Objective: This investigation explored the effects of the Social Emotional Engagement-Knowledge and Skills for Early Childhood (SEE-KS-EC) professional development program on kindergarten teachers’ use of student engagement (SE) strategies. It also explored the impact of participating in SEE-KS-EC on the teachers’ level of burnout, their sense of self-efficacy, and the relationship between the teacher and a neurodiverse student. Method: Utilizing a multiple baseline design across participants design, three public school kindergarten teachers participated. The primary dependent variable was the teacher’s use of SE strategies as measured by data collection from classroom video/audio recordings. The independent variable was the SEE-KS-EC professional development program conducted once weekly. The duration of the investigation was 7-8 weeks (3-4 weeks in the baseline phase, 4 weeks in the intervention phase). Results: Upon reaching baseline stability, the intervention was introduced. All three participants showed an accelerating trend in their data, and a statistically significant change from baseline to intervention, as evidenced by Participants 1 and 2 having 100% non-overlapping data (PND) and participant 3 having 92% PND. Further, all participants showed improved self-efficacy and student-teacher relationships. No association was noted in their self-report of burnout. Conclusion: Results from this investigation demonstrate that the SEE-KS-EC professional development program is an effective tool for increasing teacher use of student engagement strategies. Future research should focus on replicating with a larger sample size and exploring the scope and depth of impact of the SEE-KS-EC program.
