This study undertook to determine of teaching interpersonal skills to adolescents who were already manifesting dysfunctional behavior would increase their self-concepts and decrease their personal problems. Of further interest to this study was whether or not once trained, the experience of utilizing these skills in a structured setting would further increase their self concepts and decrease their personal problems. Fifteen adolescent males who were residing in a residential center for children in need of supervision were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups. The Piers-Harris Children's Self Concept Scale and the Mooney Problem Checklists - Junior High Form, were administered to all three groups prior to involving two of the groups in an interpersonal skills training program, after the interpersonal skills training program, and after the field experience. A peer facilitation program, Caring and sharing: Becoming a peer facilitator (Myrick & Erney, 1978) was utilized to teach subjects interpersonal skills twice a week for four weeks. At the conclusion of the interpersonal skills training program, half of the participants in the training group planned and presented affective activities in a fourth grade classroom and facilitated small group discussions twice a week for two weeks. No significant results were found on the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale for either the interpersonal skills training only group or the interpersonal skills training plus field experience group. However, subjects who participated in the interpersonal skills training group plus the field experience utilizing these skills reported significantly less personal problems on the Hone and Family Scale and the Boy and Girl Relations Scale of the Mooney Problems Checklist - Junior High Form then did the interpersonal skills training only group and the control group (p< .05). Thus, it appears from this study that interpersonal skills training alone does not have an effect on the self concept or personal problems of troubled adolescent males nor does the opportunity to utilize these skills in a field experience influence their self concepts. However, it does appear that training troubled adolescent males in interpersonal skills and giving them the opportunity to utilize these skills in a field experience does have some impact on their perception of their personal problems.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:rtd-1589 |
| Date | 01 April 1981 |
| Creators | Sanborn, Judith N. |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Retrospective Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | Written permission granted by copyright holder to the University of Central Florida Libraries to digitize and distribute for nonprofit, educational purposes. |
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