The profession of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has witnessed several attempts to legitimize the field and its practitioners through various credentialing processes. In response to the rapidly growing demand for ABA services and practitioners, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®) became the sole governing body responsible for the oversight of credentialing behavior analysts, including the Registered Behavior Technician™ (RBT®) credential. RBTs are responsible for directly implementing ABA services under the direct supervision of behavior analysts. The BACB requires RBT applicants complete several tasks in order to become certified, such as a 40-hour training and competency assessment, via online or face-to-face instruction, however, there has been little to no literature to support the efficacy of the various training modalities on their ability to effectively train individuals to the level of proficiency required by the RBT credential. Through correlation and pre- and post-test measures, the present study outlines support for the various training modalities of a 40-hour online training program to sufficiently prepare RBT applicants for the RBT Initial Competency Assessment and RBT Examination, which could help disseminate the credential to rural areas and assist in meeting the increased global need of competent ABA service providers.
","abstract_html":"<p>The profession of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has witnessed several attempts to legitimize the field and its practitioners through various credentialing processes. In response to the rapidly growing demand for ABA services and practitioners, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board<sup>®</sup> (BACB<sup>®</sup>) became the sole governing body responsible for the oversight of credentialing behavior analysts, including the Registered Behavior Technician™ (RBT<sup>®</sup>) credential. RBTs are responsible for directly implementing ABA services under the direct supervision of behavior analysts. The BACB requires RBT applicants complete several tasks in order to become certified, such as a 40-hour training and competency assessment, via online or face-to-face instruction, however, there has been little to no literature to support the efficacy of the various training modalities on their ability to effectively train individuals to the level of proficiency required by the RBT credential. Through correlation and pre- and post-test measures, the present study outlines support for the various training modalities of a 40-hour online training program to sufficiently prepare RBT applicants for the RBT Initial Competency Assessment and RBT Examination, which could help disseminate the credential to rural areas and assist in meeting the increased global need of competent ABA service providers.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Thompson, Kimberly"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Psychological Science","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Adam Prus, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-04-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-04-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:24:17Z","subjects":["Registered Behavior Technician™ (RBT®)","RBT Credential","Applied Behavior Analysis","Online Training","Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®)"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/628","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Adam Prus, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Thompson, Kimberly"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-04-16T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychological Science"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Registered Behavior Technician™ (RBT®)","RBT Credential","Applied Behavior Analysis","Online Training","Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®)"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/628"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The profession of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has witnessed several attempts to legitimize the field and its practitioners through various credentialing processes. In response to the rapidly growing demand for ABA services and practitioners, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®) became the sole governing body responsible for the oversight of credentialing behavior analysts, including the Registered Behavior Technician™ (RBT®) credential. RBTs are responsible for directly implementing ABA services under the direct supervision of behavior analysts. The BACB requires RBT applicants complete several tasks in order to become certified, such as a 40-hour training and competency assessment, via online or face-to-face instruction, however, there has been little to no literature to support the efficacy of the various training modalities on their ability to effectively train individuals to the level of proficiency required by the RBT credential. Through correlation and pre- and post-test measures, the present study outlines support for the various training modalities of a 40-hour online training program to sufficiently prepare RBT applicants for the RBT Initial Competency Assessment and RBT Examination, which could help disseminate the credential to rural areas and assist in meeting the increased global need of competent ABA service providers.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["THE EFFICACY AND APPLICATION OF A 40-HOUR ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAM TOWARDS THE APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS REGISTERED BEHAVIOR TECHNICIAN™ CREDENTIAL"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Adam Prus, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Thompson, Kimberly"],"dc:date.available":["2025-04-16T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The profession of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has witnessed several attempts to legitimize the field and its practitioners through various credentialing processes. In response to the rapidly growing demand for ABA services and practitioners, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®) became the sole governing body responsible for the oversight of credentialing behavior analysts, including the Registered Behavior Technician™ (RBT®) credential. RBTs are responsible for directly implementing ABA services under the direct supervision of behavior analysts. The BACB requires RBT applicants complete several tasks in order to become certified, such as a 40-hour training and competency assessment, via online or face-to-face instruction, however, there has been little to no literature to support the efficacy of the various training modalities on their ability to effectively train individuals to the level of proficiency required by the RBT credential. Through correlation and pre- and post-test measures, the present study outlines support for the various training modalities of a 40-hour online training program to sufficiently prepare RBT applicants for the RBT Initial Competency Assessment and RBT Examination, which could help disseminate the credential to rural areas and assist in meeting the increased global need of competent ABA service providers.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/628"],"dc:subject":["Registered Behavior Technician™ (RBT®)","RBT Credential","Applied Behavior Analysis","Online Training","Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®)"],"dc:title":["THE EFFICACY AND APPLICATION OF A 40-HOUR ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAM TOWARDS THE APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS REGISTERED BEHAVIOR TECHNICIAN™ CREDENTIAL"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychological Science"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:24:17Z"}