Table Of Content

IMPROVING SOCIAL SKILLS IN YOUNG CHILDREN Jennifer Brodeski Meghan Hembrough An Action Research Project Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the School of Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Teaching and Leadership Saint Xavier University Chicago, Illinois May, 2007 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………...…………iii CHAPTER 1: PROBLEM STATEMENT AND CONTEXT…………………….………1 General Statement of the Problem………………………………………………...1 Immediate Problem Context………………………………………………………1 The Surrounding Communities……………………………………………………4 The National Context……………………………………………………………...7 CHAPTER 2: PROBLEM DOCUMENTATION………………………………………...9 Problem Evidence…………………………………………………………………9 Probable Causes………………………………………………………………….15 CHAPTER 3: SOLUTION STRATEGIES……………………………………………...20 Literature Review………………………………………………………………...20 Project Objectives………………………………………………………………..24 Action Plan and Timeline………………………………………………………..24 Methods of Assessment………………………………………………………….26 CHAPTER 4: PROJECT RESULTS…………………………………………………….28 Presentation and Analysis of Results…………………………………………….30 Conclusions and Recommendations……………………………………………..37 Reflection………………………………………………………………………...38 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………..41 APPENDICES…………………………………………………………………………...43 iii ABSTRACT This report describes a program designed to decrease students’ undesired behaviors such as tattling, hitting, kicking, biting and pinching. The sample population included at-risk pre-kindergarten and first grade students. Existing literature revealed these behaviors affected all aspects of the classroom. There were numerous reasons students resorted to these undesired behaviors: lack of social skills instruction, inability to resolve conflicts independently, limited opportunities to practice social skills, exposure to violent and inappropriate behaviors through television and video games, and changes in family structure. Studies indicated solutions to these causes include explicit teaching of social skills, incentives, conflict resolution role playing and ample opportunities to practice social skills. Post intervention data was inconsistent. Researchers felt interventions were successful as undesired behaviors decreased. 1 CHAPTER 1 PROBLEM STATEMENT AND CONTEXT General Statement of the Problem The students in the targeted early elementary classes in two urban Midwestern communities in close proximity to each other exhibited a lack of appropriate social skills in the classroom that hindered their academic growth. Evidence for the existence of the problem included staff surveys, teacher observations, and pencil and paper tests of social skills administered to students. Immediate Problem Context School A was an older building located in a lower middle class neighborhood. The building had 18 regular education and five self-contained special education classrooms located on a first floor and second floor. It had a small gymnasium that also doubled as the lunchroom. The building enrolled 398 first through sixth grade students. It was organized with self contained classes in first grade, and departmentalized classes in second through sixth grade. Forty eight percent of the student population qualified for free and reduced price lunch. The ethnic breakdown was African American 6%, Hispanic 7%, Asian 1%, Native American 0.3%, multi racial 2% and European American 84%. Average class size in first 2 grade was 19, 24 in third grade and 20 in sixth grade. The attendance rate was 94%. The high mobility rate of 12.7% has been a concern at School A. However, the chronic truancy rate is fairly low at 1.2%. (School Report Card, 2005). School A consisted of 22 teachers, a principal, and 20 support personnel including two office personnel. School A made local headlines when two sixth grade teachers made the decision to “job share” one teaching position. Though a provision for job sharing always existed in the teacher contract, it had never been utilized prior to this academic year. There are no minorities employed in the building. The average teaching experience for the entire district was 14.1 years. 61.2% of teachers in the district have a Master’s degree or more higher education (School Report Card, 2005). All teachers in school A are considered highly qualified under No Child Left Behind. The curriculum consisted of language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, fine arts, and physical education. Seven percent of the students enrolled had an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). According to No Child Left Behind (NCLB) standards, school A has made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). The state requires that 47.5% of students meet or exceed standards in reading and math. At school A, 64.5% of students met or exceeded standards in reading and 67.7% in math. (School Report Card, 2005). School A had a PTA that went through a complete renaissance. Many parents who held officer positions had children who moved on to the middle school. However, parent involvement remained high at 97% (School Report Card, 2005). This includes parent- teacher conferences, parental visits to school, school visits to home, telephone conversations and written correspondence. 3 School B was an older, two story building with a fallout shelter, also located in a lower middle class neighborhood. In fact, school B is one of the oldest school buildings still in use in the school district. School B celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2006. It contained 14 regular education classrooms. There were no self-contained special education classrooms in the building. There were 347 students enrolled in School B in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade self contained classes. School B averaged 94 % attendance rate. The ethnic breakdown for School B was 33% African American, 12% Hispanic, and European American 56%. The low income population of School B was 52%. Average class sizes were 23 for kindergarten, 25 for first grade and 18 for third grade (School Report Card, 2004). School B had 17 full time certified staff and eight non-certified support staff members. The building administration at School B consisted of a principal and one office support staff. Average years teaching experience for district B is 17.7 years with 69.1% of teachers holding a Master’s degree or higher (School Report Card, 2004). Additionally, one teacher in school B recently completed the process of National Board Certification. All teachers in School B are considered highly qualified under No Child Left Behind. School B had a standard elementary curriculum which includes mathematics, language arts, social studies, science, physical education and fine arts. School B also housed two pre-kindergarten classes, which had their own curriculum. This curriculum included all of the major subject areas, but the delivery model was geared towards the state Early Learning Standards. 4 The Early Learning Standards are similar to the learning standards set forth by the state for elementary through high school students in that language, mathematics, science, health and physical development and social studies are all addressed. However, the Early Learning Standards include social skills which are not included in the standards for the older students. These Early Learning Standards are used to create a portfolio for the students in the pre-kindergarten classes, rather than the standardized tests and report cards used for the older students in the building. School B has met AYP requirements in reading and mathematics. The state minimum target is 40% of students to meet or exceed standards in reading and math. In reading, students achieved 45.5% and 56.9% in math (School Report Card, 2004). School B had a strong and active PTA. The school had 100% parental contact rate. (School Report Card, 2004). The PTA plans many activities throughout the year that are highly attended. These activities include Turkey Bingo in the fall, an all school Fun Fair in the spring, a dance to close out the school year, and multiple fund raisers during the school year. The Surrounding Communities School A and School B were located in two separate communities that were very close to each other. In fact, the two schools were only a few miles apart, but were separated by a river that set a boundary establishing two cities. The community surrounding school A had approximately 22,560 citizens. The median resident age was 34.6 years. 91% of the residents were European American, 3% Hispanic, 2% African American, 2% bi-racial and 2% were listed as “other”, including Native American and Asian American (City A website). 5 Of residents over 25 years old, 86% reported their education as high school or higher. As far as higher education is concerned, 17% reported they had earned at least a Bachelor’s degree and 5% reported they had earned a graduate degree. Finally, 4% of residents consider themselves unemployed. In the year 2000, median household income in the community surrounding School A was reported as $45,238. In the same year, the median house value was reported as $88,800 (City A website). At the time of the survey, 56% of the residents in community A were married, 24% had never been married and 1% were separated. Additionally, 12% were divorced with 7% widowed (City A website). Community A could be considered a suburb of the much larger Community B. Community B had a population of 152,452 citizens in 2004. Median resident age was also 34 years old. Median household income was $37,667 in the year 2000. Median home value was $79,900 in the same year (City B website). Community B was comprised of residents with many different backgrounds. Sixty eight percent of citizens surveyed were European American, 17% were African American and 10% were Hispanic. The remaining 5% were “other” races, including bi-racial, Native American and Asian American (City B website). At 7 %, Community B had a higher unemployment rate than community A’s rate of 4 %. Seventy eight percent of residents in Community B older than 25 had a high school diploma or higher, with 20% holding at least a Bachelor’s degree and 7% earned a graduate degree. In all, 50% of residents were married, 28% were never married. At the time of the survey, 2% were separated, 7% were widowed and 13% were divorced (City B website). 6 The school district for School A was comprised of 7,803 students located in one Early Childhood education center (pre-kindergarten and kindergarten), six elementary schools (first through sixth), one middle school (seventh and eighth) and one high school (ninth through twelfth). There were 459 professional staff members (School Report Card, 2005). The district had numerous budget concerns and had unsuccessfully tried to pass an education referendum multiple times. Additionally, one middle school was closed at the end of the 2002-2003 school year. This closing resulted in overcrowding at the one remaining middle school. School B was in a much larger school district that served 27,576 students in grades pre-kindergarten through twelfth (School Report Card, 2004). There were two buildings that were exclusively for Early Childhood, approximately 40 kindergarten through fifth grade elementary schools many of which also housed Early Childhood classes, six middle schools (sixth through eighth), and four high schools (ninth through twelfth). The district also had several alternative education centers catering to the needs of special education students, students with behavioral needs and students with specific needs including teenage mothers and students looking to obtain their General Equivalency Degree (GED). The district that School B was in also faced budget issues. Many in the community were upset when, in an effort to save money, the janitorial staff was changed from an in-district union to an outsourced company. More than 15 years ago, the district was involved in a massive lawsuit alleging discrimination against certain schools in funding equity and quality of teachers at these schools. The district was found guilty of these charges and the lawsuit resulted in four years of state supreme court-ordered forced 7 desegregation. Neighborhood schools were all but eliminated. Parents were allowed to choose and rank their top three school choices, however, if they lived within one and a half miles of a school, their children were allowed to attend the neighborhood school. Though the forced desegregation was required for four years, it continued on afterwards. The school district saw a decrease in enrollment when the desegregation plan began. In an effort to improve schools and enrollment, attendance zones will be implemented for middle school and high school students beginning in the 2007-2008 school year. The National Context As technology has evolved, so has society. Children spend much more time watching television, playing video games and using the computer to access the internet. These changes have taken away time that used to be spent interacting and communicating with other children. According to McArthur (2002), “television is a moral miseducator of children” (p. 184). Television and video games not only take away opportunities for children to learn correct social skills by interacting with each other, but they actually teach inappropriate social skills such as violence and sarcasm. Jambor estimates that by the conclusion of elementary school, the average student will have witnessed 100,000 acts of violence thanks to television, video games and computers (1996). Television and video games are readily available to children of all ages. In fact, children between two and 11 years of age watch an average of 28 hours of television weekly (1996). One of the greatest changes society has seen in recent years is the change in family structure. The ideal family used to be two parents, 2.5 children and a dog; the father worked while the mother stayed home with the children. This is no longer the standard. Children are now being raised by single parents of either gender, grandparents,