Practitioner Perspectives on Hypothesis Testing Strategies in the Context of Functional Behavior Assessment

When results of descriptive functional behavior assessments (FBAs) are inconclusive, experimental analysis methods can be used to directly test hypotheses about when or why a student engages in challenging behavior. Despite growing research on practical variations of hypothesis testing in schools, these methods are rarely incorporated in FBAs in practice. To inform practitioner perspectives on hypothesis testing as a component of FBAs, we surveyed a statewide sample of school practitioners who participate in the FBA process ( n = 253). The survey addressed their views on three hypothesis testing strategies (i.e., functional analysis, antecedent analysis, concurrent operant analysis) across several dimensions. On 5-point Likert type scales, participants rated acceptability of procedures, feasibility of implementation, utility of results, conditions in which they would likely use or recommend the strategy, and perceived barriers. We used descriptive and nonparametric statistical analyses to compare ratings among the three hypothesis testing strategies. The majority of participants rated all three strategies favorably with respect to utility. However, ratings on acceptability, feasibility, and barriers were differentiated and favored the concurrent operant analysis over the functional and antecedent analyses. We discuss implications for practice and future research on incorporating hypothesis testing in FBAs for students with persistent challenging behavior.