Significant Increase In Engagement Research Articles

“The Game Changers”: How Equity-Driven Pedagogical Scaffolding Reduces Participation Disparities in Physical Education

Achieving gender equity and social inclusiveness remains a key priority in education. In the context of Physical Education (PE), fostering inclusive practices is critical to ensuring all students, regardless of gender, ability, or social status, can participate meaningfully. By examining the impact of three pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) equity-driven pedagogical practices on gender equity and student engagement in game-based activities, this study investigates how targeted pedagogical interventions can reduce gender disparities in engagement and promote inclusivity in student game interactions within PE classes. Specifically, we aimed to determine whether students of different sexes exhibit similar engagement rates, identify any existing disparities, examine changes in these disparities during the intervention, assess the equity and inclusiveness of student game interactions, and explore the link between these interactions and engagement rates. A total of three PSTs were engaged in a yearlong study, divided into two units: basketball (3v3) and volleyball (4v4). A pedagogical scaffolding intervention aimed at fostering equity and inclusion was implemented through their yearlong engagement in school-placement teaching practices. Data concerning students’ participation in game-based activities were collected in the first and last unit of the schoolyear (Basketball—first semester; and Volleyball—second semester). Engagement rates, measured as participation time (PT) and Rate of Play (RoP), were recorded through video analysis. A Social Network Analysis (SNA) was used to evaluate the equity and inclusiveness of student interactions. Initial disparities in engagement rates favoured boys in both sports. However, post-test results indicated a significant increase in engagement for both sexes, with disparities decreasing over the intervention period. Basketball showed a significant reduction in gender differences in RoP (p < 0.05), while volleyball results indicated no significant gender disparities post-intervention. The SNA revealed more equitable and inclusive game interactions over time, particularly in volleyball. The results suggest the pedagogical intervention’s effectiveness in increasing students’ engagement and reducing game-based gender disparities. These findings underscore the importance of deliberate scaffolding strategies to enhance equity and inclusion, highlighting the potential of the reported strategies for fostering a more inclusive and engaging environment for all students.

Effectiveness of Game-Based Interactive Approach Using Deep Learning Framework for Dyslogia."

Traditional speech therapy approaches have long been considered revolutionary for treating speech disorders. However, as the younger generation becomes increasingly disengaged from these methods, their effectiveness is diminishing. This study identifies the need to revitalize traditional practices by integrating them into virtual environments and incorporating gamification elements. The motivation behind this work is to enhance engagement and improve therapy outcomes by making the process more appealing to children. Our proposed solution involves converting conventional speech therapy exercises into interactive virtual modules that incorporate game-like features to sustain interest and foster a competitive spirit. The method includes developing these virtual modules and testing their effectiveness through user trials. Results indicate a significant increase in engagement and a corresponding improvement in therapy outcomes, suggesting that this approach holds promise for enhancing the effectiveness of speech therapy in the digital age.

Using Civic Service Design Methods to Redevelop a Data Communication Website With a Health Literacy Lens.

Public health agencies routinely publish data in hopes that data influence public health policy and practice. However, data websites can often be difficult to use, posing barriers to people trying to access, understand, and use data. Working to make data websites easier to use can add value to public health data communication work. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) redesigned its Environment and Health Data Portal, a website used to communicate environmental health data, with the goal of making data more accessible and understandable to a broader audience. The DOHMH used Civic Service Design methods to establish priorities and strategies for the redesign work, to build a data communication website that emphasizes a high level of usability, and content that explains data. By following a Civic Service Design process, the DOHMH synthesized findings from health communications, data visualization and communication, and web usability to create an easy-to-use website with explanations of data and findings alongside datasets. On the new site, automated dataset visualizations are supplemented with narrative content, explanatory content, and custom interactive applications designed to explain data and findings. Web analytics showed that, in its first year of operation, the site's web traffic grew substantially, with the last 12 weeks recording weekly page views 150% higher than the first 12 weeks of operation (7185 average weekly page views compared with 2866 average weekly page views). Two-thirds (66.3%) of page views include recorded user engagement. Additional evaluations to measure specific aspects of usability compared with the previous version of the site are planned. By following a Civic Service Design process, the DOHMH redesigned a vital data communication platform to increase its usability and saw significant increase in engagement in its first year of operations. By designing data material with usability in mind, public health departments have the potential to improve public health data communication work.

Using A/B testing to study engagement with Snapchat advertisements promoting help-seeking after image-based sexual harassment and abuse victimization

Online forms of sexual violence, such as image-based sexual harassment and abuse, can have serious consequences for victims’ well-being. Still, not every victim seeks help. Therefore, the present study examined the engagement of youth with advertisements on Snapchat for the promotion of help-seeking at a victim support organization after image-based sexual harassment and abuse victimization. Two advertising campaigns, focusing on either image-based sexual harassment or abuse, were run on Snapchat targeted at 13-to-25-year-old Dutch users. A 2 x 2 x 2 quasi-experimental design was implemented, manipulating three variables in each campaign to measure the engagement (ratio of swipe-ups to impressions) generated by each advertisement variation. The analyses indicate that 2.93% and 3.79% of Snapchat users engaged with the image-based sexual harassment and abuse campaigns respectively. A significant increase in engagement was found in the image-based sexual abuse campaign when self-blame was mentioned in the advertisement. The acknowledgement of self-blame, a well-known barrier to help-seeking, and the reassurance that one is not to blame, may be beneficial in promoting help-seeking. In conclusion, the use of social media advertising by victim support organizations may be effective in promoting help-seeking. Further research on the role of personal characteristics on advertisement engagement is encouraged.

Effects of the Good Behaviour Game on the Behaviour of Students with Mild Intellectual Disabilities in Physical Education Settings

ABSTRACT The Good Behaviour Game (GBG) is an interdependent group contingency intervention, previously shown to be effective in managing students’ behaviour across several studies. An ABAB withdrawal design was implemented to examine the effects of the GBG on the engagement and disruptive behaviours of 12 students diagnosed principally with a mild intellectual disability (Mage = 7.83 ± 0.83 years) enrolled in two self-contained physical education classes. The first phase of the intervention was carried out from November 27th until Janvier 25th and the second phase took place from April 2nd to May 10th. Video recordings of all sessions were directly observed and analysed using a code unit grid. The collected data were subjected to inferential statistical analysis. Results showed a significant increase in engagement and a decrease in disruptive behaviours during the B1 conditions compared to the baseline A1 for both class ‘A’ and ‘B’ (p < 0.001). Similarly, there was a significant increase in engagement and a decrease in disruptive behaviours during the B2 conditions compared to both the A2 and A1 baselines (p < 0.001). Overall, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of the GBG as an intervention for promoting engagement and reducing disruptive behaviours when implemented in physical education settings with students diagnosed with mild intellectual disabilities.

A step toward effective language learning: an insight into the impacts of feedback-supported tasks and peer-work activities on learners’ engagement, self-esteem, and language growth

This study explored the impact of feedback-supported tasks and peer-work activities on language learners’ engagement, self-esteem, and language growth in a university setting in Saudi Arabia. Employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, 45 participants in the experimental group and 43 in the control group underwent 15 sessions of treatment, while traditional instruction was provided to the control group. Pre- and posttests and semi-structured interviews were employed for data collection. Results indicated a significant increase in engagement and self-esteem among experimental participants compared to the control group. Language growth, assessed through a teacher-made test, also demonstrated a significant improvement in the experimental group. The findings align with Vygotsky’s Socio-Cultural Theory and Long’s Interaction Hypothesis, emphasizing the pivotal role of collaboration in language learning. However, limitations include the specific context and the absence of a delayed posttest. Implications for educators, syllabus designers, curriculum developers, and policymakers underscore the importance of integrating collaborative and feedback-oriented strategies into language instruction for enhanced learning outcomes. This research contributes valuable insights for shaping effective language education practices, while suggestions for future research encourage a more comprehensive exploration of long-term effects and contextual variations.

Compassion Focused Group Psychotherapy for attachment and relational trauma: Engaging people with a diagnosis of personality disorder.

The research aimed to evaluate an exploratory Compassion Focused Group Psychotherapy Programme and the impact on participants' experiences of self-criticism, usage of services and general wellbeing. Participants included patients with a history of complex attachment and relational trauma (A&RT), who might attract a diagnosis of personality disorder. This study utilised a quasi-experimental non-randomised within subject controlled design for the evaluation of the efficacy of the programme. Participants were recruited from tertiary care services. The programme consisted of a 12-week Preparation and Engagement intervention (PEG) which was Compassionate Mind Training and Psychoeducation, followed by a 40-week Compassion Focused Trauma Group intervention. The cohort was then followed up after 12 months during which period they received treatment as usual. A comprehensive selection of self-report measures was administered at various points during the therapeutic process and following completion of the group interventions. The results of the research showed that the provision of a long-term, slow-paced, Compassion Focused Group Psychotherapy intervention, resulted in significant changes across all measures which were maintained at 12-month follow-up. These significant results were maintained following intention to treat and reliable change analyses. These data were supported by a significant reduction in service usage and a significant increase in engagement in employment and education. This study has identified that within Compassion Focused Group Psychotherapy, there is a therapeutic process of establishing group-based safeness as a necessary precursor to cultivating compassion and reworking early shame-based trauma memories.

Decision aid and patient engagement in breast surgical consults: A treatment-compliant analysis of Alliance A231701CD.

314 Background: In a recent trial, we observed no statistically significant increase in engagement after a web-based decision aid (DA) was delivered to breast cancer patients prior to a surgical consult. However, a minority of the intervention group (44%) reviewed the DA. The objective is to assess the effect of the DA on engagement for the cohort of patients who reviewed it. Methods: A stepped wedge trial was conducted with 10 NCI Community Oncology Research Program clinics that care for a high proportion of socioeconomically disadvantaged patients (6/2019-12/2021). Clinics were randomized to time of transition from usual care (UC) to delivery of a DA. Patients with stage 0-3 breast cancer eligible for surgery provided consent prior to a surgical consult. Engagement was measured from audio-recorded surgical consults (Active Patient Behaviors, Street protocol). For this analysis, we identified a cohort of treatment compliant (TC) patients who reviewed the DA. Intervention effects comparing TC and UC groups were tested with linear mixed-effects models, accounting for time, enrollment post-COVID, and patient age, race, education, and socioeconomic disadvantage (assessed with Area Deprivation Index and dichotomized). Exploratory models were generated using Active Patient Behavior subcomponents (asking questions, assertive responses, expressions of concern) as the outcome. Results: The cohort includes 407 patients (UC 264; TC 143). TC patients were more likely to be white (TC 73%, UC 64%, p=0.03), have a college degree (TC 65%, UC 55%, p=0.05), and not be disadvantaged (TC 89%, UC 72%, p=0.001). TC was associated with increased engagement (8.2 [0.08, 16.2], p=0.048, Table). A college degree was associated with higher, while black race and socioeconomic disadvantage lower, engagement. On exploratory analyses, TC had a stronger association with higher levels of assertive responses (2.9 [-0.3, 6.1], p=0.07) compared with asking questions (5.2 [-1.4, 11.9], p=0.12) or expressions of concern (0.08 [-0.60, 0.76], p=0.82). Conclusions: We observed increased engagement in breast cancer patients who reviewed a DA prior to a surgical consult. However, we also observed differences based on race, education, and socioeconomic disadvantage. Further research will identify adjunct interventions to combine with the DA to improve cancer care delivery for diverse populations. Support: UG1 CA189823; AHRQ R01HS025194; https://acknowledgments.alliancefound.org. Clinical trial information: NCT03766009 .[Table: see text]

Enhancing Evidence-Based Practice Integration Into Clinical Practice: Using Policy as a Tool for Culture Change in a Large Urban Academic Medical Center.

This article describes how a large urban medical center was able to enhance the integration of evidence-based practice in the clinical environment by reconfiguring its approach to policy and procedures documentation. Leaders at a large urban medical center observed that numerous nursing practice documents lacked a base of evidence. No standard process existed for building staff awareness of the evidence-based underlying practice, and there was uneven knowledge of evidence-based practice in the milieu. To address the problem, a team of Clinical Nurse Specialists developed a novel policy establishing procedures for document review, formal structures for policy assignment, and rigorous standards for the development and sharing of evidence tables. The proportion of nursing guidance documents connected to evidence tables increased from 45% to 77% in the first year and a half following implementation. The change has enabled streamlining and consolidation of nursing practice guidance documents and has led to significant increases in engagement with clinical inquiry at the bedside. A policy specifically requiring evidence to be incorporated into nursing practice guidance documents can help enhance the understanding and uptake of evidence-based practice in a complex clinical environment. Clinical Nurse Specialists played a vital role in facilitating this organizational culture change.

The Impact of Purpose as a Principal Leadership Skill on the Performance of Select Township Schools in South Africa

This study aimed to investigate the impact of “purpose” as a principal leadership skill on the performance of two township schools using a quantitative research design and collecting data from the school principals, teachers and matric learners, using the 28-scale Servant Leadership Test as well as Gallup’s Q12 Employee Engagement survey. The questionnaires addressed the key objectives, namely, the extent to which the principals of the participating schools exhibited servant leadership and their understanding of “purpose” as one word in leadership and how teachers and learners perceived the impact of a “one-word” purpose-driven leader on the performance of the selected schools. Although no relationship could be demonstrated between ‘’purpose’’ and the performance of the two township schools, it became evident that a significant increase in Servant Leadership leads to a significant increase in engagement and performance, as measured by the matric pass rate. It is recommended that workshops be facilitated with principals and teachers in order to entrench ‘’purpose’’ deeper throughout the schools. In addition, Servant Leadership training has to conduced to increase the leadership ability of the school principals. Future research in the area of ‘’purpose as one word’’, as well as Servant Leadership as a principal skillset within the South Africa’s public school’s leadership is recommended.

A relevant number of patients do not increase their engagement in physical, social and leisure activities at the medium-term after total knee arthroplasty: a prospective cohort study.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in engagement in physical, leisure and social activities in older adults following primary TKA. A prospective study of 106 patients with a mean age of 72.6 (SD 7.4) years undergoing primary TKA was performed. Physical, social and leisure activities performed by the patients preoperatively and postoperatively at 3-year were recorded. Activities were selected according to the age, and grouped as passive, moderate and high intensity. The energy spent in each activity was expressed in Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) units. Charlson Comorbidity Index, Mini-mental test and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) scores were also used. Multivariate analysis was used to identify predictors of active patients. Mean WOMAC significantly improved from preoperative (34.8, SD 11.8) to final follow-up (74.4, SD 11.1) (p = 0.001), and the mean energy spent increased from 10.7 (SD 13.6) to 28.2 (SD 16.2) MET-hour weekly (p = 0.001) with a decrease in the passive activities and increase in the moderate activities. However, the participation in high-intensity activities according to age was negligible. Only 65 (61.3%) patients were considered active postoperatively (weekly spending ≥ 40 MET), although the WOMAC scores were not significantly different between active and sedentary patients. Active patients compared with sedentary patients had a significant increase in engagement in physical, social and leisure activities, and a decrease in passive activities. Female gender (p = 0.037), less preoperatively participation in passive activities (p = 0.042), and greater participation in social activities (p = 0.027) were significant predictors of active patients at the final follow-up. Overall, most patients increased their activity level postoperatively. However, 38.6% of patients had no increased engagement in moderate physical, social or leisure activities at the medium-term despite improvements in pain and function provided by TKA. II.

Supporting School Mental Health Providers: Evidence from a Short-Term Telementoring Model.

BackgroundTo support student mental health, school staff must have knowledge of evidence-based practices and the capacity to implement them. One approach used to address this challenge is a group-based telementoring model called Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO). In other applications (e.g., healthcare settings), ECHO has been shown to increase healthcare professionals’ self-efficacy and knowledge of evidence-based practices leading to improved patient outcomes.ObjectivesThis study examined the potential for ECHO to be used as a method for increasing school staff engagement and knowledge of evidence-based school mental health practices.MethodsUsing a quasi-experimental design, this study compared outcomes across two professional development experiences aimed at promoting school staff ability to provide evidence-based mental health services. School staff from four school districts participated in a school mental health training initiative. All participants (N = 57) had access to asynchronous, online mental health modules. A sub-sample (n = 33) was also offered monthly ECHO sessions.ResultsTests of group difference in outcomes revealed significant increases in engagement with online learning (d = 0.58) and satisfaction (d = 0.82) for those who participated in ECHO as compared to those who did not. Knowledge about evidence-based practices was not significantly different between groups.ConclusionsResults suggest that group-based telementoring may be a promising approach for improving engagement and satisfaction with training initiatives aimed at promoting evidence-based school mental health practices. However, further study of ProjectECHO using experimental designs is needed to make causal inferences about its effect on provider outcomes.

Feasibility and Acceptability of a Serious Mobile-Game Intervention for Older Adults

Aims: To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a serious mobile-game intervention on older adults’ engagement, affect, and cognitive function. Methods: In this single-subject design, twenty older adults, six of whom living with dementia, participated in a 16-session mobile-game intervention. Before and after the intervention, participants had sessions involving traditional paper-based cognitive activities. Engagement and affect were measured in each session. Cognitive measures were administered before and after the intervention. Acceptability was explored through interviews. Results: After the intervention, there was a statistically significant increase in engagement in 37% of participants, and in affect in 21% of participants. Participants preferred the mobile games to the paper-based activities. Cognitive measures showed improvement in four participants with dementia. Conclusions: Although not conclusive, participants experienced higher levels of engagement and positive affect while playing the mobile games compared to paper-based activities. The results indicate feasibility and acceptability of the mobile game intervention.

Evaluation of About Face: A Psychology and Physiotherapy Pain Management Program for Adults with Persistent Facial Pain.

To evaluate About Face, a pain management program aimed at increasing quality of life in adults living with persistent facial pain through psychology- and physiotherapy-based skill development. A total of 90 patients attended a six-session program with a 1-month follow-up between 2015 and 2019. Patients filled out self-reported outcome measures preprogram, postprogram, and at a 1-month follow-up visit. There was a significant reduction in pain catastrophizing and a significant increase in engagement in meaningful activity, as well as a reduction in pain-related interference. This evaluation adds to the small amount of existing literature on interventions aimed at increasing quality of life in patients living with persistent facial pain and provides suggestions for future research.

Assessing Parent Implementation of Behavior Support Strategies and Self-Monitoring to Enhance Maintenance

Teaching parents to serve as interventionists for their children is a common approach to enhance child learning. Research demonstrates that parents are able to implement evidence-based interventions with high integrity; however, there is limited research indicating the extent to which parents are able to maintain skills. We taught parents of two children, ages 10 and 11, to implement three positive behavior support skills: praise, choice making, and setting expectations. Using a multiple baseline across skills design, parents demonstrated criterion level use of all three skills; however, only one skill for one parent maintained. We then taught parents to self-monitor the use of skills that did not maintain. Following self-monitoring, parents demonstrated immediate increases in strategy implementation. In addition, both children demonstrated significant increases in engagement and decreases in problem behavior. Social validity results indicated high acceptability by both parents.

Social robots and gamification for technology supported learning: An empirical study on engagement and motivation

Enhancing learning scenarios with social robots, as well as gamification elements, has been shown to positively influence motivation, engagement, or even both. However, they have not been combined in a learning environment. For this contribution, we created a learning environment for students in higher education and implemented additions (social robot and gamification) based on guidelines for gamification in learning scenarios, and research on pedagogical agents. Using a 2x2 design for systematic investigation of gamification elements and social robots, we tested the impact of our learning environment on motivation and engagement across four conditions: with a social robot, gamification elements, both or neither. We found no significant increase in engagement or motivation when adding gamification elements or the social robot. Quite contrary to our expectations, we found an interaction effect when combining both additions, showing lower engagement. Based on our results and former research, we discuss possible reasons for this finding and potential improvements for future research.

Performance Change in Treating Tobacco Addiction: An Online, Interprofessional, Facilitated Continuing Education Course (TEACH) Evaluation at Moore's Level 5.

Continuing education is essential to build capacity among health care providers (HCPs) to treat people with tobacco addiction. Online, interprofessional training programs are valuable; however, interpretation and comparison of outcomes remain challenging because of inconsistent use of evaluation frameworks. In this study, we used level 5 of Moore's evaluation framework to examine whether an online training program in intensive tobacco cessation counseling achieved sustained performance change among HCPs across multiple health disciplines. The evaluation sample included 62 HCPs with direct clinical duties, who completed the online Training Enhancement in Applied Counseling and Health (TEACH) Core Course in 2015 and 2016. We compared self-reported changes in cessation counseling and clinical practices across eight core competencies from baseline to 6-month follow-up using McNemar's tests and descriptive analyses. Compared with baseline, significantly more HCPs reported providing cessation counseling at 6-month follow-up (44% versus 81%, P < .001). HCPs also reported significant increases in engagement in six of the eight core competencies. Online training in intensive tobacco cessation treatment can result in sustained performance improvement at 6 months. However, availability of resources and clinical context may influence the extent to which HCPs are able to implement their learned skills. Furthermore, continuing education programs should consider the use of consistent evaluation frameworks to promote cross program comparisons.

Twitter Hashtag and Online Engagement During Surgical Society Meetings Over a 5-Year Period.

Utilizing social media platforms can augment medical conferences by sharing new knowledge and information through hashtags. We aim to investigate the use of Twitter, enhanced conference experience, and education at the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) Annual Scientific Assembly 2016-2020. EAST hashtags were analyzed for the Annual Scientific Assembly 2016-2020: #EAST2016, #EAST2017, #EAST2018, #EAST2019, and #EAST2020. Using #EAST2016 as a baseline, active interaction through engagement, measured by tweets and retweets, passive interaction through impressions, measured by views, as well as users, and influencers were analyzed. 2016-2018 saw a significant increase in engagement (7400 to 9200 to 11 000, respectively, P < .05). 2018-2020 then showed a significant decrease in engagement (11 000 to 9000 to 6700, respectively, P < .05). Impressions, increased significantly from 2016 to 2020 (6.6 million to 13.3 million to 12.6 million to 19.9 million to 20.3 million, respectively, P < .05). Users significantly increased to 2700 in 2018 compared with 1000 in 2016 (P < .05), and significantly decreased to 814 in 2020 compared with 2700 in 2018 (P < .05). The top online influencer was the EAST organization Twitter account. #EAST2016-2018 showed a significant increase in engagement between users, measured by tweets/retweets. However, #EAST2019-2020 suffered declines in users' engagement, maybe a result of social media fatigue. Although, #EAST2016-2020 showed a significant increase in impressions. Both passive and to a more extent active forms of online social media engagement can potentially disseminate new knowledge and medical information. Scientific societies should focus on more effective ways to maintain and enhance users' online experience and engagement toward better utilization of social media platforms.

Surfacing the Submerged State: Operational Transparency Increases Trust in and Engagement with Government

Problem definition: As trust in government reaches historic lows, frustration with government performance approaches record highs. Academic/practical relevance: We propose that in coproductive settings such as government services, people’s trust and engagement levels can be enhanced by designing service interactions to allow them to see the often-hidden work—via increasing operational transparency—being performed in response to their engagement. Methodology and results: Three studies, conducted in the field and laboratory, show that surfacing the submerged state through operational transparency impacts citizens’ attitudes and behavior. Study 1 leveraged proprietary data from a mobile phone application developed by the City of Boston, Massachusetts, through which residents submit service requests; the city’s goal was to increase engagement with the app. Users who received photographs of government addressing their service requests submitted 60% more requests and in 38% more categories over the ensuing 13 months than users who did not receive photographs. These significant increases in engagement persisted for 11 months following users’ initial exposure to operational transparency and were highest for users who had experienced government to be at least moderately responsive to their requests in the past. In study 2, residents of Boston who interacted with a website that visualized both service requests (e.g., potholes and broken street lamps) and efforts by the city’s government to address those requests became 14% more trusting and 12% more supportive of government. Moreover, residents who received additional transparency into the growing backlog of service requests that government was failing to fulfill, revealing government to be less responsive, were no more nor less trusting and supportive of government than residents who received no transparency. Study 3 replicated findings from the first two studies and documented underlying mechanisms: operational transparency increases trust and engagement by two causal pathways—through consumers’ increased perceptions of effort by the government and through increased perceptions that engaging with it is impactful. Responsiveness increases feelings of personal efficacy, which boosts willingness to engage both directly and indirectly through the other causal paths. Managerial implications: Taken together, our results suggest that showing more work performed by government—via operational transparency—encourages people to do more work themselves. These results have implications for the design of a broad array of coproductive services where operations are hidden and consumer trust and engagement are critical.

The Effects of Children’s Friendship Training on Social Skills and Quality of Play among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Among the challenges faced by children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) involves developing social skills and building quality friendship through social activities, interactions and playing games. The purpose of this study was to find out the effect of Children’s Friendship Training (CFT) on social skills among children with ASD. Utilising the quasi-experimental design of one-group-pretest-posttest study, this research was conducted on 40 children aged 7 to 12 years in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. The intervention lasted for 12 weeks and involved both the children with ASD and their parents. Data was collected twice for pre-test and post-test scores using two sets of questionnaires, Social Skills Rating Scale (SSRS) and Quality of Play Questionnaire (QPQ). Descriptive and inferential statistical tools were used to analyse the data. The findings indicated that there were significant increase in the social skills of children with ASD after the intervention, based on both the teachers’ ( t (30) = -6.298, p = .000) and parents’, ( t (30) = -8.266, p = .000) evaluations. All the three subscales of Quality of Play also showed significant differences after the intervention, with significant decrease in conflict, ( t (30) = 3.949, p = .000) and disengagement ( M = 5.52, SD = 1.93), ( t (30) = 3.474, p = .002), and significant increase in engagement, ( t (30) = -4.892, p = .000). In conclusion, CFT effects were significant in enhancing social skills and quality of play among children with ASD. As social skills are very much related to social acceptance and ultimately self-concept and self-esteem, the potentials of CFT in overcoming social skill issues among children with or without learning disabilities should be explored further. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.7.13