Alexandra Rothstein, Mélina Rivard, Patrick Coulombe
Throughout the past decade, research has demonstrated the importance of addressing young children’s social-emotional development and that educators require knowledge on interventions designed to improve social-emotional learning. As children’s early experiences impact their development, it is essential that educators working in early childhood settings receive training and support to promote social-emotional competencies. The present study was carried out in the province of Quebec. It evaluated the effectiveness of the implementation of the Pyramid Model (PM), a multi-tiered framework that promotes social-emotional competencies and prevents challenging behaviours in young children attending early childhood settings. Nine educators and 10 children participated in the study. Educators were provided with practice-based coaching (shared goals and action planning, focused observation, reflection, and feedback) following a two-day PM training session that was part of another study. A mixed-method design was used to assess the effects of PM implementation on the educators' practices, the children’s social skills, as well as the intervention's feasibility and acceptability. Quantitative and qualitative data were combined to assess the social validity and feasibility of the intervention for the purposes of breadth and depth of understanding and corroboration. Also, a multiple baseline design across participants was employed to examine target behaviours in the educators and children. Significant improvements were identified in the educators' PM practices and the children's social skills. Educators reported that the intervention was feasible and expressed high levels of satisfaction with its implementation.