Increasing Diversity Content in Graduate Coursework: A Pilot Investigation

Abstract

Recent data indicate that BACB certificants are largely homogenous with respect to racial and gender identity. There is also evidence that many practitioners do not receive training in culturally responsive service delivery (CSRD). Applied behavior analysis (ABA) graduate programs would therefore benefit from incorporating training on diversity and CSRD. In this pilot investigation, a pre/post design was used to evaluate the effects of providing ABA faculty members with a supplemental diversity/CRSD curriculum on the presence of diversity/CRSD content in course syllabi. Six faculty members, who were collectively responsible for teaching courses in an ABA master’s program, participated in this study. All participants were provided with a general list of resources related to diversity/CRSD in ABA. The supplemental curriculum included tailored diversity course objectives and supporting resources for courses assigned to the intervention group. Results suggest that the provision of tailored objectives and supporting resources to faculty may lead to increases in diversity/CRSD content in course syllabi. Despite the methodological shortcomings of this pilot investigation, this study represents a preliminary step toward the development of a line of empirical research on ABA graduate training and diversity/CRSD. Implications for graduate training programs in ABA and future research in this area are discussed.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-022-00714-8.

In their survey of BACB certificants, Beaulieu et al. (2019) found that 57% of respondents reported more than half of their clients were from diverse backgrounds (i.e., belonged to a marginalized group). According to the most recent demographic data published by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), 54% of practicing behavior analysts identify as white and 85% identify as female (BACB, 2022). Thus, it is likely that many behavior analysts are serving individuals who differ from themselves in terms of race/ethnicity and gender identity. Although BACB demographic data are limited to race/ethnicity, gender, and area of professional emphasis, the lack of concordance between practitioners and service recipients may well extend into other aspects of identity (e.g., sexual identity, socioeconomic status, age, religion). As a result, recent publications have called for applied behavior analysis (ABA) graduate programs to incorporate training on diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), cultural awareness/competence/humility, and culturally responsive service delivery (CRSD; Beaulieu et al., 2019; Conners et al., 2019; Fong et al., 2016; Fong et al., 2017; Fong & Tanaka, 2013; Najdowski et al., 2021; Wright, 2019).

The term “culturally responsive service delivery” describes the provision of ABA services wherein relevant cultural variables are taken into account. CRSD requires practitioners to consider the culture of a client and their family throughout the entirety of service delivery, from initially establishing rapport with families, to the design of assessments and treatments, to caregiver training. There is growing evidence that failing to take cultural variables into account when delivering behavior analytic services may affect outcomes (e.g., Rispoli et al., 2011). CRSD also requires ABA practitioners to examine their own “cultural lens” and how it affects their own behavior as individual service providers (Dennison et al., 2019). Thus, the implementation of CRSD, prior to or as part of assessment and intervention, may entail the development of complex skills in individual practitioners and system-level change in ABA organizations including, but not limited to, establishing therapeutic rapport with clients and families with marginalized identities, tacting cultural contingencies, identifying personal bias, conducting culturally appropriate assessments, and developing treatment materials, goals, and interventions that consider a client’s culture (Fong et al., 2016).

Several guidelines for developing the relevant repertoires in individual behavior analysts and the systems-level organizational changes needed to provide CRSD to service recipients have been proposed. Fong and Tanaka (2013) outlined seven proposed standards for cultural competence in ABA. For example, standard 3, Cross-Cultural Application, states, “Behavior Analysts shall use appropriate culturally sensitive methodological approaches, skills, and techniques that reflect the professional’s understanding of the role of culture in the life of the client.” Strategies for developing cultural awareness (Fong et al., 2016), increasing diversity (Fong et al., 2017), and practicing cultural humility (Wright, 2019) have also been published. Najdowski et al. (2021) outlined recommendations for developing antiracist and multicultural ABA graduate training programs across four areas: organizational infrastructure and leadership, curricula and pedagogy, research, and with faculty, students, and staff.

The extent to which these guidelines and recommendations have been adopted by ABA graduate training programs is unclear. According to two recent surveys, most ABA practitioners report receiving little to no training on how to work with individuals belonging to marginalized groups. Conners et al. (2019) conducted a survey of BACB certificants and found that almost half of the respondents believed that their graduate training did not provide them with the necessary multicultural competency skills for professional practice. Likewise, Beaulieu et al. (2019) found that although the majority of behavior analysts (86%) rated themselves as being moderately or extremely skilled at working with individuals from diverse backgrounds, most respondents reported having little (47%) or no (35%) instruction in CRSD in their graduate training. The consideration of cultural variables in ABA graduate training extends beyond the clear benefits of preparing trainees to provide culturally relevant behavior analytic services to clients. First, CRSD has the potential to improve caregiver training, social validity, and procedural integrity relative to a “culturally blind” approach to service delivery (Aguilar & Clay, 2020; Knochel et al., 2021; Rodriguez & Williams, 2020). Second, fieldwork experience with clients belonging to marginalized groups (under the supervision of a mentor with appropriate expertise) could increase the probability that trainees elect to serve those communities after becoming certified. Third, culturally responsive supervision can serve as a model to trainees for their own future supervisory practices and has the potential to contribute to the recruitment and retention of practitioners belonging to marginalized communities in the field of ABA (Fong, 2020). Fourth, the integration of cultural variables into ABA training is in direct alignment with BACB’s Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (2022) for service providers and supervisors (i.e., standards 1.07, 1.08, 1.10, 2.13, 2.14, and 4.07). Thus, bolstering the role of cultural variables in the coursework, fieldwork, and supervision received by ABA trainees has the potential for far-reaching effects on trainees, service recipients, and the field of ABA at large.

ABA is one of the few helping professions without graduate training or certification requirements related to diversity and CRSD. For example, the American Psychological Association (APA) requires accredited programs in counseling, clinical, and school psychology to include diversity education in their coursework (APA, 2006). No such requirements currently exist in the field of ABA. The newest version of the BACB’s Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (2022) does include several guidelines related to diversity and CRSD. However, at present, there are no items in the fifth edition Task List (BACB, 2017) directly related to CRSD or serving clientele who belong to marginalized groups. This absence likely contributes to the infrequency with which students and practitioners receive ongoing training and supervision in these areas, and as a result calls have been made to incorporate items on diversity and CRSD into the BACB Task List (e.g., Conners et al., 2019).

With respect to preparing trainees to work effectively with clients with varying cultural identities, considerable work is needed to put our field on par with other helping professions. Prior researchers have called for changes to the BACB Task List (Conners et al., 2019), outlined proposed training standards for cultural competence (Fong & Tanaka, 2013), identified strategies for developing cultural awareness (Fong et al., 2016), described the role of cultural humility in practice, (Wright, 2019), and provided recommendations for the development of antiracist, multicultural graduate training programs (Najdowski et al., 2021). Those publications have laid the groundwork for the next logical step in this area, which is to develop a line of empirical research dedicated to identifying evidence-based practices for teaching trainees to work effectively with families that are different from their own.

Such a line of research would seek to establish empirically supported practices for developing the required skills in trainees across all facets of graduate training—coursework, clinical fieldwork, and supervision. A meaningful first step in this line of research could be to evaluate strategies for increasing diversity and CRSD content in behavior analytic coursework. The current study represents such an effort. We developed a supplemental diversity/CRSD curriculum for graduate courses in our master’s program and then designed a pilot investigation to assess the effects of providing faculty with the supplemental curriculum prior to a new semester. Given the nature of this pilot investigation and its methodological shortcomings, our outcomes should be interpreted with caution. Nevertheless, given the lack of empirical research on this important topic and the potential benefits of disseminating the supplemental curriculum, we believe this pilot investigation is a valuable first step toward developing a line of inquiry aimed at identifying evidence-based curricular and pedagogical practices for establishing relevant skills (e.g., cultural humility, provision of CRSD) in ABA trainees.

Method

Participants and Setting

Five full-time and one adjunct faculty member in a department of ABA at a private, liberal arts university participated in this study, including the third author of this study. All participants hold doctoral degrees and are practicing board certified behavior analysts-doctoral (BCBA-D). Participants were responsible for, on a rotating basis, teaching required and elective courses in a master’s program accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). Table 1 displays the courses participants taught prior to and following the intervention. Participant ages ranged from 37 to 57 years old. Four of the participants identified as female or cisgender female and two participants identified as male or cisgender male. Five participants were white and one participant identified as white/Hispanic. The primary language of all six participants was English. Five participants identified as high income and one identified as middle income. Participant demographic information was obtained via an optional questionnaire. All participants provided informed consent for this study.

Table 1.

Courses taught by participants

Course	Preintervention	Postintervention
Control Group Courses
Scientific Writing	P1	P1
Thesis II (section 1)	P2	P2
Thesis II (section 2)	P3	P3
Thesis II (section 3)	P4	P4
Thesis II (section 4)	P5	P5
Intervention Group Courses
Introduction to ABA	P6	P6
Research Methods	P3	P5
Behavior Analysis and Learning	P2	P2
Functional Behavior Assessment	P5	P5
Advanced ABA	P2	P2
Organizational Behavior Management	P3	P3

Note. ABA Applied Behavior Analysis, P Participant

Researchers

The first author of this study identifies as a Hispanic cisgender female, the second author identifies as a 32-year-old, Black cisgender female, and demographic information for the first author of this study is included in participant descriptions above (37 years old, cisgender female, white, high income).

Interobserver Agreement

A trained rater reviewed a minimum of 41% of pre- and postintervention course syllabi. The first author provided operational definitions of dependent variables as well as examples and nonexamples using a novel syllabus (i.e., syllabus that was not included in the control or intervention group) until the independent rater answered in the affirmative about their ability to begin coding. Prior to coding, the independent rater was also required to practice scoring one novel syllabus and agreement with the first author was 100%. For count measures, we compared the count recorded by each rater for each syllabus. If both raters recorded identical counts for a given syllabus, we scored an agreement. If the two raters recorded different counts for a given syllabus, we scored a disagreement. For descriptive data, we compared the two raters’ recordings for a given syllabus and scored an agreement if the information reported was identical. Any resources in the record of one rater that did not have a corresponding match in the record of the other rater would have been scored as a disagreement. Agreement was calculated by dividing the number of agreements by the number of agreements plus disagreements and multiplying by 100. Interobserver agreement was 100% across all dependent variables.

Response Measurement and Interobserver Agreement

Prior to and following the intervention, we extracted data on dependent variables from six required and five elective course syllabi from the ABA master’s program. Dependent variables were diversity course objectives and diversity resources included in course syllabi. Diversity course objectives were defined as any course objectives that were thematically related to DEI, culture, marginalized identities (e.g., bias, discrimination, gender, marginalized/marginalization, oppression, primary language, race, religion, social justice), or CRSD. Diversity resources were defined as any of the resources listed in the Microsoft Excel® spreadsheet (described below). We counted the number of diversity course objectives and diversity resources in each syllabus; data were summarized as the total number of diversity course objectives and the total number of diversity resources per syllabus. Diversity resources were coded as assigned if the syllabus indicated that students were required to consume it (i.e., read it or listen to it) and coded as supplemental if the syllabus indicated that students were not required to consume it. We also collected descriptive data on the diversity resources in each syllabus (i.e., we recorded the name/title of each resource as it was written in the syllabus) for interobserver agreement purposes.

Resource Search

The authors of this pilot study conducted an informal search of behavior analytic journals for peer-reviewed articles on diversity and CRSD in conjunction with graduate student members of the department’s DEI committee. The DEI committee was made up of several ABA graduate students and one faculty member (third author). The stated mission of the DEI committee was,

To foster a department in which all people are recognized and genuinely appreciated for their differences, including but not limited to age, cultural heritage, ethnicity, gender orientation, political beliefs, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, varied abilities, and veteran status. We seek to promote equal access to opportunities and resources for students as well as cultivating a safe, respectful, inclusive, and equitable environment in which all people are encouraged to freely express their opinions and ideas. We aim to ensure that students receive a variety of experiences by way of coursework and additional learning opportunities with the aim of producing well-rounded, culturally humble behavior analysts (Caldwell University, 2022, April 4).

We searched the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Journal of Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Behavior Analysis in Practice, Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, Journal of Behavioral Education, Education and Treatment of Children, Behavioral and Social Issues, Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, and The Behavior Analyst/Perspectives on Behavioral Science using the search terms “diversity,” “discrimination,” “pay gap,” “cultural humility,” “equity,” “inclusion,” “culture,” “gender,” “sex,” “race,” “religion,” “gender non-conforming,” “stigma,” “trans,” “awareness,” and “stereotype.” We reviewed titles and abstracts to identify articles appropriate for inclusion in the supplemental curriculum. We also reviewed websites of behavior analytic professional organizations (e.g., ABAI) and behavior analytic podcasts (e.g., ABA Inside Track) to identify statements, funding opportunities, groups (e.g., boards, task forces), and podcast episodes related to diversity/CRSD for inclusion in the supplemental curriculum. Additional resources related to diversity (e.g., government reports) were identified by the authors of this study via informal web searches. All yielded resources (peer-reviewed articles, web links, podcast episodes, government reports, etc.) were inputted into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The final version of the spreadsheet included all resources yielded by the search. Finally, a PDF or weblink to each resource contained in the spreadsheet was placed into a shared web-based folder. (See Supplemental Material A.)

Development of Supplemental Curriculum

The supplemental curriculum contained diversity course objectives and diversity resources, tailored to each of the courses in the intervention group, and was developed using a collaborative and iterative process. First, we wrote diversity course objectives (and supporting lesson objectives) for each course in the intervention group. Second, we revised these objectives based on feedback from each other and graduate student members of the department’s DEI committee. Third, we selected resources from the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that corresponded with and supported those objectives. Fourth, we organized the diversity course objectives and diversity resources by course and created a single document outlining objectives and corresponding resources for each course in the intervention group. Finally, we revised this document until we reached a consensus that the revision process was complete. (See Supplemental Material B.) The number of diversity course objectives and diversity resources per intervention group course varied. The mean number of diversity course objectives per course was 2.4 (range: 1–4) and the mean number of diversity resources per course was 11.3 (range: 3–22).

Experimental Design

A pre/post design was used to evaluate the effects of providing faculty participants with a supplemental curriculum containing diversity course objectives and resources tailored to their courses on the presence of diversity/CRSD content in course syllabi. We obtained pre- and postintervention course syllabi via a shared Google Drive folder that contained faculty syllabi from each semester. Preintervention syllabi were drawn from the most recent offering of each course, and included course offerings from fall 2020, spring 2020, and spring 2019 semesters. All postintervention syllabi were drawn from the spring 2021 semester. We delivered the intervention to participants between the fall 2020 semester and the spring 2021 semester. We sent an email to participants containing: (1) the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet containing all identified diversity resources; (2) a shared folder containing a PDF or link for each resource in the spreadsheet; and (3) the supplemental curriculum containing diversity course objectives and diversity resources tailored to each of the intervention group courses.

The primary aim of this pilot investigation was to determine whether the provision of a supplemental curriculum would affect the quantity of diversity/CRSD content in intervention group courses. That is, the principal evaluation was the pre/post comparison of course syllabi in the intervention group. The sample size was too small to submit to inferential statistics, so we restricted our analyses to descriptive statistics. Courses assigned to the intervention group were six required courses in the ABA master’s program in which the bulk of foundational, behavior analytic content was delivered (see Table 2). The supplemental curriculum contained diversity course objectives and diversity resources tailored to each course in the intervention group. For example, one of the tailored objectives for the Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) course was, “Describe language considerations in the assessment process and offer solutions to challenges that may arise when English is not the primary spoken language of a client and their family.” When we developed the supplemental curriculum, we elected to focus on the six required courses in our program because we hypothesized that observed changes in these courses might be most likely to positively affect student learning (i.e., produce desirable changes in student repertoires).

Table 2.

Course descriptions

Course Description	Description/Focus
Control Group Courses
Scientific Writing	Focuses on developing the scientific writing skills necessary for behavior analysts
Thesis II (4 sections)	Teaches students to collect and analyze empirical data, write a formal research paper, and orally defend the study
Intervention Group Courses
Introduction to ABA	Introduces interventions used in ABA and underlying principles
Research Methods	Prepares students to apply research methodology involving direct observation and single-subject designs
Behavior Analysis and Learning	Provides an overview of major principles, theories, and research findings concerning human and animal learning and behavior
Functional Behavior Assessment	Describes seminal research in the area of functional assessment and acquire skills necessary to conduct functional behavior assessments
Advanced ABA	Examines strategies to promote generalization of learned skills, prompting strategies, stimulus control, contingencies, shaping techniques, behavior chains, motivational systems, and other topics.
Organizational Behavior Management	Provides an overview of contemporary research and practice in the field of Organizational Behavior Management

Note. ABA Applied Behavior Analysis. Numbers in parentheses denote the different thesis II course sections

We also assigned several courses to a control group. Courses assigned to the control group were five elective courses in the ABA master’s program (see Table 2). The supplemental curriculum did not contain any diversity course objectives and resources for control group courses. Although we included a control group to serve as an additional comparison, the control group in this study did not serve as a true control. First, courses were not distributed across the intervention and control groups using random assignment as is required for a well-controlled group design study. Second, there were qualitative differences between the two groups, which is problematic with respect to experimental control because it does not allow for a fair comparison of the two groups. Courses assigned to the intervention group were traditional courses that were laden with content. Courses assigned to the control group were less traditional, research-focused courses. Thus, readers should be tentative about drawing conclusions about the effects of the intervention based on comparisons across the two groups of courses.

Results

Figure 1 displays the number of diversity course objectives in course syllabi prior to and following the intervention. Preintervention, we identified zero diversity course objectives in the syllabi of intervention group courses. Postintervention, the Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) syllabus contained four diversity objectives, the FBA syllabus contained two diversity objectives, the Research Methods in ABA syllabus contained two diversity objectives, and the Introduction to ABA syllabus contained one diversity objective. Zero diversity course objectives were identified in control group courses prior to or following the intervention.

Fig. 1.

Diversity course objectives in syllabi. Note. ABA = Applied Behavior Analysis, FBA = Functional Behavior Analysis, OBM = Organizational Behavior Management. Numbers in parentheses denote the different thesis II course sections

Figure 2 displays the number of diversity resources in course syllabi prior to and following the intervention. Preintervention, we identified zero diversity resources in the syllabi of intervention group courses. Postintervention, the FBA syllabus contained six diversity resources (five resources were assigned and one resource was supplemental), the Research Methods syllabus contained three diversity resources (all assigned), the OBM syllabus contained two diversity resources (all assigned), the Behavior Analysis and Learning syllabus contained 2 diversity resources (one resource was assigned and one resource was supplemental), and the Introduction to ABA syllabus contained two diversity resources (both assigned). Zero diversity resources were identified in control group courses prior to or following the intervention.

Fig. 2.

Diversity resources in course syllabi. Note. ABA = Applied Behavior Analysis, FBA = Functional Behavior Analysis, OBM = Organizational Behavior Management. Numbers in parentheses denote the different thesis II course sections

Discussion

The primary goal of this pilot investigation was to assess the effects of providing faculty members with a supplemental curriculum containing diversity course objectives and resources tailored to their courses on the presence of diversity/CRSD content in ABA course syllabi. Results from this study should be considered preliminary and inferences based on these outcomes should be made tentatively given the methodological shortcomings of this study. Data from the pre/post comparison indicate that course syllabi from the intervention group contained more diversity course objectives and diversity resources following the intervention. Preintervention, syllabi from the intervention group contained zero diversity objectives and zero diversity resources. Postintervention, four out of six course syllabi contained at least one diversity course objective and five out of six syllabi contained at least one diversity resource. No changes in the number of diversity course objectives and diversity resources were observed in control group courses, although flaws in the design of the control group limit our ability to draw meaningful conclusions from these data.

These preliminary findings suggest that the development and delivery of a supplemental curriculum containing tailored course objectives and resources may have the potential to increase diversity/CRSD content in graduate ABA coursework. One of the challenges that has been cited as a barrier to effectively incorporating diversity content into educational curricula is the lack of up-to-date resources for educators to use (Gurung & Prieto, 2009). The identification of appropriate resources can be relatively labor intensive. It took considerable time and effort for us to conduct the resource search and to develop tailored content for courses in the intervention group. We elected to dedicate time to this endeavor for several reasons. First, members of the department’s DEI committee (including the authors) believed that any efforts to infuse our graduate training program with content related to diversity/CRSD was valuable and worthwhile. Second, we hypothesized that many faculty members in our department may have been interested in incorporating diversity/CRSD content into their courses but may have lacked the time to do so. We developed the supplemental curriculum to eliminate this barrier and reduce response effort for faculty. Related to this, we distributed the supplemental curriculum to faculty participants prior to the start of a new semester when faculty are likely revising or updating course syllabi. Third, we believed that wider dissemination of our supplemental curriculum might be beneficial to faculty in other ABA departments who face similar barriers to integrating diversity/CRSD content into their courses. We are by no means suggesting that the supplemental curriculum contained herein is sufficient; this initial effort would benefit from updated resources,1 additional content, revisions, and feedback from experts in diversity and CRSD. Given that many graduate training programs in ABA are likely engaging in similar efforts, avenues for dissemination beyond publication in peer-reviewed journals should be explored. For example, open educational resource platforms could facilitate the sharing of materials, collaboration across institutions, and the procurement of feedback from experts in this area.

There are several issues that should be considered in discussions about incorporating diversity/CRSD content into ABA graduate coursework. First, course content is not the only facet of course development that needs to be addressed. Attention also needs to be paid to pedagogical approach, including course design and assessment methods (O'Neill, 2010). Second, and perhaps more important, faculty members who cover topics related to diversity/CRSD in their courses must possess the skills needed to teach this content in a way that is not harmful to students who belong to marginalized groups. Given that Conners et al. (2019) and Beaulieu et al. (2019) found that most BACB certificants did not receive training on multicultural competence, it is likely that many ABA faculty members have little teaching experience in this area and have not received training on how to best incorporate this content into their coursework. It is critical, therefore, that faculty seek out education on diversity/CRSD in ABA as well as culturally responsive pedagogy. Organizations such as Black Applied Behavior Analysts, Latino Association for Behavior Analysis, ABA Task Force, and the ABAI offer opportunities for continuing education in the areas of diversity and CRSD. Faculty should take advantage of these opportunities to improve their own skills in these areas and ABA departments should support these efforts. In addition, professional organizations should consider ways in which they can create favorable conditions for the inclusion of this material in graduate training programs. For example, the ABAI could require accredited programs to include coursework on diversity and CRSD. Likewise, the BACB could require individuals who are already certified to complete continuing education units (CEUs) related to diversity and CRSD during the recertification process.

One limitation of this pilot investigation is the use of a pre/post experimental design without inferential statistical analysis, which does not permit the identification of a functional relation. Future studies aimed at evaluating strategies for increasing diversity/CRSD content in ABA coursework should consider the use of single-subject experimental designs. Single-subject designs permit more confident conclusions to be drawn about the effects of an independent variable. Future researchers interested in evaluating the intervention used in this study could use a multiple baseline design across courses, faculty, or institutions. Future studies should also include assessments of maintenance to determine whether the provision of a supplemental curriculum produces long-lasting changes in course syllabi.

A second limitation is that the control group in this study did not serve as a true control. Although the primary focus of this pilot investigation was the pre/post comparison of course syllabi in the intervention group based on descriptive statistics, we did include a control group as an additional point of comparison. Unfortunately, our control group did not function as a true control because we did not use random assignment and there were qualitative differences between the two groups. Courses assigned to the control group had an individualized research-based focus whereas courses assigned to the intervention group were content-laden courses with heavy emphasis on teaching basic, applied, and conceptual material to students. As in many master’s programs, these traditional, content-driven courses were sequenced such that they built upon previous content and much of the course material required minimal updates across semesters. We assigned the traditional courses to the intervention group because we suspected that changes in the quantity of diversity/CRSD content in these courses were more likely to positively affect student learning (i.e., we would get the most bang for our buck). This was a desirable approach from a program improvement standpoint but a detrimental approach in terms of experimental design. Recall that faculty participants received a general list of diversity resources (Supplemental Material A), a folder containing those resources, and a supplemental curriculum containing tailored objectives and resources for courses assigned to the intervention group (Supplemental Material B). The methodical shortcomings of our control group limit the conclusions that can be drawn from our study; however, a more carefully controlled experiment could assess the comparative effects of providing faculty with a general list of diversity resources relative to providing a supplemental curriculum containing course-specific, tailored content. It is recommended that future researchers seeking to conduct similar studies using group designs use random assignment and better, more equally matched, groups.

A third limitation is that the third author of this study was also a participant so outcomes from the courses she taught (i.e., Functional Behavior Assessment, Research Methods in ABA) should be interpreted with caution. That said, we did observe increases in diversity/CRSD content in three courses taught by participants who were not authors of the current study: Introduction to ABA, Behavior Analysis and Learning, and OBM. Future studies should incorporate measures to ensure all participants are blind to study aims. A fourth limitation of this study is that we did not observe, measure, or assess the implementation of diversity course objectives or resources that were listed in course syllabi. That is, the degree to which course objectives were achieved or resources were covered during courses is unclear. It is also possible that diversity/CRSD content was covered in some courses but not reflected in syllabi. For example, faculty may have added diversity/CRSD content to their courses via course announcements or mid-semester revisions to their syllabi. Future researchers could develop strategies for assessing correspondence between course syllabi and course activities. A related limitation is that the extent to which the inclusion of diversity/CRSD content in syllabi affects trainee behavior in applied settings is unknown. That is, learning about diversity/CRSD in graduate coursework may not produce the desired changes in trainee repertoires.

Results from this pilot investigation should be considered merely a first step toward the development of an empirical line of research on ABA graduate training and diversity/CRSD. Prior researchers (e.g., Conners et al., 2019; Fong et al., 2016; Fong & Tanaka, 2013; Najdowski et al., 2021; Wright, 2019) have brought to light the importance of infusing diversity/CRSD content into behavior analytic training and laid the groundwork for future, data-based evaluations. Now is the time for researchers to begin designing well-controlled, empirical studies in this area.

An important next step in this line of research is to identify and define the prerequisite skills needed for CRSD. Researchers seeking to develop operational definitions of these skills that are in alignment with a behavior analytic viewpoint should look to other disciplines (i.e., medicine, education, and social work) who have been publishing work on culturally responsive care for decades as a starting point. Related to this, it will be critical for future researchers to identify appropriate outcome measures. As behavior analysts, we prioritize objective observation of target behaviors over subjective reports about behavior. Changes in verbal behavior do not necessarily correspond to changes in other behavior; thus, careful evaluation of methods for assessing changes in trainee behavior will be important. Graduate training in ABA involves coursework, clinical fieldwork, and supervision. All three of these areas could be addressed in future studies on diversity/CRSD. Below, we have outlined some potential future avenues of inquiry in each of these areas.

Coursework

In this study, we developed and provided faculty participants with a supplemental curriculum containing course-specific tailored content. Given the methodological shortcomings of this pilot investigation, replication of these findings using a more carefully designed experiment is needed. Other strategies for increasing diversity/CRSD content in ABA graduate coursework such as reinforcement-based interventions, feedback, or the integration of commercially available training curriculums for cultural competence in ABA (Beaulieu & Jimenez-Gomez, n.d.) should also be evaluated in future research.

As Conners et al. (2019) noted, future studies should seek to identify the degree to which diversity content is currently included in ABA graduate coursework across institutions. Assessing the current state of graduate curricula could serve as a baseline if the BACB integrates diversity/CRSD content into future versions of the BACB Task List. The development of a task force composed of experts in diversity/CRSD could be valuable if changes to graduate training requirements are proposed (Fong et al., 2017). Such a task force could collaborate with experts in other disciplines (e.g., nursing, social work) that already have established diversity training requirements in their graduate programs to determine the best way to move our field forward.

Although we have focused predominately on the development of skills needed for ABA trainees to deliver clinical services in culturally responsive way, some ABA graduate programs include a thesis requirement. Conducting empirical, cross-cultural research in a way that benefits and does not harm marginalized communities may require an entirely different set of skills. We refer readers to Pritchett et al. (2021) and Watson-Thompson (2015) for more in-depth discussion about mutually beneficial, participatory research practices. Future researchers interested in this area could seek to identify evidence-based strategies for establishing these skills in new researchers.

Fieldwork

Clinical fieldwork is an important facet of graduate training in ABA and research on the effects of integrating diversity-related experiences into fieldwork does not exist. Research questions such as, “What are the benefits to trainees of watching clinicians who are well-versed in CRSD provide intervention to clients who belong to marginalized communities?” or “Do trainees who receive (closely supervised) fieldwork experiences with families who belong to marginalized groups go on to provide services to similar clientele after certification?” could be pursued in future work. It is important to note that future research in this area should be conducted in collaboration with supervisors with extensive experience in CRSD to ensure that clients with marginalized identities are not harmed.

Supervision

Cross-cultural supervisory practices in ABA are an emerging area of discussion in our field (e.g., Fong, 2020) but, at present, empirical research on this topic is lacking. Future research could focus on identifying critical aspects of culturally responsive supervisory practices. In addition, research on the effects of culturally responsive supervisory practices on trainee outcomes and on clinical outcomes for families receiving therapeutic services from the trainee could be beneficial. Individual and small-group supervision meetings are spaces in which many supervisors provide trainees with opportunities for role play. Another potential avenue for future research could be to evaluate the effects of role playing clinical or professional scenarios related to CRSD on trainee behavior in clinical settings.

Conclusion

Although preliminary, findings from this pilot investigation suggest that providing faculty with a supplemental curriculum containing course objectives and resources tailored to their courses may increase diversity/CRSD content in ABA course syllabi. The incorporation of diversity/CRSD content into ABA graduate coursework is an important goal that will require systemic change and long-term concerted effort (Fong et al., 2017). It is however, only one step toward ensuring that ABA training programs serve the needs of students and clients belonging to marginalized communities. Our hope is that the findings of this pilot study will be useful to other ABA graduate programs seeking to increase diversity/CRSD content in their coursework. Moreover, we hope that this study represents a first step toward establishing an empirical line of research on ABA graduate training and diversity/CRSD.

Declarations

All authors declare they have no conflicts of interest. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.