Purpose The purpose of this study was to further evaluate an eight-step partner instructional model developed by Kent-Walsh and McNaughton that has been demonstrated to improve implementation quality and fidelity among adults in clinical and educational settings who support the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for individuals with complex communication needs. Method This study examined the effectiveness of the eight-step model in a K-12 special education setting. Participants included 26 staff and 19 students. Effects on both communication partner modeling and student AAC system use were assessed. The study expanded upon prior research by employing a group design, including largely adolescent participants, and utilizing multiple AAC hardware and software types. Results Staff receiving training and coaching via the full eight-step model demonstrated gains in the percentage of utterances modeled, and their student partners increased mean length of utterance. The study failed to find statistically significant differences between the experimental group and a comparison group receiving only Stages 1-5 of the model. Conclusion Findings provide additional evidence for the viability of the eight-step instructional model as a methodology to promote the communication skills of students who utilize AAC, and also point to the advanced practice and feedback element of the model as a potential mediator of intervention outcomes.

中文翻译：

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通过合作伙伴指导模型中的观察反馈改善学生交流的便利性。

目的 本研究的目的是进一步评估由 Kent-Walsh 和 McNaughton 开发的八步合作伙伴教学模型，该模型已被证明可以提高临床和教育环境中支持使用辅助性和替代性交流的成年人的实施质量和保真度(AAC) 适用于具有复杂通信需求的个人。方法 本研究检验了八步模型在 K-12 特殊教育环境中的有效性。参加者包括 26 名教职员工和 19 名学生。评估了对沟通伙伴建模和学生 AAC 系统使用的影响。该研究通过采用小组设计（主要包括青少年参与者）并利用多种 AAC 硬件和软件类型，在先前研究的基础上进行了扩展。结果 通过完整的八步模型接受培训和指导的员工表现出建模话语百分比的增加，并且他们的学生伙伴增加了平均话语长度。该研究未能发现实验组和仅接受模型的第 1-5 阶段的对照组之间存在统计学上的显着差异。结论 调查结果为八步教学模型作为一种方法来提高使用 AAC 的学生的沟通技巧的可行性提供了额外的证据，并且还指出该模型的高级实践和反馈元素作为干预结果的潜在中介。该研究未能发现实验组和仅接受模型的第 1-5 阶段的对照组之间存在统计学上的显着差异。结论 调查结果为八步教学模型作为一种方法来提高使用 AAC 的学生的沟通技巧的可行性提供了额外的证据，并且还指出该模型的高级实践和反馈元素作为干预结果的潜在中介。该研究未能发现实验组和仅接受模型的第 1-5 阶段的对照组之间存在统计学上的显着差异。结论 调查结果为八步教学模型作为一种方法来提高使用 AAC 的学生的沟通技巧的可行性提供了额外的证据，并且还指出该模型的高级实践和反馈元素作为干预结果的潜在中介。