The effects of a personal responsibility model on individual student and class-wide social behaviors.

摘要

Teaching students social values has long been associated with K-12 education (Solomon, Watson, Delucchi, Schaps, 1988). With the rise of anti social behavior among children and youth in schools (Volokh & Snell, 1998) practitioners and scholars alike are re-focusing their attention on implementing and empirically documenting social skill programs (Hellison, 2003; Solomon, Watson, Battistich, Schaps, & Delucchi, 1996; Martinek & Hellison, 1998; Shields & Bredemeier, 1995; DeBusk & Hellison, 1989). The context of physical education, due to its naturally interactive and conflict oriented environment, may be an ideal setting for social skill development. Although widely used but with little research support, the personal responsibility model encourages students to apply positive social behavior through group discussion, goal setting and reflection (Hellison, 2003; Hellison & Walsh, 2002). The current research examined the effects of the personal responsibility intervention on individual and class wide anti and positive social behavior. Three students were chosen as participants based on the observed persistence of anti social behavior. A multiple baseline, behavior analytic design was used to best determine the effects of the intervention on the students. A pre-test--post-test, control group design was also used to determine the effects of the intervention on the entire class in which the intervention was implemented. The results showed immediate effects on the three observed students in the reduction of socially and personally irresponsible behavior. In addition, data from all three students demonstrated increases in the amount of time the students were fully participating without direct teacher supervision (self direction). Data also showed similar increases in caring types of behaviors. The results from the group comparisons showed a statistically significant difference (p<.01) between the group that received the interventions pre and post test scores for both anti and positive social behavior. A statistically significant difference (p<.01) was also found between the post-test scores for the group of students who received the intervention and the students who did not.