Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Carolyn S. Buckenmaier
Committee Member
Anne Joslin
Committee Member
Maryellen Maher
Keywords
academic development, Alabama, behavior development, Choices: Good Choices and Bad Choices, communication skills, discipline referrals, disruptive students, educational leadership, elementary students, following directions, intervention programs, listening skills, Madison, Madison City School System, nonintervention group, posttest data, problem solving, role-playing, social competence, social skills, social skills instruction, state leadership, student behavior, West Madison Elementary School
Abstract
Discipline referrals were on the rise at West Madison Elementary School in Madison, Alabama. This applied dissertation was designed to explore the effects direct social skills instruction had on the behavior development of disruptive students. The vision of the Madison City School System was to become an educational leader at the state, regional and the national levels. The focus of the Madison City School System was in the area of academic development of students. There was a need to teach the whole child, thus, the need for direct instruction in the area of social skill to promote social competence.
The researcher developed the Choices: Good Choices and Bad Choices project as an intervention specifically designed to assist students in developing listening and following directions skills, communication skills, and responding to problems. Three formal social skill lessons per week were implemented in 6 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-grade classrooms at West Madison Elementary School. The remainder of the week was spent role-playing the application of the skills taught.
An analysis of the posttest data revealed that, although there was an increase in the social skills of the intervention group, the goal of a 3-point increase over the nonintervention group was not met in some areas. It also should be noted that there was a reduction of discipline referrals by 50% during the year the intervention was in place.