Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Social Skills Program for Preadolescents

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Basic research question

This research is more concerned with the role of peer relations in the social development of youths and children. Its main objectives include evaluating the effectiveness of social skill programs for preadolescents. The basic research question looks at outcomes of social skills that were crafted to better social interactions of fifth-grade children.

Social workers must ensure that they develop and evaluate interventions, which would have long-term effects like working better with clients to bring about positive changes (Sheldon, 1972, p.12). This is because most practitioners in the area have little time to develop these programs though it seems like they are ready to do something about it. It is further argued that working closely with all the players can help to improve the existing professional body a great deal.

The research question has more emphasis on addressing the development of programs that will tackle specific problems within a population. The paper also seeks to look at the proper implementation of social skills through programs that relate to adolescents on a wide scale. This is because social skills play an integral role in the development of children. It has further been stressed by professionals who see the need for efficient programs that would solve these difficulties in social interactions.

The research question is necessary because peer relations are vital for the socialization process of children. Children can only incorporate social values in themselves after closely interacting with their peers. Positive peer relations are supposed to be encouraged because children who lag in these areas are likely to repeat grade levels, be truants or even drop out of school.

In addition, most of the suicidal behavior can be attributed to a lack of peer support. This issue needs to be looked at critically because adults with psychological problems had such problems in their childhood. Some specific behavioral and cognitive skills can come up with instructions on solving the problem.

From the study, children who receive these social skills training end up experiencing a great improvement in their social interactions. These can be looked at from different angles; positive interactions across social status, use of appropriate and positive social skills, peer acceptance, and interactions with desired peers. In the end, this paper seeks to address issues that have derailed the effectiveness of social programs.

What was known in the field?

From the field, the paper found that social professions are supposed to come up with interventions that will have a long-term effect of working better with clients to bring about positive change. It was also clear that most social workers and practitioners did not give this issue enough time to develop good programs that could solve childrens social issues though they are beginning to give it a second thought.

There is a great need to develop programs that will lay more emphasis on addressing these problems that bedevil specific segments of the population on a wide scale. In developing positive social interactions among children, it is very clear that social skills play an integral part in their development and growth. Professionals and social workers have insisted on the need to come up with good and sustainable programs that will ultimately solve difficulties in social interactions.

For proper socialization of children in their daily interactions, they need to have positive and healthy peer relations amongst themselves. As far as other people who are near the children might try to instill some social values in them, they cannot be as effective as of close interaction of the children with their peers. Furthermore, those children with poor peer relations may end up being truants, drop out of school or even repeat grades (Merono, 1932, p.5).

Lack of proper peer support contributes a lot to the suicidal behavior that many adolescents end up having. These peer ratings were found to play a critical role in adult adjustment as those with psychological problems had poor peer relationships.

From the literature search, the author found out that there is a need to solve these problems because many other programs have recorded little success. Little success has been seen because many programs have not been integrated into school curricula. Another undoing has been the tendency of the programs to work with dejected or low esteem/status children in schools.

Research design

In carrying out the research a pretest-posttest control group design was used. Before implementation of the study, treatment and control groups were used. In addition, the treatment group was able to receive the necessary training on social skills. Furthermore, after completion of the training, both groups were again tested.

The pretest was given and administered to children to determine their baseline know-how or preparedness for the research on social skill programs, how they socialize and interact amongst themselves in school. This was more so like a test to the children so that they become well acquitted with studies.

Pretest helped to know if what was being covered had been mustered in any case. It was appropriate because children were in a good position to know what was expected of them in the study. In the process, research can find out knowledge gaps that it had not factored in and expected to find in undertaking it.

A post-test was given and administered after research to be able to tell what the children had learned in a given period of study. In the process, children may have a good chance to comprehend what they had learned and figure out their practicality in social lives.

This was appropriate because it could be used together with the pretest to measure the achievements and effectiveness of the program. Another way that the study could be conducted was to use control groups. This could be done to eliminate and isolate bias. Though it could be done faster, control groups could have a positive result and allow the research setup to show that it was capable of producing results. In the end, the research could reduce the chances of false negatives.

Sample

The sample was composed of two fifth-grade classrooms from a school. These classrooms were randomly assigned to a treatment group. In the process, two Children who took part in that study were not singled out and said to be having problems with their classmates. The children were later on given permission letters, for instance, those for the treatment group showed that they were all invited while those in the control group were to receive social skills.

Students were asked to go and discuss these with their parents and return the letters later on. There was a genuine expectation that children in the treatment condition would end up improving their social interactions. The sample had 45 fifth-grade students; with the treatment group having 11 girls and 14 boys while the control group had 9 girls and 11 boys. The first class randomly acted as a treatment group receiving training skills while the second classroom was considered a no-treatment group.

Three boys from the treatment group were from the special education classroom that had children with learning disabilities. Children with learning disabilities were included so that it could be known if the program could be beneficial to them. The sample had two subjects who were upper middle class and lower middle-class students in the school.

They were selected by determining their pretest scores on the sociometric rating scale. High social status comprised of children with top five scores while the low social status were children with the five lowest scores. The two classrooms had no significant differences. In addition, three students from the special education class were lowly rated. Since this was a small sample, the neglected students were put together with other average students.

Methodology

Four measures were used to assess expected outcome; peer acceptance, social interactions with peers, expected perceptions of play period, and student evaluation of the program. A peer rating scale was ultimately used to know the extent of peer acceptance. In this case, students were to indicate and show how they liked playing with their classmates i.e. only the names of children within treatment condition. Mostly, nominations were only tied down to those children within the treatment condition.

When it comes to observing behaviors of children received, it was peers and the social status of those that they interacted with that was highly considered. The observation was done over a 30-minute play period 2 to 3 days a week. Wholesomely, this was done in 6 weeks where various board games were available. While playing students were asked to select the peers they wished to play with.

20 Children were selected (10 from the control group and 10 from the treatment group). After the play period was over, students completed a complete measure. This is where students were to indicate the peers they liked playing with. Other questions were also included to come up with the right emotions that they exhibited while playing with their peers.

Finally, at the posttest stage students were asked to evaluate how successful the program was. This meant that they were to elaborate on how much they enjoyed playing in their groups. They were expected to rate the importance of skills and state how important they were to them. In addition, all children in the treatment group participated in the social training programs.

Inferential statistics

The program had some unique components because the behavioral and cognitive skills were highly used. Although some children were selected to be in either the treatment or control group, all the children within a given classroom were able to participate in that program.

In selecting girls and boys from different and distinct social status, it enabled the students to participate in this program and interact across their status and gender. On the other hand, the boys and girls came from different social backgrounds that might explain their behavior.

Though it can be said that there were four behavioral skills, they were all somewhat or equally important. The problem in solving steps was to help students learn how to cope with their friends in their social interactions but they ended up helping students to have a clear understanding of the program.

The three selected students with learning disabilities are representative of the whole group that had learning disabilities, which is very important for schools. This group also needs to interact with other peers so that they may not feel isolated from the rest of the students.

More information is needed in trying to explain the behavior of children and that of their peers showing how they are affected by this overall status (Sheldon, 1972, p.9). The sample was just but a representative of the class and it might not represent the entire behavior of students. Even though three disabled students from the low class were included, the treatment group was able to make gains on both rating scales.

Normally students in school are supposed to play amongst themselves without any second thought about their social class. This explains why from the study, to understand this problem classrooms had to comprise of different social statuses.

Conclusions and discussions

It can be concluded that through the skills that were emphasized, all students within a class were able to participate in the program. The research aimed at changing social culture to allow children to interact across their status and gender. On the other hand, children in their different social statuses made gains (positive and negative) in the treatment group.

Low-status children move out of their groups to play with others with whom they felt more comfortable. It is quite notable that girls are more interactive of the two genders while low-status students can interact with high-status students. In the process, students ended up enjoying the program by getting new friends and learning new skills. This is because the study was able to provide opportunities for them to play together safely.

Students in the treatment group showed no gains that would have explained if the use of appropriate skills yielded any positive outcomes. There were many positive interactions because the treatment groups were able to accept three children with learning disabilities.

In the real world, these findings can help to improve relations among the students across peers supported by a safe playing environment. Although it can be highly applicable, there is a need for more data that will explain the processes that occur in social interactions (Merono, 1932, p.15).

In addition, school staff and researchers can work pretty well to ensure that the developmental needs of students are catered for. Furthermore, there is the possibility of building a good knowledge base that will improve on social work profession. This has the capability of redefining social work in the current times.

Applicability

Preadolescents who comprise students in schools are a very critical group that should be well handled. Social professions are supposed to come up with interventions that will have a long-term effect of working better with clients to bring about positive changes in how these students interact.

There is a need for proper and efficient social skills in the programs that relate to adolescents on a wide scale. This is because social skills play an integral role in the development of children (especially in school). It should be understood that peer relations are vital for the socialization process of children (Sheldon, 1972, p.23).

Children can only incorporate social values in themselves after closely interacting with their peers. Positive peer relations are supposed to be encouraged because children who lag in this area are likely to repeat grade levels, be truants or even drop out of school. In addition, most of the suicidal behavior can be attributed to a lack of peer support.

This is highly applicable in our schools where we have diverse student backgrounds that can sometimes negatively lead to unhealthy social interactions. When it comes to learning, not all the students can perform as expected and this should be used to encourage them to interact.

Most practitioners in social skills have little time to develop the programs that can help students to interact well in school, though it seems that they are now ready to do something about it. It is further argued that working closely with all the players like social workers can help to improve on the existing professional body in a great deal.

Children who receive these social skills training end up experiencing great improvements in their social interactions. These can be looked at from different angles; positive interactions across social status, use of appropriate and positive social skills, peer acceptance, and interactions with desired peers. In the end, this paper seeks to address issues that have derailed the effectiveness of social programs.

Diversity

The selected samples provided enough diversity from the way they were represented. A school is representative of many students from different social backgrounds. Classrooms were randomly assigned to a treatment group and in the process, two Children who took part in the study were not singled out and said to be having problems with their classmates.

The children were selected to either be in the treatment or control group without any discrimination. The sample had 4 to 5 fifth-grade students; with the treatment group having 11 girls and 14 boys while the control group had 9 girls and 11 boys. The first class randomly acted as a treatment group receiving training skills while the second classroom was a no-treatment group, which acted as a representative sample.

Furthermore, three boys from the treatment group were from the special education classroom that had children with learning disabilities. Children with learning disabilities were included so that it could be known if the program could be beneficial to them. The sample had two subjects who were upper middle class and lower middle-class students in the school.

This sample is representative of the population that is needed in addressing social issues that face students in school. Cross- population factor was taken into consideration because all students with different shortcomings have been factored in the study. Many reasons might make students not to be ready to interact but these should not mean that their culture is a major contributor to this problem.

The samples are highly relevant because we cannot understand their underlying factors in social interactions in schools if we do not consider different students from a much larger population. Children with learning disabilities were included so that it could be known if the program can be beneficial to them. This is because many schools have realized the importance of tackling this important issue of disabilities in their environments.

The sample had two subjects who are in the upper-middle class and lower-middle-class students in the school. The students understand from different perspectives and this is why some end up performing well than others. This has later on translated into social interaction problems as the poor performers are isolated or isolate themselves from those who perform well. Therefore, this population needed to be considered to have a wider understanding of this problem.

Ethical issues

In undertaking this research, the paper took into consideration all ethical issues that needed to be addressed. This is because the research was dealing with societal issues that should always be well handled. The ethical issues were well understood right from the sampling.

When dealing with students it is good to take into consideration those with learning disabilities and the paper has addressed this and put it into consideration. To explain this, three boys from the treatment group were from the special education classroom that had children with learning disabilities. Children with learning disabilities were included so that it could be known if the program can be beneficial to them.

Parents are very important when dealing with issues that relate to their children and it just sounds good if they are always involved in whatever is that goes on to support it as well. To conform to these, students were issued letters that were to be given to their parents to discuss the issue together.

Just to prove that the parents were involved and aware of what was going on they were required to sign the letters. This acted as permission for the research to be conducted with the blessings of parents.

Gender is equally important in any research and should be representative of all the groups. This stresses more on equality, which is an ethical value. The treatment group had 11 girls and 14 boys while the control group had 9 girls and 11 boys. The first class randomly acted as a treatment group receiving training skills while the second classroom was a no-treatment group, which acted as a representative sample.

Because not all students had the same performance ability all the classes were considered. The sample had two subjects who were both upper middle class and lower middle-class students in the school. This was done to try to know their strengths and weaknesses. High social status comprised of children with top five scores while low social status were children with the five lowest scores.

The two classrooms had no significant differences. In addition, three students from special education classes were lowly rated. Since this was a small sample, the neglected students were put together with other average students. All these helped to underscore ethical issues in the research.

Reference list

Merono, F. (1932). Who shall survive? A new approach to the problem of human interaction. Washington DC: Nervous and mental disease.
Sheldon, R, D. (1972). Treating children in groups. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.

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