Social Skills In Adolescents Research Articles

Relationship of AIDS Education and Knowledge to AIDS‐Related Social Skills in Adolescents

The AIDS Social Assertiveness Scale (ASAS) and a measure of AIDS knowledge were administered to 490 high school students from 10 South Australian schools selected across a range of public/private, rural/urban, and socioeconomic statuses. Age, grade, hours of AIDS education, and sexual experience (and condom use) also were ascertained. Data indicated the factor structure of the ASAS was similar to that obtained in a previous sample. A close association existed between both age and hours of AIDS education, and AIDS knowledge. Students from country and working class area schools were less knowledgeable about AIDS. These data suggest AIDS social assertiveness is measurable and that it is associated with AIDS knowledge, age, and previous sexual experience. AIDS knowledge in high school students differed between country and urban adolescents and between students in working and middle class areas, but AIDS education is associated with the same level of improvement in all schools sampled.

Teacher Ratings of Adolescent Social Skills: Psychometric Characteristics and Factorial Replicability Across Age-Grade Ranges

:This study investigated the psychometric characteristics and factorial replicability of the factor structure of the adolescent version of the Walker-McConnell Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment. The process used to construct the adolescent version (7–12) of the scale is described, including procedures used in revising the elementary scale version (K-6) for use with adolescent populations. Scale statistics and reliability estimates are reported for an initial wave (N = 266) of the national normative sample on the scale; the factor structure of the adolescent scale was also investigated using this sample. Finally, a new subscale measuring empathy was used to discriminate members of a longitudinal sample that was divided into antisocial and at risk control students. The statistics and reliability estimates for the adolescent scale proved to be as equally robust as for the elementary version. The factor structure of the adolescent scale partially replicated that for the elementary version; the peer relations and school adjustment subscales of the elementary version replicated strongly, while the teacher preferred social behavior subscale was only partially replicated. A new subscale, labeled empathy, emerged in the adolescent version. This subscale powerfully discriminated antisocial from at risk control students in the middle school grade range. School applications of the scale and subscales are discussed.

A Validation of Social Skills for Students with Behavioral Disorders

Secondary students with behavioral disorders, regular education secondary students, secondary teachers of students with behavioral disorders, regular education secondary teachers, and parents of both student populations from the states of Washington, Iowa, and Colorado were asked to complete the Adolescent Social Skills Survey (Walker, Todis, Holmes, & Horton, 1988). The survey consists of 48 items about how adolescents relate to themselves, to other adolescents, and to adults. Overall, all groups thought all items on the survey were important. As a group, students with serious behavioral disorders rated interpersonal skills higher than other skills on the survey; However, these same students consistently rated all items lower. These students also rated compliance and cooperation skills as less important than the two teacher groups. Discussion centers around the implications these results have on programing for seriously behaviorally disordered students, with future needs being directed toward developing a functionally valid list of critical social skills.

Adolescent friendships and peer acceptance: Implications for social skills training

This paper critically reviews two literatures related to adolescent social skills: That evaluating the relationship between adolescent peer interactions and peer acceptance, and that examining the characteristics of teenage same-sex friendships. Although studies in each area are limited by almost exclusive reliance on verbal report, they consistently point to numerous positive and negative behaviors that social skills training outcome studies have virtually ignored. Social skills assessment and training programs could expand their focus by assessing and training skills involving cooperating, sharing and helping, displaying loyalty, initiating activities, and developing intimacy. Furthermore, negative responses associated with peer rejection should receive more explicit attention. Finally, friendship initiation and maintenance, as well as demonstrated acquisition of specific skills, should become key criteria for determining successful social skills intervention.

Social Validation of Adolescent Social Skills by Teachers and Students

This study investigated the social validation of adolescent social skills by teachers and students. A total of 183 general and special education secondary teachers responded to a social skills survey that assessed teacher perceptions of the importance of social skills under three adjustment domains: relating to others, relating to adults, relating to yourself. Four hundred thirty-seven nonhandicapped and handicapped students, enrolled in the participating teachers' classes, responded to a student version of the same survey. Results indicated high levels of stability and internal consistency for the teacher survey. Only internal consistency was assessed for the student survey, and it exceeded .90 for each section of the survey. Much higher agreement levels were obtained on the survey social skills among teacher groups and among student groups than between teacher and student respondent groups. The one area of moderate agreement obtained between teachers and students dealt with the social skills necessary to adjust satisfactorily to instructional settings. The most highly rated teacher social skills related to behavioral compliance, task engagement and completion, responsiveness to the teacher, and the display of socially mature behavior. The lowest rated skills by teachers dealt with peer-related social behavior. In contrast, the highest rated skills by students focused on relationship dynamics and the quality of social exchanges with others. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for constructing adolescent social skills curricula and the importance of addressing both teacher- and student-preferred social skills within instructional programs.

A path analysis of an adolescent drinking behavior model derived from problem behavior theory.

The interrelationships between composite variables comprised of demographics, socialization, personality, perceived environment, conventional and problem behaviors, and their combined mediational influences on adolescent drinking behavior are examined. Students randomly sampled from four suburban, metropolitan-area high schools (N = 499) were administered the 250-question Survey of Underage Drinking Styles. All 12 composite variables, derived from the survey, were arranged in a causal model and submitted to a confirmatory path analysis. Data were analyzed by multiple regression procedures. According to the present model, a powerful pathway through to drinking may begin with family interaction problems, which may lead to a reduction in the adolescent's social coping skills. A reduction in the adolescent's coping skills may lead to a compensatory belief that alcohol improves mental and physical functions and an increased affiliation with and acceptance of the peer group's attitude and behavior toward consuming alcohol as a replacement coping skill. The adolescent's drinking may then increase as a result of the affiliative need to conform to peer group pressure.

Self-Evaluation Questionnaire of Social Skills for Adolescents in High School

This article describes two studies concerning social conduict at high school lusing self-evaluation by quiestionnaire. The first was a construict validation study of an inistrument based on the categor-ies of Milburn (1974) that produced scores for several categories of behavior: Two samiples were used (N = 1,299 and N = 937). Image factor analysis extracted a dominant genieral factor that accouinted for the results. A second step of the first study led to the construction and examination of a n?ew 25-item quiestionniaire that produces a single total score related to thZe emergent general factor. The seconid study verified the construlct validity and reliability of the inew inst-ument, the Class Contduict Questionnaire, using a new sample (N = 744). In the discussioni it is suggested that the generalfactor is related to the respect of social ruiles at sclhool. These results do not question the diversity of social conduct, but they do show that the student judges his or her various behaviors in terms of a genieralframne of referentce.

The Social Skills Apperception Test: A Preliminary Report

For the evaluation of social skills of adolescents, the present inquiry assessed the initial properties of the Social Skills Apperception Test, a projective test having a videotaped format. Initial results suggest favourable interjudge reliability.

Training Adolescent Social Skills: Accentuating the Positive

Training Adolescent Social Skills: Accentuating the Positive