Using Content Acquisition Podcasts to Improve Teacher Candidate Knowledge of Curriculum-Based Measurement

Given the significant literature supporting the use of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) for data-based decision making, it is critical that teacher candidates learn about it prior to student teaching and entry into the field as full-time teachers. The authors of this study used a content acquisition podcast (CAP), a multimedia-based instructional tool, to deliver information regarding CBM to teacher candidates. A second set of students received a practitioner-friendly text containing the same content as the CAP. Participants from three universities ( N = 270) were randomly assigned to condition and completed pretest, posttest, and maintenance probes of CBM knowledge and ability to apply skill. In addition, participants completed a measure of motivation during their instruction. Results showed that participants who learned using the CAP scored significantly higher on the knowledge and application measures and reported being more motivated during instruction than peers in the text-only condition. The authors discuss implications for teacher education instruction and future research.