The Effects of a Social Skills Strategy on Disruptive and Problem Behaviors in African American Students in an Urban Elementary School: A Pilot Study

Abstract

This pilot study examines the effects of the implementation of the Cool Tool, a social skills strategy, on the disruptive and problem behaviors of third-grade (n=4) and fourth-grade (n =6) African American students in an urban elementary school. Following the completion of the social skills intervention in both classrooms, the findings of pre- and post-classroom observations revealed that (a) the on-task performance and socially appropriate behaviors of African American students increased and (b) teachers increased their level of praises of students' behaviors. Future research efforts should be directed toward implementing a social skills intervention to minimize problem behaviors in African American students and facilitate positive teacher-student interactions. This article is dedicated to the late Dr. Asa Grant Hilliard, III, Fuller E. Calloway Professor of Urban Education at Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, where he held joint appointments in the Departments of Educational Policy Studies, Educational Psychology, and Special Education.