Social Personal Skills Research Articles

Comparing the Experience of Pre-Service Teachers in the First and Final Semesters in Online Learning Using a Focus Group Study

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, online learning has become the innovation and an alternative virtual education adopted by universities, due to campus closures. The sudden adoption of the innovation without prior preparation and training causes the ineffective implementation of online learning in most institutions. Based on this description, insufficient information is available regarding the experiences of the student population, which are the most affected by online learning in higher education. Therefore, this study aims to explore the experiences of pre-service teachers regarding their numerous abilities to provide a good online learning program. Using a qualitative focus group study design, data were obtained through the focus group discussion (FGD) on 58 and 52 teachers, which were divided into 10 study groups during the first and final semesters. The results showed that both groups had similar and different experiences, regarding lecturers' ability to effectively perform online learning. According to the experience of the participants, the lecturers with pedagogical and social-personal skills were able to emphasize and encourage the attractiveness of online learning. In addition, some of the differences highly depended on the specific indicators of the two aspects. These results are expected to provide a framework for university lecturers and administrators, towards implementing the learning process.

Effects of Food Art Therapy on the Self-Esteem, Self-Expression, and Social Skills of Persons with Mental Illness in Community Rehabilitation Facilities.

Persons with mental illness often have low self-esteem, a lack of self-expression, and poor social skills. This study used a quasi-experimental two-group pre-test-post-test design to investigate the effects of food art therapy on the self-esteem, self-expression, and social skills of persons with mental illness attending community rehabilitation facilities. The authors recruited persons with mental illness aged 18 years or older attending three community rehabilitation facilities. Participants in two rehabilitation facilities participated in food art therapy (experimental groups 1 and 2; n = 15 for each group), and participants in the third rehabilitation facility participated in regular programs of the facility (control group, n = 30). Participants in the experimental groups attended a total of eight sessions of food art therapy twice per week for four weeks. The Korean versions of the Rosenberg self-esteem scale, self-expression scale, and social skill rating system were administered at pre- and post-test in both the experimental and control groups. The self-esteem, self-expression, and social skills of the experimental group improved significantly compared to the control group. The findings suggested that food art therapy would be an excellent psychosocial intervention to help persons with mental illness to rehabilitate in the community.

Odnos samoodređenja i socijalnih veština kod osoba s lakom i umerenom intelektualnom ometenošću

Introduction. Self-determination of people with intellectual disability has been the subject of a large number of foreign studies in recent decades, while in our country this topic is insufficiently researched. Studies indicate that the manifestation of self-determined behavior can be influenced by various personal factors, including social skills. Objective. The aim of this study was to determine the significance of the relation between the level of self-determination in people with mild and moderate intellectual disability and their social skills. The sample included 128 subjects with mild and moderate intellectual disability, of both sexes, aged 21 to 58 years (M = 33.77, SD = 9.27). Methods. Self-determination was assessed using the Self-Determination Scale, while social skills data were collected using three subscales (the Socialization domain) of Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale. Results. The results showed that persons with mild intellectual disability had a statistically significant higher overall level of self-determination and social skills, compared to persons with moderate intellectual disability. Statistically significant correlation between the level of self-determination and the level of social skills, observed through total scores on the used instruments, was found for the sub-sample of persons with moderate intellectual disability, but not for the sub-sample of persons with mild intellectual disability. Identified patterns of correlation between individual components of self-determination and domains of social skills indicated the specifics of the relation between these two concepts for each sub-sample. Conclusion. The obtained results indicate the need for detailed study of the levels and profiles of self-determination and social skills in persons with different levels of intellectual disability, as well as for careful interpretation of the correlation of the examined variables.

Socijalne veštine kod odraslih osoba s oštećenjem vida

The research aim is to establish the level of acquisition of social skills in persons with visual impairment in relation to age, sex, category and time of visual impairment occurrence. The research included 131 participants with visual impairment (62.6% blind and 37.4% with low vision), both male and female, between 19 and 60 years old. In the assessment of social skills the subtest Social Skills, which belongs to the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, was applied. The result analysis has established that the achievements of the majority of the participants with visual impairment belong to the category of the average. No significant relation was established between social skills and the age of the participants and the time of visual impairment occurrence, whereas the relation with the category of visual impairment and sex is statistically significant. Future research should be directed at the level of social support to persons with visual impairment for the purpose of creating more efficient support programs in the community.

Practice of application the assumed functions of communal home of mutual aid in support of persons with mental disorders presented on the case of work program of the Communal Home of the Mutual Aid 2 in Stalowa Wola

Communal homes of mutual aid are day support centers for persons with mental disorders. They provide varied services for the persons with mental disorders and with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this article is to show the role and scope of operation of such facilities in a formation of social support network for persons with mental disorders, using the case of the Communal Home of Mutual Aid no 2 in Stalowa Wola. The analysis conducted based on the Home’s internal documentation, demonstrated that the facility provides for its beneficiaries different forms of support and activation, including practical trainings which involve: trainings of functioning in everyday life (e.g. personal hygiene training, cleaning training, cooking training, management of financial resources), trainings of interpersonal skills and resolving conflicts, trainings of the ability to spend free time as well as various forms of therapies (e.g. occupational therapy, art therapy) and relaxation trainings (e.g. classes held in the garden). The centre also provides actions aimed at preparation of the beneficiaries to participate in other programmes of communal support, including also the professional activity. The main objective of such activities is forming and strengthening of life and social skills of persons with mental disorders, encouraging their resourcefulness and autonomy, and to help them to overcome isolation barriers and ensure conditions of social integration of people with disabilities in their local environment.

Relation between working memory and self-regulation capacities and the level of social skills acquisition in people with moderate intellectual disability.

Social competence deficit is one of the main characteristics of intellectual disability. The aim of this paper is to determine the influence of working memory (WM) and self-regulation (SR) on social skills in persons with moderate intellectual disability (MID). The sample included 41 participants with MID, aged 14-21. Memorizing animals and maze tasks were used for WM assessment. SR skills were assessed by the Behavioral Multitask Batteries. Social skills were rated by the Socialization subscale from the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System II, which consists of two parts. Social skills part could mainly be predicted from SR scores (β=-.441), followed by WM (β=.390) and IQ score (β=.382). Only WM score (β=.494) had a predictive value for Leisure time part. As WM had a greater influence on social skills, incorporating WM training into programmes for improving social skills in persons with MID should be considered.

Mid-Term Neurodevelopmental Outcome in Isolated Mild Ventriculomegaly Diagnosed in Fetal Life

Objective: To analyze mid-term neurodevelopment outcome in children with isolated mild ventriculomegaly (VM) ≤12 mm diagnosed in fetal life, using the Battelle Developmental Inventory Screening Test (BDIST). Methods: 86 cases of mild VM were identified. 68 were excluded due to: other cerebral anomalies (n = 40), extra-cerebral anomalies (n = 3), chromosomal defects (n = 4), dysmorphic syndromes (n = 4), congenital infections (n = 2), termination of pregnancy (n = 9), stillbirth (n = 2) and incomplete follow-up (n = 4). 18 cases (range 1-8 years) of isolated mild VM were included for analysis. Seven neurodevelopment domains were assessed by BDIST. Results: Routine neuropediatrical evaluation detected neurological disorders in five children (28%; 3 with language impairment, one left hemiparesis and one intellectual retardation). BDIST showed some degree of neurodevelopmental delay in higher proportions: 66% in social-personal skills, 56% in gross motor skills, 39% in adaptive behavior and 28% in fine motor skills. Communicative and cognitive areas were the least affected (11 and 22% had moderate-to-severe involvement, respectively). A general trend towards worse outcomes was observed in the group of ≧4 years, although significant differences were only found for gross motor skills. Conclusion: Subtle neurological delays may appear during the infant period in fetuses prenatally diagnosed of isolated mild VM. In consequence, adequate measures should be established for early detection and treatment.

Ergotherapie in der beruflichen Integration psychisch erkrankter Menschen

This publication presents a study that analyses the effectiveness of client-oriented Occupational Therapy methods in Austria concerning improvement of the occupational performance of persons with mental illness. The central research issue had been the question how far client-centred OT treatment enables improvement in the occupational performance of mentally ill persons. In order to answer the research question raised 150 persons in various vocational rehabilitation institutions were interviewed. The clients' recent performance and their satisfaction with their abilities were assessed in a pre-post design using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS). The focus of the Occupational Therapy interventions carried out had been on client orientation, on training of social competence and on activities of daily living. The intervention group's COPM scores, their COPM-satisfaction scores, as well as their SOFAS ratings of difference were significantly higher than those found for the control group. It could be shown that applying client-centred Occupational Therapy methods in vocational reintegration work can contribute considerably to improving the performance, satisfaction, quality of life, and social skills of persons with mental illness.

MODEL BIMBINGAN PERKEMBANGAN UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KECAKAPAN SOSIAL-PRIBADI ANAK BERBAKAT AKADEMIK

Abstract: A Development Guidance Model to Improve Academically GiftedChildren’s Social-Personal Skills. This study intended to investigate theeffectiveness of personal-social guidance programs for Academically GiftedStudents (AGS). This study was a research and development study. The researchsubjects were 80 senior high students. The data were collected using an inventoryand rating scales. The quantitative data were analyzed by the the descriptive andinferential statistical techniques, i.e. percentile, t-test and ANOVA, and thequalitative data by the descriptive technique. The results show that (1) the profileof personal-social skills among the AGS is very good, (2) the materials andimplementation of the Personal-Social Guidance Program Guide on the basis of theDevelopment Model is an appropriate alternative model that can increase theAGS’s personal-social skills, (3) the Personal-Social Guidance Program Guide onthe basis of the Developmental Model is empirically proven to be able to increasethe AGS’s personal-social skills.Keywords: development guidance model, social-personal guidance, academicallygifted students

Social skills and social and nonsocial cognitive functioning in schizophrenia

Background: Persons with schizophrenia show deficits across a broad range of social domains, and their social skill deficits are thought, to some extent, to be caused by cognitive dysfunction. We conducted a review and concluded that both nonsocial and social cognition were strongly related to social skills in schizophrenia. However the relationship between social and nonsocial cognition and the pathways to social skills remain unclear.Aims: In this study, we attempted to investigate how nonsocial and social cognitive functioning and psychiatric symptoms determine social skills in persons with schizophrenia.Method: Sixty-four subjects who met the ICD-10 criteria for schizophrenia were evaluated with a semi-structured role-play test, BPRS, and a psychological test battery for attention, verbal fluency, and executive functioning.Results: The ability to recognize the goal of the situation was partly determined by attention and social cognition independently. The processing of problem-solving and planning alternative behaviors was partly determined by the ability to recognize the goal, disorganization symptoms, and verbal fluency. The ability to send one's intention and emotion to others effectively was partly determined by processing skill, negative and disorganization symptoms, executive functioning, and verbal fluency.Conclusions: The structural equations model results revealed that the proposed model fitted the sample data well. The model proposed demonstrated that the cognitive chain constructs mediated the relationship between social input and behavioral output, and both social and nonsocial cognitive functioning directly influenced some step of the cognitive chain constructs.

The relationship between food refusal and social skills in persons with intellectual disabilities

Background Feeding problems are common among individuals with intellectual disabilities. The aim of the current study was to determine the relationship between food refusal and social skills in people with intellectual disability.Method The Screening Tool of Feeding Problems (STEP) was administered to all residents of a large developmental centre. This screening tool identified 82 residents who exhibited food refusal, and 81 residents who did not exhibit food refusal. The Matson Evaluation of Social Skills in Persons with Severe Retardation (MESSIER) was administered to the 163 participants.Results People who exhibited food refusal displayed significantly more negative nonverbal and general negative social skills when compared to controls. Food refusal was prevalent across all ages, genders, and levels of intellectual disability.Conclusions As social skill deficits are associated with deficits in feeding skills, social skills training should be considered as a major component of behavioural interventions targeting food refusal in people with intellectual disability.

Social skills deficits in schizotypal personality disorder

Evidence of long-standing social difficulties has been well documented in persons with schizophrenia. These deficits are often so rudimentary that a person with schizophrenia may never have developed the skills necessary to present as socially competent. Given the cognitive, biological, and neuroanatomical links between schizophrenia and schizotypal personality disorder (SPD), a study of social skills in persons with SPD may reveal a behavioral link. This study examined persons with SPD and their ability to label emotions in a recognition task, to display socially competent behaviors in a social role-play task, and to select appropriate behaviors from a multiple choice measure of social behavior. Results indicated that the performance of persons with SPD was similar to previously published findings in persons with schizophrenia. In terms of emotion recognition, the SPD group’s ability to label positive emotions was significantly worse than their ability to label other emotions. Persons with SPD performed significantly worse than matched control participants on a social role-play task. However, the groups were equivalent in their ability to select socially appropriate behavior from a multiple choice measure. These results suggest that persons with SPD display social skills which mirror those previously reported in persons with schizophrenia.

The relationship of self-injurious behavior and aggression to social skills in persons with severe and profound learning disability

In this study, we investigated differences in social skills among four groups of individuals with severe and profound learning disabilities. The comparison groups were composed of individuals engaging in self-injurious behavior, aggression, both behaviors, or neither of the behaviors. We measured social skills using the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills for Individuals with Severe Retardation, a standardized assessment of social skills in persons with severe or profound learning disability. The results indicated that individuals displaying maladaptive behaviors exhibited a restricted range of social behaviors compared to controls. Also, group membership based on self-injury and aggression was predicted based on profiles of scores on the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills for Individuals with Severe Retardation. These findings are consistent with reports in other studies that note social skills deficits in aggressive and self-injurious persons with learning disabilities. However, in this case a standardized assessment of these deficits was possible and specific skills problems were identified. Implications of the findings for identification and treatment of self-injury and aggression are discussed.

Programming generalization of social skills in adults with developmental disabilities: Effects on generalization and social validity

Although many studies have demonstrated the acquisition of social skills in persons with developmental disabilities in the training setting, in vivo generalization has been more difficult to obtain. In this study, squads comprising 3 to 4 adults with developmental disabilities from the same group home were randomly assigned to a “game” condition ( n = 15) with three generalization strategies, a “social life” condition ( n = 13), which added to the game condition four generalization strategies, or a “notraining” control group ( n = 15). After training, the social life group was significantly superior to the no-training control group on all the generalization and social validity measures; the game condition was significantly better than the control group on one posttest generalization measure only. Furthermore, the social life condition was significantly superior to the game condition on percentage correct in the last game session and in a 3-month follow-up on the frequency of target skills displayed in the participants' natural settings. The findings indicate that meaningful generalization and social validity can be obtained when sufficient generalization strategies are explicitly programmed in the social skills game format.

Social skills of persons with self-defeating personality.

55 undergraduate men and 55 women took Schill's 1990 Self-defeating Personality Scale and Lorr, Youniss, and Stefic's (1991) multidimensional Social Relations Survey. As expected, persons who endorsed more self-defeating characteristics scored lower on scales which make up the Social Skills or Assertiveness Factor. However, these scores did not have significant correlations with the Empathy or Social Approval Need Scales; two of the three scales which make up the Empathy Factor. The results were discussed in terms of prior work relating deficits in social skills to dysfunctional early parenting.

The Impact of Technology on Assessing Social Skills

The social skill of persons with disabilities has been found to influence employment, schooling, friendships, community involvement, and overall quality of life. However, the ability of researchers and practitioners to assess social skills has been limited by reliance upon paper and pencil recording procedures. The development of computer technology offers refinement and expansion of the ability to adequately assess social skills. In this paper, the impact of technology on assessing social skills in persons with disabilities is addressed in terms of describing the technology, implications of the technology, and the role of micro versus macro analysis.