, most appropriately through direct observation. Issues of how, when, and where data are collected are solved through the use of probes, interval recording procedures, or permanent products (Baer et al., 2005). In the third step, analysis of gathered data through a functional behavior assessment demonstrates trends regarding the absence or presence of the predefined behavior across all settings in order to construct useful interventions (Harrison & Harrison, 2009; Raines, 2008). Analysis is a complicated investigative process that often requires changes in the definitions of data and methods for data collection (Baer et al., 2005). The fourth step focuses on the development and/or location of an intervention based on root causes of behavior determined through the analysis. …