Student and Teacher Perceptions Related to Behavior Change after Skillstreaming Training

Abstract

Social skills are important building blocks for attaining the social competence necessary for school and vocational adjustment. Comprehensive expectations in the classroom are similar to those in the workplace where social behaviors and skill performance are continuously being reviewed. Educators of emotionally disturbed students must deal with social problems that isolate students (Byrnes, 1990; Davis, 1989). Knapczyk (1988) pinpointed these problems as per taining to students' inabilities to conform to school codes. Since lack of conformity is viewed negatively, such behaviors can result in exclusion, ridicule, or isolation (Fox & McNeil, 1987) and place students with behavioral problems at risk for other mental health problems such as rejection, which Kerr and Nelson (1983) and Rubin and Clark (1983) reported as a signifi cant cause of delinquent behavior and academic failure. After confirming the importance of social skills training for community employment of stu dents with mild handicaps, Foss, Auty, and Irvin (1989) suggested that social skills instruc tion should have a high priority in curriculum planning. In any setting, the current focus is upon an effective curriculum which includes preventive and remedial approaches to social problems (Argyle, 1986; Kramer, 1988; Young & Kerr, 1979). McConnell (1987) suggested that the curriculum should include opportunities to partici pate in interpersonal communication in an environment where verbal interactions are ac cepted and students are guided to refine the effectiveness of their communication. Strain and Fox (1981) demonstrated that effective communication also enhances friendship build ing which is a major contributor to social and emotional health. When reminding us that peers of the emotionally disordered tend to remember negative behaviors and reacted with more negative behavior, Dodge (1983) reinforced the need for intervention strategies to in fluence interpersonal communication. Coaching techniques used in the Skillstreaming Curriculum (McGinnis & Goldstein, 1984) were designed to improve interpersonal communication in five groups of prosocial skills at the elementary level and six groups at the middle school level. The skills include classroom survival, friendship making, dealing with feelings, alternatives to aggression, dealing with stress, and planning. The present study was designed to examine effects of these coaching procedures on students' perceptions, of their social skills and teachers' perceptions concerning social be haviors of students staffed into classes for the behaviorally disordered. In addition, variables related to age, race, and socioeconomic status were examined.