The purpose of the study was to determine whether first-grade
children's participation in a counselor-led intervention strategy, Mother-Child
Communication Training (MCCT), would increase their responsible
behavior, as assessed by mothers and teachers. Sixty first-grade children
in one elementary school in Corvallis, Oregon, along with their mothers,
participated in the training program.
Pretest-posttest experimental design was used to investigate
mothers' and teachers' perceptions of children's behavior. Mothers
completed the Adlerian Parental Assessment of Child Behavior Scale
(APACBS) while teachers assessed children's behavior using the Walker-McConnell
Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment. Subjects
were randomly assigned to treatment groups, experimental (n=30) and
control (n=30). The control group formed a wait-list and received the MCCT
following the study.
The intervention consisted of two phases. Initially, the counselor met
twice with each subject in subgroups of five or six children. The focus of
these meetings was recognition and expression of feelings.
Subsequently, each mother and child met with the counselor two
times for approximately forty-five minutes each. The purpose of the
mother-child meetings was to assist children in developing responsibility
for self and in communicating more effectively with their mothers.
Expressing feelings and exploring ways to change one's own behavior were
emphasized.
Data were analyzed using univariate analysis of variance with
repeated measures. The first of two hypotheses revealed a significant
(p<.Ol) increase in children's responsible behavior as evaluated by their
mothers. An evaluation by teachers failed to demonstrate any significant
changes.
Experimental group mothers' extremely positive responses to the
MCCT on the follow-up evaluation further substantiated the highly
significant changes in the children's behavior. The study implies that this
brief intervention was effective in increasing children's responsible
behavior at home. Recommendations for practice and further research are
presented. / Graduation date: 1992
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/36216 |
| Date | 29 April 1992 |
| Creators | Smith, Monne K. |
| Contributors | Firth, James L. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
Page generated in 0.0019 seconds