THE I N F L U E N C E OF P E R C E I V E D R E L A T I O N S H I P S ON THE

S O C I O - E M O T I O N A L L Y H A N D I C A P P E D C H I L D ' S

SCHOOL A D J U S T M E N T B E H A V I O R

by

C h a r l e s C h e s t e r J u n g , J r

d i s s e r t a t J o n s u b m i t t e d i n p a r t i a l f u l f i l I m e n t

o f t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r t h e d e g r e e o f

D o c t o r o f P h i l o s o p h y i n t h e

U n i v e r s i t y o f M i c h i g a n

1 9 6 7

D o c t o r a l Commi t t e e :

P r o f e s s o r R o n a l d 0 . L i p p i t t , C h a i r m a n

P r o f e s s o r Ned A . F l a n d e r s

A s s i s t a n t P r o f e s s o r M a r t i n G . G o l d

P r o f e s s o r W i l l i a m C . M o r s e

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many p e o p l e h a v e c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h i s d i s s e r t a t i o n a n d t o my

p r o f e s s i o n a l g r o w t h a s a n e d u c a t i o n a l p s y c h o l o g i s t . I f e e l e s p e c i a l l y

f o r t u n a t e t o h a v e h a d an o p p o r t u n i t y t o c a r r y o u t t h i s e f f o r t i n an

a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h c o n t e x t . I b e l i e v e t h a t t h i s e x p e r i e n c e o f h a v i n g

b e e n i n f l u e n c e d by b o t h t h e p e r s p e c t i v e s o f t h e r e s e a r c h e r a n d t h e

p r a c t i t i o n e r w i l l p r o v e t o be a n i m p o r t a n t b a s i s o f w h a t e v e r c o n t r i b u ­

t i o n s I may b e a b l e t o o f f e r i n t h e f u t u r e .

T h e a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t i n w h i c h t h i s s t u d y w a s c o n d u c t e d

w a s i n i t i a l l y c o n c e i v e d by D r . P a u l J o r d a n o f t h e M e n t a l H e a l t h C e n t e r

a n d L e s t e r E h r b r i g h t , P u p i l P e r s o n n e l D i r e c t o r o f t h e s c h o o l s . M r .

E h r b r i g h t s u b s e q u e n t l y a c t e d a s a d m i n i s t r a t i v e d i r e c t o r o f t h e p r o j e c t .

He w a s a s s i s t e d e s p e c i a l l y b y S t a n l e y C a r l s o n a n d h i s w i f e , D o r i s , a n d

by S y b i l M i c h e n e r . C l i n i c i a n s w h o j o i n e d D r . J o r d a n i n c o n t r i b u t i n g

t o d e v e l o p m e n t a n d e v a l u a t i o n o f t h e p r o g r a m w e r e D r . R a y m o n d B o d w i n a n d

D r . L e o n M a i z l i s h o f t h e F l i n t M e n t a l H e a l t h C e n t e r . T h e i r p a t i e n c e a n d

c o n t i n u o u s p e r s o n a l e n c o u r a g e m e n t m a i n t a i n e d my e f f o r t s t h r o u g h many

a s e e m i n g c r i s i s .

T h e p r o j e c t , a n d my o p p o r t u n i t y t o c o n t r i b u t e t o i t , w e r e

made a r e a l i t y b y t h e t i r e l e s s e n t h u s i a s m a n d e n e r g i e s o f s t a f f m e m b e r s

a t t h e t w o s c h o o l s i n w h i c h t h e p r o g r a m o p e r a t e d . T h e r e g u l a r c l a s s r o o m

t e a c h e r s who w e r e i n v o l v e d w e r e D o y l e A h l a n d e r , L o r c e B l a k e , S u s i e B u t l e r ,

F l o r e n c e C o m f o r t , R o b e r t G r i e s t , M a r g a r e t H i r c h e r t , E r n e s t i n e H o l t ,

C a r o l y n J o h n s o n , R o b e r t J o n e s , P r i s c i l l a K h i r f a n , L i l l i a n L a r n e r ,

i i

D o n a l d M c T a g g a r t , M a r j o r i e P o r t e r , M i l d r e d R o o p , T h e l m a R o s e , M a r c e l l a

S p t d l e , C l o v e r T o m a s k y , K e n n e t h W a t e r s , a n d R o l a n d W r i g h t . T h e

p r i n c i p a l s w e r e V i r g i n i a D e l l , R i c h a r d D i x , a n d R a l p h L a r s o n . T h e

c o m m u n i t y s c h o o l d i r e c t o r s who c o n t r i b u t e d e s p e c i a l l y t o t h e A c t i v i t i e s

C l u b P r o g r a m w e r e T e r r a n c e M a x w e l l a n d R o b e r t R u e . T h e s u p p o r t f o r

t w o o f t h e s e c l u b s by Q u i n G u s t a s o n o f t h e F l i n t YMCA s h o u l d a l s o b e

n o t e d . T h e i n i t i a t i v e a n d human s k i l l s o f R u t h B u c k n e r i n t h e v i s i t i n g

t e a c h e r r o l e a n d R u t h P a r n e s i n t h e s p e c i a l t e a c h e r r o l e made a p o s i t i v e

c o n t r i b u t i o n a t t e s t e d t o b y b o t h c h i l d r e n a n d s t a f f . N e a l C a s o n c o n ­

t r i b u t e d a c c e s s a b i l i t y o f h i s s c h o o l s e t t i n g f o r p i l o t w o r k on t h e

i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n .

A v a r i e t y o f c o n t r i b u t i o n s w e r e made by s t a f f members o f t h e

I n s t i t u t e f o r S o c i a l R e s e a r c h , U n i v e r s i t y o f M i c h i g a n . T h e F l i n t Y o u t h

S t u d y a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h t e a m made a p a r t i c u l a r c o n t r i b u t i o n t o d e v e l o p m e n t

o f an a c t i o n d e s i g n b a s e d o n r e s e a r c h i m p l i c a t i o n s . M e m b e r s o f t h e t e a m

who t o o k a c t i v e i n v o l v e m e n t i n some a c t i o n p a r t s o f t h e p r o g r a m i n c l u d e d

F r a n k H a w k i n s h i r e , J a c k L o g a n , L a r r y L i p p i t t , P e g g y L i p p i t t , a n d G e o r g e

S p r o u l e . O t h e r s i n c l u d e d J e f f E i s e m a n , M a r i l y n H a r r i s , R o s s P e t e r s o n ,

J e r r y R a b o w , a n d M a r g e S i m b e r g . S p e c i a l c o n t r i b u t i o n o f i d e a s on t h e o r y ,

p r a c t i c e , a n d r e s e a r c h w e r e g a t h e r e d f r o m t h e r e p o r t s a n d s u g g e s t i o n s o f

D r . E l i B o w e r , D r . J e a n B u t m a n , D r . M a r k C h e s l e r , D r . D a v i d E p p e r s o n ,

D r . Ned F l a n d e r s , D r . R o b e r t F o x , D r . M a r t i n G o l d , D r . M a b e l K a u f m a n ,

D r . N i c h o l a s L o n g , D r . M a r g a r e t L u s z k i , D r . W i l l i a m M o r s e , D r . R u t h

N e w m a n , D r . F r i t z R e d ] , D r . R i c h a r d S c h m u c k , D r . E l m e r V a n E g m o n d , a n d

D r . S t e p h e n W i t n e y . T h e p a t i e n c e , c r i t i c i s m s , a n d e n c o u r a g e m e n t o f t h o s e

who w e r e on my d o c t o r a l c o m m i t t e e a r e e s p e c i a l l y a p p r e c i a t e d . I am

a l s o i n d e b t e d t o D a n i e l P e r k u c h i n a n d D r . J o h n MI 1 ho 11 a n d f o r a s s i s t a n c e

i i i

i n c o n c e p t u a l i z i n g t h e s t a t i s t i c a l a n a l y s i s . May M a i z l i s h a n d M a r g a r e t

P o w r i e c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e d a t a c o l l e c t i o n . I owe s p e c i a l g r a t i t u d e f o r

t h e e a r l y s e c r e t a r i a l w o r k o f L i l l i a n W r i g h t a n d P a t r i c i a A l t i n g , a n d

f o r t h e f i n a l t y p i n g a n d h e l p i n e d i t i n g o f B o n n i e L u e k e r a n d K a r e n D o n a h u e .

T h e g r e a t e s t s i n g l e i n f l u e n c e o n my e f f o r t s i n c a r r y i n g o u t t h i s

d i s s e r t a t i o n , a n d i n my p e r s o n a l a n d p r o f e s s i o n a l g r o w t h i n b e c o m i n g

an e d u c a t i o n a l p s y c h o l o g i s t , h a s come f r o m my C h a i r m a n , D r . R o n a l d L i p p i t t .

H i s c r e a t i v e c o n c e p t u a l i z a t i o n s , h i s s c h o l a r l y a w a r e n e s s , h i s p e r s o n a ?

u n d e r s t a n d i n g , a n d h i s a b i l i t y t o o p e r a t i o n a l i z e h i s v a l u e s i n h i s

b e h a v i o r h a v e p r o v i d e d me a m o d e l a n d an i n s p i r a t i o n w h i c h w i l l e n d u r e .

F i n a l l y , 1 am i n d e b t e d t o a l l o f t h e members o f my f a m i l y f o r

t h e i r c o n t i n u o u s s u p p o r t . In t h e i r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f m e , I know t h a t

t h e y j o i n me i n t h e d e d i c a t i o n o f t h i s d i s s e r t a t i o n t o " t h e i n - b e t w e e n e r s . "

i v

T A B L E OF CONTENTS

P a g e

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS i i

L I S T OF T A B L E S

L I S T OF DIAGRAMS

L I S T OF I L L U S T R A T I O N S

C h a p t e r

1. INTRODUCTION .

S t a t e m e n t o f t h e P r o b l e m

T h e N a t u r e o f T h i s S t u d y

THE CONTEXT IN WHICH THE STUDY WAS C A R R I E D OUT

T h e A c t i o n - R e s e a r c h P r o c e s s

EPEH as an I l l u s t r a t i o n o f t h e A c t i o n - R e s e a r c h P r o c e s s

Ope r a t i o n o f t h e S o c i a 1 A d j u s t m e n t Room

O p e r a t i o n o f t h e V i s i t i n g T e a c h e r P r o g r a m

Two A p p r o a c h e s t o P r o m o t i n g I m p r o v e m e n t o f C l a s s r o o m

Human R e l a t i o n s

O p e r a t i o n o f t h e A c t i v i t i e s C l u b P r o g r a m

T h e D u a l R e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f A c t i o n - R e s e a r c h

3 . SURVEY OF THE F I E L D hG

E v a l u a t i v e A p p r o a c h e s o f E d u c a t i o n a l P r o g r a m s f o r t h e

E m o t i o n a 11y Hand i c a p p e d R e s e a r c h C o n c e r n i n g t h e I n f l u e n c e o f O t h e r s on

C h i l d r e n ' s S c h o o l A d j u s t m e n t B e h a v i o r

h. C R I T E R I O N B E H A V I O R , THEORY AND H Y P O T H E S E S 84

5 . METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN 95

T h e V a r i a b l e s

O t h e r s ' I n f l u e n c e on t h e C h i l d ' s B e h a v i o r

A v e r a g e I n f l u e n c e S c o r e P r e d i c t i v e o f B e h a v i o r

T h e C o n g r u e n c e S c o r e P r e d i c t i v e o f B e h a v i o r

T h e V a r i a b l e o f R e f e r e n t O t h e r s I n c l u s i o n i n t h e

A c t i o n D e s i g n o f EPEH

T h e V a r i a b l e o f C h i l d r e n H a v i n g B e e n I n c l u d e d i n t h e

E P E H P r o j e c t

T h e P o s i t i v e n e s s o f C h i l d r e n ' s B e h a v i o r a l I n t e r a c t i o n s

v

C h a p t e r

5 . ( c o n t )

R e l i a b i l i t y o f t h e I n s t r u m e n t a t i o n

V a l i d i t y o f t h e I n s t r u m e n t a t i o n

D e s i g n s o f t h e S e c o n d a n d T h i r d P a r t s o f t h e S t u d y

D e s i g n f o r t h e S e c o n d P a r t o f t h e S t u d y

P r o c e d u r e s f o r G a t h e r i n g B e h a v i o r a l O b s e r v a t i o n D a t a

P r o c e d u r e s f o r G a t h e r i n g Q u e s t i o n n a i r e D a t a

D e s i g n f o r t h e T h i r d P a r t o f t h e S t u d y

Some F u r t h e r M e t h o d o l o g i c a l C o n s i d e r a t i o n s

6 . R E S U L T S AND D I S C U S S I O N

7 . SUMMARY, C O N C L U S I O N S , AND I M P L I C A T I O N S

I m p l i c a t i o n s f o r F u t u r e R e s e a r c h

I m p l i c a t i o n s f o r A c t i o n

R E F E R E N C E S

v i

L I S T OF T A B L E S

T a b l e P a g e

1. % o f A g r e e m e n t B e t w e e n O b s e r v e r s a t L a s t 3 T r a i n i n g

S e s s i o n s 112

2 . 48 M i n u t e s o f O b s e r v a t i o n s o f a C h i l d ' s I n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h

P e e r a n d T e a c h e r 113

3 . R e l a t i o n s h i p o f t h e P o s i t i v e n e s s o f t h e C h i l d ' s B e h a v i o r

t o t h e P o s i t i v e n e s s o f B e h a v i o r o f T h o s e He Was

R e l a t i n g Wi t h . 117

4 . C o r r e l a t i o n s Between S u b - P a r t s o f t he A v e r a g e I n f l u e n c e F o r m u l a a n d t h e O b s e r v e d B e h a v i o r 127

5 . C o r r e l a t i o n B e t w e e n T h e T h r e e K i n d s o f C r i t e r i o n

B e h a v i o r s 128

6 . C o r r e l a t i o n B e t w e e n S c o r e s O b t a i n e d F r o m t h e F o u r

K i n d s o f Q u e s t i o n s 129

7 . V a r i a b l e s w h i c h p r o v i d e B e s t C o r r e l a t i o n s w i t h O b s e r v e d

B e h a v i o r f o r E a c h R e f e r e n t O t h e r 131

8 . T y p e o f E m o t i o n a l D i s t u r b a n c e C o n s i d e r e d i n R e l a t i o n t o

R a t e o f C h a n g e o f A c a d e m i c A c h i e v e m e n t a n d A v e r a g e

I n f l u e n c e S c o r e 136

9- R a n k O r d e r s o f A v e r a g e I n f l u e n c e S c o r e s f o r 30 C h i l d r e n

on E a c h o f Two R o u n d s o f D a t a C o l l e c t i o n 139

10. R a n k O r d e r s o f P o s i t i v e n e s s o f 30 C h i l d r e n ' s O b s e r v e d

B e h a v i o r a l I n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h P e e r s a n d T e a c h e r o n

Two R o u n d s o f D a t a C o l l e c t i o n 140

11 . S p e a r m a n ' s R h o C o r r e l a t i o n B e t w e e n R a n k O r d e r i n g s o f

C h i 1 d r e n ' s A v e r a g e 1 n f 1 u e n c e S c o r e s a n d P o s i t i v e n e s s

o f B e h a v i o r a l I n t e r a c t i o n S c o r e s f o r E a c h o f Two

R o u n d s o f D a t a C o l l e c t i o n 14]

12. R a n k O r d e r s o f C o n g r u e n c e S c o r e s f o r 30 C h i l d r e n on

E a c h o f Two R o u n d s o f D a t a C o l l e c t i o n 144

1 3 - S p e a r m a n ' s Rho C o r r e l a t i o n B e t w e e n R a n k O r d e r i n g s o f

C h i l d r e n ' s C o n g r u e n c e S c o r e s a n d P o s i t i v e n e s s o f

B e h a v i o r a l I n t e r a c t i o n S c o r e s f o r E a c h o f Two R o u n d s

o f D a t a C o l l e c t i o n 145

v i i

T a b l e P a g e

1 4 . S p e a r m a n ' s Rho C o r r e l a t i o n B e t w e e n R a n k O r d e r i n g s o f

C h i l d r e n ' s A v e r a g e I n f l u e n c e S c o r e s a n d C o n g r u e n c e

S c o r e s f o r E a c h o f Two R o u n d s o f D a t a C o l l e c t i o n 146

1 5 . M e a n s o f I n f l u e n c e S c o r e s o f A l l R e f e r e n t O t h e r s I n v o l v e d

I n t h e A c t i o n D e s i g n o f EPEH a n d A l l R e f e r e n t O t h e r s

N o t S o I n v o l v e d

1 6 . T h i r t e e n C h i l d r e n ' s P e r c e p t i o n s o f P o s i t i v e n e s s

o f A c t i o n I n v o l v e d a n d N o n - A c t i o n I n v o l v e d R e f e r e n t

O t h e r s 149

1 7 . T h i r t e e n C h i l d r e n ' s P e r c e p t i o n s o f C o n g r u e n c e Among A c t i o n I n v o l v e d a s C o m p a r e d t o N o n - A c t i o n I n v o l v e d

R e f e r e n t O t h e r s 151

1 8 . Sums o f R a n k O r d e r s o f F i v e A c t i o n I n v o l v e d C h i l d r e n

C o m p a r e d t o R a n k O r d e r s o f F i v e C o m p a r a b l e N o n - A c t i o n

I n v o l v e d C h i l d r e n on P o s i t i v e n e s s o f B e h a v i o r , A v e r a g e

I n f 1 u e n c e S c o r e s a n d C o n g r u e n c e S c o r e s 153

v i i i

L I S T OF DIAGRAMS

D i a g r a m P a g e

1. F i v e S o c i a l S c i e n c e A c t i v i t i e s 8

2 . T h e A c t i o n - R e s e a r c h P r o c e s s 10

3 . R e l a t i o n s B e t w e e n R e s e a r c h I m p l i c a t i o n s a n d t h e

A c t i o n D e s i g n 18

k. R e s u l t s o f D a i l y O b s e r v a t i o n s o f C h i l d r e n ' s S o c i a l

A d j u s t m e n t Room B e h a v i o r 2 8

5 . T h e C i r c u l a r P r o c e s s o f I n t e r p e r s o n a l R e l a t i o n s : P a r t s

o f t h e C i r p l e 86

6 . T h e C i r c u 1 a r P r o c e s s o f ( n t e r p e r s o n a i Re 1 a t I o n s :

D i m e n s i o n s i n E a c h P a r t o f t h e C i r c l e 87

7 . I n f 1 u e n c e F o r m u l a , 90

8 . F o r m u l a f o r an A v e r a g e I n f l u e n c e S c o r e P r e d i c t i v e

o f B e h a v i o r 91

9 . F o r m u l a f o r t h e C o n g r u e n c e S c o r e P r e d i c t i v e o f

B e h a v i o r 92

i x

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

I 1 l u s t r a t i o n Page

1. Ques t ionna i re 98 - 99

2. Scores Used on The Sca les o f Each of the Four Kinds o f Quest ions f 101

3. Example o f How a C h i l d Might Have Responded to the Four Kinds of Quest ions 102

4. Observat i on Schedule 109

x

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Statement o f the Problem

This study i s concerned w i th soc i o-emot i-ona 1 ly handicapped,

e lementary school c h i l d r e n . It exp lo res the r e l a t i o n s h i p between t h e i r

pe rcep t ions and f e e l i n g s about persons who p o t e n t i a l l y i n f l uence t h e i r

school adjustment behavior and observa t ions o f that behav io r . It a l s o

exp lo res whether persons who were i nvo lved in s p e c i a l programs designed

to improve the c h i l d ' s school adjustment behavior were pe rce ived by the

c h i l d as having more p o s i t i v e i n f l uence than persons not so i n v o l v e d .

F i n a l l y , i t compares the percep t ions and behaviors of a group of c h i l d r e n

who were i nvo lved in exper imental e f f o r t s to improve t h e i r behavior w i th

a con t ro l group o f c h i l d r e n who were not so i n vo l ved .

Inc reas ing a t t e n t i o n i s being g iven to f i n d i n g ways to i n f l u ­

ence improvement in the school adjustment behavior of sodo-emot Iona11y

handicapped c h i l d r e n . A v a r i e t y of approaches are be ing taken (Jung,

1964). Many of these approaches re ly p r i m a r i l y upon the p o t e n t i a l i n f l u ­

ence of one or two persons , such as a s p e c i a l teacher or the c h i l d ' s

pa ren t s , to accompl ish the change. Research s tud ies have shown that

c h i l d r e n ' s school behavior is r e l a t ed to many v a r i a b l e s in t h e i r r e l a t i o n ­

sh ips w i th each of severa l persons in t h e i r l i v e s . A number of such

s tud ies are reviewed in chapter 3- This study was c a r r i e d out in a

p ro jec t in which an attempt was made to improve school behavior of

c h i l d r e n through the combined i n f l uence o f severa l people in t h e i r l i v e s .

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There are three pa r ts to the study which was conducted. The

f i r s t par t o f the s tudy developed a methodology f o r c o l l e c t i n g and com­

b i n i n g data f o r a n a l y s i s o f the r e l a t i o n s h i p between c h i l d r e n ' s percep­

t i ons and f e e l i n g s toward o thers and observa t ions of the c h i l d r e n ' s school

adjustment behav io r . A common research a n a l y s i s procedure would have been

to ask the c h i l d r e n severa l k inds o f ques t ions about t h e i r percept ions

and f e e l i n g s towards o thers and t r ea t these as I nd i v idua l v a r i a b l e s In

a m u l t i p l e - v a r i a b l e a n a l y s i s o f t h e i r r e l a t i o n s h i p to observa t ions of

the c h i l d r e n ' s behav io r . This was not the approach taken. A t h e o r e t i ­

ca l f o rmu la t ion was made of how d i f f e r e n t k inds of percept ions and f e e l ­

ings were combining in s p e c i a l l y weighted ways w i t h fn the c h i l d . . The

data were combined in t h i s formula f o r each c h i l d to produce a score on

which the t h i r t y c h i l d r e n cou ld be rank o rde red . Rank o rder ings . o f

observa t ions of the p o s i t i v e n e s s o f c h i l d r e n ' s r e l a t i o n s w i th teachers

and peers were a l s o ob ta ined . The t h e o r e t i c a l bas is o f the procedures

i s presented in chapter k. The ac tua l procedures and the r e l i a b i l i t y

o f the i ns t rumenta t ion are descr ibed a long w i th the research design in

chapter 5.

The problem being exp lored in the second par t of the study

speaks to the assumption that the c h i l d ' s school adjustment behavior is

determined to a s i g n i f i c a n t degree by the way that h i s percept ions and

f e e l i n g s toward severa l o thers combine w i t h i n him.- Th is was more

e x p l i c i t l y broken down in to two q u e s t i o n s . Does the.average of i n f l u ­

ences o f o thers as reported by the c h i l d r e l a t e s i g n i f i c a n t l y to obser ­

va t ions of h i s behavior? Does the degree of congruence which the c h i l d

pe rce ives among the i n f luences o f o thers r e l a t e s i g n i f i c a n t l y to h i s

behavior? Rank orders of the scores ob ta ined from the manipu la t ions o f

the data are used to t es t these q u e s t i o n s . The r e s u l t s are reported in

chapter 6. I t had been hoped that the data concern ing percep t ions and

f e e l i n g s cou ld be looked at in r e l a t i o n s h i p to the c h i l d r e n ' s rate of

academic achievement. Whi le an attempt was made to do s o , i t was f e l t

that the methodology of hand l ing the achievement data was not adequate to

p rov ide v a l i d conc lus ions about the r e s u l t s . This i s repor ted in the

methodology s e c t i o n of chapter 5.

The t h i r d par t o f t h i s study turns to e v a l u a t i v e quest ions

about the p ro jec t in which i t was c a r r i e d ou t . A major assumption o f

the a c t i o n design o f the p r o j e c t was that severa l persons in a c h i l d ' s

l i f e need be s imu l taneous ly i n f l u e n c i n g him in congruent ways i f he i s

to behave more p o s i t i v e l y . A f u r t he r assumption was that those invo lved

in the a c t i o n design were ope ra t i ng more p o s i t i v e l y in i n f l u e n c i n g the

c h i l d r e n than persons who were not so i n v o l v e d . If the r e l a t i o n s h i p

between percep t ions and behavior were found, then t h i s data cou ld be

used to t es t these assumpt ions. In a d d i t i o n , an exper imental group o f

c h i l d r e n who had been invo lved In the a c t i o n p ro jec t would be expected

to pe rce ive more p o s i t i v e i n f l uence and more congruence among o thers

and consequent ly be observed to behave more p o s i t i v e l y than a c on t ro l

group o f c h i l d r e n who were not so i n v o l v e d . Resu l ts o f t e s t i n g these

e v a l u a t i v e i ssues are presented in chapter 6, A summary, w i th conc lus ions

and i m p l i c a t i o n s f o r f u tu re research and a c t i o n , i s presented in chapter 1.

The Nature o f This Study

There were a number o f reasons why t h i s study was ca r r i ed , out

in the way that i t was. These inc lude e v a l u a t i v e assumptions about how

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c h i l d r e n should behave in s c h o o l , t h e o r e t i c a l assumptions about the

nature of i n te rpe rsona l i n f l uences on i n d i v i d u a l behav io r , and assump­

t ions about the u t i l i t y o f the a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h process in des ign ing

i n tervent i ons to i nf1uence behav io r .

1. E v a l u a t i v e Assumptions About how Ch i l d ren Should Behave in School

The p ro jec t in which t h i s study took p lace developed out o f

the shared concern o f members o f the p u b l i c school system, the l o c a l

mental hea l th cen te r , and the u n i v e r s i t y research team. The pup i l

personnel d i r e c t o r o f the school system asked, "What can we do about

the behavior o f the 1 i n - b e t w e e n e r s 1 - - i . e . , e lementary school c h i l d r e n too

young to be out o f school in any l eg i t ima te c a p a c i t y , but caus ing too

much t roub le f o r the schools to r e a l i s t i c a l l y con ta in them." The under­

l y i n g assumption was that c h i l d r e n should progress academica l l y at a

rate at l e a s t average fo r those of t h e i r a b i l i t y , and that they should

behave p o s i t i v e l y w i th peers and teachers wh i l e in s c h o o l . P r e c i s e

d e f i n i t i o n s o f the c h i l d r e n and the behaviors seen as d e s i r a b l e are

presented in chapter 5. What should be noted here is that the goodness

or badness o f these behaviors f o r the c h i l d r e n in ques t ion or f o r the

school s e t t i n g are not exp lored in t h i s s tudy . What i s exp lo red i s the

r e l a t i o n s h i p between percept ions which these c h i l d r e n had o f o thers and

behaviors which the p r a c t i t i o n e r s des ignated as d e s i r a b l e . Having found

a s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p between those v a r i a b l e s i t was p o s s i b l e to go

on to take an e v a l u a t i v e look at the p ro jec t in which an e f f o r t had been

made to improve those behav io rs .

2 . Theo re t i ca l Assumptions About the Nature o f In terpersona l In f luences

A t h e o r e t i c a l model o f i n te rpersona l r e l a t i o n s h i p s was used to

- 5 -

prov ide g u i d e l i n e s for dec id ing how to handle the data in t h i s s tudy . Although based on r esea rch , the c o n c e p t u a l i z a t i o n of t h i s model r ep re ­sents many assumptions about how v a r i a b l e s which have been found to be i n t e r r e l a t e d are ope ra t i ng in a c i r c u l a r , causal p rocess . The model assumes that a c h i l d ' s percept ions of o thers are i n teg ra ted I n t e r n a l l y and combine w i th h i s i n ten t i ons about r e l a t i n g to o thers in becoming a s i g n i f i c a n t determinant o f h i s behav io r . A review of a number of the research s t ud ies cons idered in deve lop ing t h i s model led to c o n s t r u c t i o n of the ques t i onna i re used in t h i s study to gather data from c h i l d r e n concern ing t h e i r pe rcep t ions and f e e l i n g s toward o t h e r s . Th is review Is p resented In chapter 3- A t h e o r e t i c a l f o rmu la t ion de r i ved from the model was used in combining the data to get a score which i t was hypo­thes i zed would r e l a t e to observa t ions of the c h i l d r e n ' s i n te rpe rsona l behav io r . This f o rmu la t ion i s presented in chapter 4.

3 . Assumptions About the U t i l i t y o f the Ac t ion -Research Process

This study was c a r r i e d out w i t h i n the context o f an a c t i o n -

research p r o j e c t . In going through the steps o f the a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h

p rocess , gu i de l i nes fo r deve lop ing the a c t i o n design o f the p r o j e c t were

der ived from past research and theory . Many assumptions were made

about the a p p l i c a b i l i t y of that research and theory to t h i s f i e l d

s i t u a t i o n . One o f the d e r i v a t i o n s was- that des i r ed behavior o f s o c i o -

emot iona l l y handicapped c h i l d r e n would be more apt to occur i f t h e i r

exper ience in r e l a t i n g w i th s e v e r a l , r a ther than j u s t one or two, pe r ­

sons were changed in c e r t a i n ways. A major assumption under ly ing t h i s

d e r i v a t i o n was that a c h i l d ' s school behavior was a f unc t i on of the

combinat ion o f i n te rpe rsona l r e l a t i o n s h i p s as he exper ienced them.

- 6 -

This study does not d i r e c t l y t es t the u t i l i t y of the a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h p rocess . It does tes t a major assumption made as the process was used in t h i s p r o j e c t . The a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h nature o f the p ro jec t i s desc r ibed in chapter 2 .

I t should be made c l e a r a t t h i s po in t that the d e s i r e was not

s imply to study the r e l a t i o n s h i p between the c h i l d r e n ' s percept ions

and behav io r . It was, more e x p l i c i t l y , to do so in the f i e l d s e t t i n g

and In the context o f the a c t i o n research p r o c e s s . In doing so I t was

hoped that the study might add to the e v a l u a t i o n o f the p ro j ec t as we l l

as c o n t r i b u t e to a be t te r t h e o r e t i c a l understanding of the r e l a t i o n s h i p

o f pe rcep t ions to behav io r . There was a l s o an assumption that whatever

might be l o s t by the f e a s i b i l i t y l i m i t a t i o n s imposed in the f i e l d s i t u ­

a t i on would be o f f s e t by the ga in of e ven tua l l y being ab le to communi­

cate r e s u l t s of a study done in a n a t u r a l , r a ther than a c o n t r i v e d ,

s i t u a t i o n . This assumption represents a va lue p o s i t i o n which was not

tes t ed .

As i t turned ou t , f e a s i b i l i t y i ssues d id make i t imposs ib le

to conduct the study as a c l e a r cut f i e l d exper iment . A l though the

r e l a t i o n s h i p between the c h i l d r e n ' s pe rcep t ions and t h e i r behav ior was

found, major assumptions must be accepted in o rder to take a next s tep

o f us ing t h i s data to look e v a l u a t i v e l y at the a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t

which was under way. This leaves the va lue o f the study in c o n t r i ­

bu t ing to e v a l u a t i o n o f the p ro j ec t in which i t was conducted in ques­

t i o n . At the same t ime, i t does r e s u l t in c o n t r i b u t i n g to knowledge

of how t h i s k ind of research can be conducted f o r e v a l u a t i v e purposes

in the f u t u r e .

CHAPTER 2

THE CONTEXT IN WHICH THE STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT

The study to be reported here was developed and c a r r i e d out

w i t h i n the context o f an a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t . The p ro jec t was f o rma l l y

t i t l e d The F l i n t Schools Experimental Program f o r the Emot iona l l y Handi ­

capped (he rea f te r EPEH). This p ro jec t was c a r r i e d out c o l l a b o r a t i v e l y

by The F l i n t P u b l i c S c h o o l s , and The F l i n t Mental Heal th Center , and the

F l i n t Youth S tudy. Al though t h i s study on ly dea ls w i th s e l e c t e d aspects

o f the EPEH p r o j e c t , a d e s c r i p t i o n of the t o t a l p r o j ec t i s needed to p ro­

v ide an adequate pe rspec t i ve f o r the r a t i o n a l e of the study and the

i m p l i c a t i o n s of i t s r e s u l t s . The d e s c r i p t i o n i s p rov ided in t h i s chap ter .

The term " ac t i on - - r esea rch " r e fe rs to a p rocess . A d e f i n i t i o n o f the

act i on - research process presents the conceptual context w i t h i n which

t h i s study took p l a c e . A d e s c r i p t i o n of EPEH as an i l l u s t r a t i o n o f the

a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h process presents the ope ra t i ona l context w i t h i n which

t h i s study took p l a c e . A dual r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h which

t h i s study attempts to meet, i s cons idered at the conc lus ion of t h i s chap te r .

The Ac t ion -Research Process

S o c i a l s c ience theory attempts to e x p l a i n how and why se l ec ted

behav iora l phenomena occu r . I t proposes the i n te rven ing v a r i a b l e s between

F l i n t , Mi ch i gan

The F l i n t Youth Study was a pa r t o f the I n te r -Cente r Program o f Research on C h i l d r e n , Youth and Family L i f e of the I n s t i t u t e f o r Soc ia l Research, U n i v e r s i t y o f M ich igan , supported by the Nat iona l I n s t i t u t e o f Mental H e a l t h , Grant No. 3M-9109.

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- 8 -

antecedent cond i t i ons and behavi ora1 outcomes. Soci a l sc i ence resea rch

s p e c i f i e s hypotheses about the r e l a t i o n s h i p s o f antecedent c o n d i t i o n s ,

i nte rven\ng v a r i a b l e s and behavi o ra l outcomes. Sc ien t i f i c resea rch i s a

procedure f o r t e s t i n g these hypotheses from theory . The r e s u l t s o f

research are repor ted-as f i n d i n g s which e i t h e r support o r do not support

the t h e o r e t i c a l hypotheses. These f i nd i ngs may be i n t e rp re ted as imply ing

how behav ior might be i n f l u e n c e d . Imp l i ca t ions about how to i n f l uence

behavior may thus be der ived from research f i n d i n g s . Much of the

behav io ra l a c t i on o f human beings seeks to i n f l uence human behav io r . S o c i a l

a c t i on programs, or p r o j e c t s , are g e n e r a l l y de f ined as seek ing to i n f l uence

change in a l i m i t e d sphere o f human behav io r . Eva lua t i on of the r e s u l t s

of s o c i a l a c t i on attempts to demonstrate the r e l a t i o n s h i p between s o c i a l

a c t i o n which occur red and changes in the behav ior of i t s r e c i p i e n t s . Such

changes may be measured in terms of observa t ions of the behavior i t s e l f

or in terms of ma te r ia l outcomes of that behav io r .

F ive k inds o f s o c i a l s c ience a c t i v i t y have been r e fe r red to

in the above paragraph. They are presented in Diagram 1 below.

DIAGRAM 1

FIVE SOCIAL SCIENCE ACTIVITIES

Theor i z i ng - Con due t-i ng Research

Der i v i ng 1mp1icat ions From Research

Fi ndings

Implementing S o c i a l A c t i on

Eva luat ing The Resu l ts

Of S o c i a l Act ion

Each of these a c t i v i t i e s - c a n be c a r r i e d out in a manner which i s r e l a t i v e l y

independent. The t h e o r i z e r may take no involvement in assess ing the

v a l i d i t y o f h i s t h e o r i e s . The s c i e n t i f i c researcher may take a t e c h n i c i a n ' s

approach to t e s t i n g t h e o r e t i c a l hypotheses w i th no i n t e r e s t in f o rmu la t ing

theory h imse l f o r concern f o r i t s imp l i ca t i ons to s o c i a l a c t i o n . Ac t i on

i m p l i c a t i o n s may be seen i n research f i nd i ngs by persons who are not

i nvo lved w i th the t h e o r e t i c a l bas i s o f the r esea rch , the research methodology,

o r the s o c i a l a c t i o n to which the i m p l i c a t i o n cou ld be a p p l i e d . Ac t i on

p r a c t i t i o n e r s may operate w i thout ever being e x p l i c i t about the t h e o r e t i c a l

assumptions of t h e i r b e h a v i o r , . o r being aware o f research f i n d i n g s in t h e i r

f i e l d much less a c o n s i d e r a t i o n of what i m p l i c a t i o n s might be der ived from

those f i n d i n g s . Eva lua to rs of a c t i on can , as i s p o s s i b l e w i th the r esea rche r ,

operate s imply as t e chn i c i ans in determining the behavior o f those i nvo lved

in a c t i o n .

In p r a c t i c e , i t i s u n l i k e l y that these a c t i v i t i e s are o f ten

conducted w i thout the person i nvo lved r e l a t i n g two or three o f them

i m p l i c i t l y at l e a s t . There does t end , however, to be a s p l i t between

those who are p r i m a r i l y i nvo lved in t h e o r i z i n g and conduct ing research

and those who are p r i m a r i l y i nvo lved in conduct ing and e v a l u a t i n g a c t i o n .

There even appears to be a s p l i t between the p r a c t i t i o n e r s who conduct

a c t i o n and those who seek to eva lua te i t . The l a t t e r are in many cases

cons idered to be in a category w i th the t h e o r i z e r s and r esea rche rs . It

may we l l be that the l eas t a t t e n t i o n i s pa id by any to the a c t i v i t y of

d e r i v i n g i m p l i c a t i o n s f o r a c t i o n from research f i n d i n g s .

An a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h p ro jec t is one which seeks to e x p l i c i t l y

r e l a t e the f i v e a c t i v i t i e s o f s o c i a l s c i e n c e . Theor ies are cons idered

- 1 0 -

in r e l a t i o n to research f i nd i ngs which tend to c l a r i f y them. E f f o r t i s

made to de r i ve i m p l i c a t i o n s f o r a c t i on from the f i nd i ngs o f r esea rch .

These research i m p l i c a t i o n s are used as g u i d e l i n e s in des ign ing ac t i on

which has goa ls o f implementing them. Eva lua t i on o f behav io ra l outcomes

is i nc luded as part of the a c t i o n des ign . The a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h process

i s the r e l a t i n g o f the f i v e s o c i a l s c ience a c t i v i t i e s . a s ove r lapp ing

s teps in conduct ing a program of s o c i a l change. The arrows in Diagram 2

below i n d i c a t e the f low of t h i s p rocess .

DIAGRAM 2

THE ACTION-RESEARCH PROCESS (The F ive S o c i a l Sc ience A c t i v i t i e s as Over lapping Steps)

Theo r i z i ng — ^ Conduct ing — ^ De r i v i ng —> Implementing —> Eva lua t i ng Research Imp l i ca t ions S o c i a l Ac t i on The Resu l ts

From Research Of S o c i a l Act ion

The d i a g n o s t i c a c t i v i t y o f d e r i v i n g i m p l i c a t i o n s f o r a c t i o n from

research f i nd i ngs is the s tep in the process which e s p e c i a l l y c h a r a c t e r i z e s

and a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t . Th is d e r i v a t i o n s tep u t i l i z e s the t h e o r e t i c a l l y

based research f i nd i ngs as g u i d e l i n e s f o r a c t i o n . In t h i s p r o c e s s , research

i m p l i c a t i o n s may p rov ide g u i d e l i n e s f o r both the k ind of a c t i o n that is

to be taken and the manner in which the a c t i o n i s to be implemented. These

imp l i ca t i ons i nvo lve d i a g n o s t i c assumptions about the a p p l i c a b i l i t y of the

research f i nd i ngs to a c t i o n f o r change. Hypotheses can be s ta ted about

such assumpt ions. Data can be c o l l e c t e d as pa r t of the a c t i o n design which

- 1 1 -

t e s t s these hypotheses. Resu l ts of ana l yz ing such data produce new

understanding o f how and why ac t i on is opera t ing to b r i ng about change,

or perhaps, why the ac t i on taken does not r e s u l t in some p r e v i o u s l y

expected change. Th is is d i f f e r e n t from e v a l u a t i o n of a c t i o n which

s imply a s c e r t a i n s whether or not change has occu r red . It may a l s o

d i f f e r from research which focuses on the i n i t i a l behav io ra l t heo r i es

which led to f i n d i n g s from which i m p l i c a t i o n s f o r a c t i on were d e r i v e d .

It may con t r i bu te both to i n s i g h t s about b a s i c t heory , and to demonstrat ion

o f ac t i on r e s u l t s . It does so by i n i t i a l l y f ocus ing on the dynamics of

change in the a c t i o n . I t i s thus research about a c t i o n , o r a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h .

The need f o r d e r i v i n g imp l i ca t i ons f o r a c t i on from research

f i n d i n g s and f o r i n v e s t i g a t i n g the assumptions made in the process i s

a l l uded to by Watson in h i s foreword to a c o l l e c t i o n o f research repor ts

in the f i e l d of the s o c i a l psychology o f educat ion (Watson, 1963)• He s t a t e s ,

"Educators come to the study o f s o c i a l psycho logy , bear ing the p r ess i ng

concerns of p r a c t i t i o n e r s . They want to learn how to improve t h e i r way

o f hand l ing i n d i v i d u a l s , committees, boards , c l a s s e s , schoo ls and p u b l i c

o p i n i o n . The e d i t o r s o f t h i s volume have performed a va luab le s e r v i c e

in s e l e c t i n g pe r t i nen t r esea rch , but a communication problem s t i l l

remains. The answers y i e l d e d by . the s t ud ies about s o c i a l c l a s s o r school

desegregat ion on o ther areas do not correspond p r e c i s e l y w i th the problems

faced by a d m i n i s t r a t o r s and t eachers . Educators want to know, f o r

example, how to design a good cu r r i cu lum fo r c h i l d r e n l i v i n g in a slum

ne i ghborhood. Resea rch s tud ies can answer c e r t a \ n ques t ions about c l a s s

d i f f e r e n c e s , but t h e i r r e s u l t s do not add up to any formula fo r cu r r i cu lum

des ign . S c i e n t i s t s can t es t some t heo r i es about p u p i l s and t h e i r s o c i a l

- 1 2 -

backgrounds but cannot p r e s c r i b e any best method o f dea l i ng w i th the

problems a r i s i n g from the d i f f e r e n c e s in p u p i l s ' backgrounds. "

"Some of the d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n that the educators have f e l t

w i th t h e i r courses in psychology a r i s e s from t h e i r adopt ing an approach

based on the wrong e x p e c t a t i o n s . A necessary t r a n s i t i o n s tep from such

courses to on - the - job problem s o l v i n g has o f ten been om i t ted . The

' case method 1 has become popular in the study o f law and bus iness because

i t he lps to supply the m iss ing s t ep . D i scuss ion o f the use leads to

f o rmu la t ion of some assumptions under l y ing the problem and the proposed

l i n e s o f a c t i o n . These assumptions can then be r e l a t ed to f a c tua l

i n v e s t i g a t i o n s . Between the p r a c t i c a l problem and the f i nd i ngs o f

s c i e n t i f i c l a b o r a t o r i e s l i e s the task o f ask ing pe r t i nen t quest ions which

research can answer . "

"The teacher or school adm in i s t r a to r w i l l f i n d the study of

these readings he l p fu l to the extent that he can de r i ve from them a

c r i t i q u e o f the assumptions on which he bases h i s p lan o f o p e r a t i o n s .

I f he can f i r s t ask h i m s e l f , f o r example, what h i s proposed procedures

assume to be t rue about ado lsecents in slum or m i d d l e - c l a s s or upper-

c l a s s a r e a s , then he may we l l f i n d the s t ud ies inc luded here w i l l

con f i rm or cha l lenge h i s p o s t u l a t e s . The a v a i l a b l e research w i l l not

te l1 him what to do o r what not to do, but i t w i l l he lp him bu i Id h i s

program upon sound conceptual foundat ions

EPEH as an I l l u s t r a t i o n of the Ac t ion -Research Process

EPEH developed as an a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h p ro jec t of The F l i n t

Youth Study which was a par t o f the In te r -Center Program f o r Research

on C h i l d r e n , Youth and Family L i f e o f the I n s t i t u t e f o r S o c i a l Research,

- 1 3 -

U n i v e r s i t y of M ich igan . The F l i n t Youth Study had purposes o f conduct ing r esea rch , r e l a t i n g research f i nd i ngs to community-based a c t i o n , and p rov id ing educat ion and t r a i n i n g to both researchers and p r a c t i t i o n e r s . It was c a r r i e d out as a coopera t i ve venture between the I n s t i t u t e f o r S o c i a l Research and members of the F l i n t community in va r ious ro les concerned w i th youth s o c i a l i z a t i o n (FYS Annual Repor t , 1962).

In g e n e r a l , The F l i n t Youth Study was concerned w i th youth

s o c i a l i z a t i o n processes in the community o f F l i n t . Th is i nvo lved p a r t i c u l a r

concern w i th p rocesses which cou ld be i d e n t i f i e d as i n f l u e n c i n g de l inquent

or dev iant pa t te rns o f youth development and pa t te rns de f ined as d e s i r a b l e .

Along w i th awareness o f e x p l i c i t t heor ies of youth s o c i a l i z a t i o n which

members o f the F l i n t Youth Study brought to t h e i r r o l e s , a p a r t i c u l a r e f f o r t

was made w i t h i n the I n te r -Cen te r program of rev iewing and r epo r t i ng t heo r i es

o f de l inquency ( L i p p i t t , Wi they, Mo les , 1959)•

A v a r i e t y o f research s t ud ies were c a r r i e d out by the F l i n t Youth

Study and o ther I n te r -Cen te r Program s tud ies concerned w i th hypotheses from

t heo r ies o f youth s o c i a l i z a t i o n and community processes presumed to

c o n t r i b u t e to youth s o c i a l i z a t i o n (Winter , H a l s t e d , ]961). Some o f these

w i l l be cons idered in the next chap ter . A number o f procedures were

undertaken in r epo r t i ng these f i nd i ngs back to y ou th - se rv i ng p r a c t i t i o n e r s

in the community (Simberg, 1962; Jung, 1964).

Community p r a c t i t i o n e r s met w i th s t a f f o f the F l i n t Youth Study

to i d e n t i f y p r i o r i t y concerns in youth s o c i a l i z a t i o n and cons ider p o s s i b l e

ac t i on innovat ions which might be experimented w i th to meet them. The

f i r s t such concern which was accepted f o r exper imenta t ion was that o f

dea l i ng w i th " i n - b e t w e e n e r s , " i . e . , e lementary school c h i l d r e n too young

- 1 4 -

to be out of school in any l e g i t i m a t e c a p a c i t y , but caus ing too much

d i f f i c u l t y in the school s e t t i n g f o r i t s cur rent resources to con ta in them.

Th is exper imental p ro jec t was j o i n t l y undertaken by The F l i n t Youth S tudy ,

the F l i n t Board o f Educa t i on , and the F l i n t Mental Heal th C l i n i c . I t became

des ignated the F l i n t Schools Exper imental Program f o r the Emot iona l l y

Handicapped (EPEH) (Jung, 1962).

A key s tep in developing the EPEH a c t i o n design which was

e v e n t u a l l y c a r r i e d out was that o f rev iewing research f i nd i ngs f o r the

purpose of d e r i v i n g i m p l i c a t i o n s f o r a c t i o n . Th is task was c a r r i e d out

by a group o f F l i n t Youth Study s o c i a l s c i e n t i s t s who had both research

and p r a c t i t i o n e r expe r i ence . A statement o f the research f i nd i ngs and

the i m p l i c a t i o n s de r i ved from them which were used in the program f o l l o w s :

Research F ind ings and Imp l i ca t ions Der ived from Them f o r EPEH

1. F i n d i n g : The regu la r teacher i s pe rce ived more n e g a t i v e l y

by boys who l a t e r become de l inquent than by matched boys w i th

i d e n t i c a l I .Q. , who d id not get i n to t r o u b l e .

Poss i b le Imp1i c a t i on : The program should p rov ide an oppor tun i t y

to work toward a p o s i t i v e r e l a t i o n s h i p w i th a t eacher , and to

work d i r e c t l y on r e l a t i o n s w i th o ther r egu la r t eache rs .

2 . Fi nd ing : The s o c i a l l y handicapped pup i l has o f ten g iven up

asp i rat i ons of competence in h i s s t udi es and, the re fo re ,

r e j ec t s the value o f becoming success fu l in school work.

Poss i b l e Imp1i cat i o n : Remedial work w i l l be r e jec ted as

meaningful u n t i l there are changes in va lues about s e l f and

personal c r i t e r i a o f competence.

P o s s i b l e Imp1 ica t ion : Success fu l exper ience w i th the d i s c i p l i n e

o f l ea rn ing should probably s t a r t w i th p r o j e c t - o r i e n t e d l ea rn ing

expe r iences .

- 1 5 -

3. F i n d i n g : The s tudents in the c lassroom are c r u c i a l de f i ne r s o f what competencies and behaviors are accepted and rewarded. F i n d i n g : The s o c i a l l y handicapped c h i l d r e n tend to be r e jec ted and fee l r e j ec ted by the " p r e - s c h o o l " and " p r e - t e a c h e r " peers and form an " a n t i - t e a c h e r , " " a n t i - s c h o o l " sub-group.

Poss ib1e Imp1i cat i on : Acceptance by, and i n t eg ra t i on i n t o , the

s o c i a l i z e d peer c u l t u r e must be a major o b j e c t i v e ; e s p e c i a l l y

through work w i th c h i l d l eade rs .

P o s s i b l e 1mp1icat ion: I nd iv idua l va lues and norms of a pup i l

can best be mod i f ied through the guided i n f l uence of " p r o - t e a c h e r , "

" p r o - s c h o o l " pee rs .

4. F i n d i n g : In r e l a t i o n s h i p w i th h is pa ren t s , the s o c i a l l y hand i ­

capped c h i l d has less i n t e r a c t i o n and more negat ive a t t i t u d e s ,

w i th f a t he r ro le most po ten t , than o ther c h i l d r e n and these

a t t i t u d e s are r ec ip roca ted by pa ren ts .

F i n d i n g : The underach iev ing c h i l d sees that h i s parents w •

have less i n t e r e s t in h i s 1i fe at school and h i s s tandards o f

work and l ea rn ing than the parents o f o ther c h i l d r e n .

Poss i b1e Imp1i cat i on : The program should inc lude d i r e c t work

w i th parents on r e l a t i o n s w i th t h e i r c h i l d r e n and the s c h o o l ,

and a l s o work w i th p u p i l s on r e l a t i o n s w i th pa ren ts . I f f e a s i b l e ,

the parents should have d i r e c t contact w i th the school program.

5. F i n d i n g : The s o c i a l l y handicapped c h i l d pe rce ives h imse l f as

r e jec ted and looked down upon by p o l i c e , r ec rea t i on l e a d e r s ,

and o ther community adu l t f i g u r e s .

Poss i b1e Impli cat i on : The program should i nc lude d i r e c t contac t w i th

community and school personages that i s p lanned and reward ing.

- 1 6 -

6. F i n d i n g : The s o c i a l l y handicapped c h i l d t y p i c a l l y gives- the f a l s e impression of b a s i c low capac i t y because of depr ived c u l t u r a l background, low language f a c i l i t y , peer s o c i a l s k i l l s , low mot iva t ion to per form, and r e j e c t i o n of s e l f as adequate. P o s s i b l e Imp1icat i o n : I n t e res t i ng p ro j ec t s should be designed to p rov ide oppo r t un i t i e s f o r b a s i c s k i l l p r a c t i c e , and f o r s uccess fu l exper ience to r e -eva lua te s e l f .

7- Fi ndi ng: There tends to be very l i t t l e t r a n s f e r o f human

r e l a t i o n l e a r n i n g s , s c h o l a r s h i p and a t t i t u d e s from the t r a i n i n g

s e t t i n g to o ther c lassrooms unless t r a n s f e r is d i r e c t l y worked

on , and con t i nu ing o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r p r a c t i c e are o f f e r e d .

Poss i b1e Impli cat i o n : The chances o f a f f e c t i n g the c h i l d ' s

t o t a l school l i f e are g rea te r i f he i s not i s o l a t e d in a

s p e c i a l t r a i n i n g s e t t i n g , but cont inues r e l a t i o n s in the

regu la r school s e t t i n g s . Work on r e l a t i o n s in the regu lar

school s e t t i n g s should be a par t of the s p e c i a l t r a i n i n g

program.

8. F i n d i n g : The va r ious sources of i n f l uence on the i n d i v i d u a l ' s

wor1d are in terdependent , e . g . , teachers , peers , p a ren t s ,

and o ther re ference groups.

Poss i b l e I mpl i cat iory Change in the c h i l d can best be e f f e c t e d

by s imultaneous " m u l t i p l e e n t r y " through the d i f f e r e n t sources

o f i n f l u e n c e . A " s i n g l e e n t r y " e f f o r t o f ten has the negat ive

e f f e c t of m o b i l i z i n g r e s i s t ance and r e j e c t i o n in o ther a reas .

The ac t i on design of EPEH was c reated to meet goals o f imple­

menting the research i m p l i c a t i o n s tha t had been de r i ved . The a c t i o n design

- 1 7 -

inc luded four major program areas p lus r e l a t ed a d m i n i s t r a t i v e , supe rv i so ry

and research p rocedures . The r e l a t i o n s h i p that was conceived as lead ing

from the research i m p l i c a t i o n s to par ts o f the a c t i on des ign which was

developed is i l l u s t r a t e d in Diagram 3 as f o l l o w s :

- 1 8 -

DI AG RAM 3

RELATIONS BETWEEN RESEARCH IMPLICATIONS AND THE ACTION DESIGN

(1) Need to exper ience a p o s i t i v e r e l a t i o n s h i p w i th a teacher (A,C) \ ,

(2) Change in va lues of s e l f andV^ o f competence need precede acceptance o f school s u b j e c t s . \ V (A ,B,C,D) \ V \

(3) P ro jec t o r i en ted school ex - V \ per iences are most l i k e l y t o ' \ \ p rov ide necessary success in \ i n i t i a l approach w i th academic V work. \ \ ,

(A,D) \ A (h) Need acceptance by, and \ / /

i n t e g r a t i o n i n t o , the sociat 'X / ized peer c u l t u r e . \ V (B,D) X \

(5) I nd i v idua l va lues and n o r m s / \ / a re best mod i f ied by p re - / X t eacher , p re -schoo l p e e r s . / / (B,D) J<

(6) Work w i th parents on r e l a - / / t i ons w i th t h e i r c h i l d r e n a n d ' / the school should r e s u l t in / improved school adjustment / of ch i Id . /

(7) Work w i th c h i l d on r e l a t i o n s w i th pa rents shou1d improve school ad justment . (B)

(8) Rewarding con tac ts w i th community ' a u t h o r i t y f i g u r e s should y i e l d I

improved school ad justment . / (D) /

(9) I n te res t i ng p ro j ec t s need be / p ianned p rov id i ng bas i c s k i l l / / p r a c t i c e and success exper ience f f o r s e l f r e - e v a l u a t i o n . / (A,5) /

(10) Con t i nu i t y to r egu la r s c h o o l / program should be ma in ta ined . (E)

(11) M u l t i p l e - e n t r y approach of programming in severa l areas should be a p p l i e d . ( A , B , C , D , E , F , G , H )

(A) Spec ia l Classroom / - 8 " i n -be tweener " c h i l d r e n / together f o r a ha l f a day I - focus on academic funda-/ mentals and behav iora l / i n t e rac t ion / - weekly t r a i n i n g consu l tan t I f o r teacher

((B) V i s i t i n g Teacher / - meets weekly w i th each c h i l d

/ - meets weekly w i th parents ' of c h i l d

^C) Regular Classroom Human Relat ions Tra i n i ng .

- consu l tan t -demonst ra to r works in c lassroom

- teachers and consu l tan t meet weekly as a resource team to each o ther on problem s o l v i n g and deve lop ing c lassroom innovat ions

^D) A f t e r School A c t i v i t i e s Clubs / - " i n -be tweener " c h i l d r e n

u w i th w e l l - a d j u s t e d peers ' - consu l tan t -demonst ra to r

leads some c lubs - consu l tan t meets weekly w i th

adu1t 1eader

XE) C h i l d in regu la r school program ha l f day

(F) Case Conferences - semi-monthly f o r i nvo lved

school s t a f f and c l i n i c i a n s

(G) P o l i c y Committee Meetings - annual meeting f o r e v a l u a ­

t i v e r epo r t i ng and p o l i c y rev iew

(H) Eva lua t ion Team - a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h team r e l a t e s

to program personnel concern ing data c o l l e c t i o n

- conducts data a n a l y s i s and repor ts r e s u l t s

- 1 9 -

Operat ion o f the S o c i a l Adjustment Room

E igh t c h i l d r e n were inc luded in the S o c i a l Adjustment Room

dur ing i t s f i r s t semester o f o p e r a t i o n . A s p e c i a l teacher was p rov ided

f o r the S o c i a l Adjustment Room. Th is teacher was working towards s t a t e

c e r t i f i c a t i o n as a teacher o f the emo t i ona l l y handicapped. She had a

v a r i e t y o f r e s p o n s i b i 1 i t i e s which inc luded the f o l l o w i n g : She worked

w i th the t o t a l group in the S o c i a l Adjustment Room dur ing the morning..

She was a v a i l a b l e to work w i th i n d i v i d u a l c h i l d r e n dur ing the a f ternoon

as needed. She worked c l o s e l y w i th the v i s i t i n g t eacher , who saw the

c h i l d r e n i n d i v i d u a l l y , as needed, and who met w i th t h e i r parents once

a week to consu l t on the c h i l d r e n ' s school adjustment in g e n e r a l . She

met o c c a s i o n a l l y w i th parents to d i scuss the c h i l d r e n ' s academic p rog ress .

She f i l l e d out d a i l y behav io ra l c h e c k l i s t s and anecdotal repor ts f o r

eventual use in d e s c r i b i n g and e va l ua t i ng the program. She met on a

regu la r weekly bas i s w i th o ther school s t a f f who r e l a ted w i th the c h i l d r e n

to work out coord ina ted e f f o r t s and develop innovat ions in improving

regu la r c lassroom human r e l a t i o n s ' e xpe r i ences . She met weekly w i th The

F l i n t Youth Study consu l tan t to ga in i n - s e r v i c e t r a i n i n g in dea l i ng w i th

problems of behav io ra l understanding and management. These focused

p r i m a r i l y on use o f group techniques and use o f the L i f e Space In te rv iewing

techniques as developed by Dr. F r i t z R e d l . ( R e d l , 1959) .

The t o t a l group spent the morning o f each school day in the

S o c i a l Adjustment Room. Each c h i l d j o i n e d h i s regu la r c lassroom group

dur ing the a f te rnoon . If a c h i l d was having behav io ra l d i f f i c u l t y

dur ing the a f t e rnoon , i t was p o s s i b l e f o r him to return to the S o c i a l

Adjustment Room where the s p e c i a l teacher was a v a i l a b l e to work w i th

-20-

him in whatever manner seemed most a p p r o p r i a t e . At t i m e s , t h i s a l lowed

a c h i l d oppor tun i t y to p ro tec t h imse l f from emotional demands that he

had not c u r r e n t l y been capable o f dea l i ng w i t h . The oppor tun i t y to

thus r e t rea t avoided a d i s r u p t i v e ou tburs t in the regu la r c lass room.

At o ther t imes t h i s a l lowed the regu la r c lassroom teacher to remove

the c h i l d dur ing a d i s r u p t i v e ou tburs t in a manner which communicated

the school s t a f f ' s concern f o r the c h i l d ra ther than s imply a p u n i t i v e

r e j e c t i o n . The s p e c i a l teacher was f requen t l y ab le to r e f l e c t w i th a c h i l d

on the r e a l i t y demands of the school s e t t i n g in such i n s tances . Ch i l d ren

were sometimes a l lowed to r e j o i n t h e i r r egu la r c lassroom group f o r par t

o f the morning. This enabled them to be i nc luded in s p e c i a l e ven ts ,

and i t enabled them to begin to face the issues of t r a n s i t i o n from

i n c l u s i o n in the S o c i a l Adjustment Room back to the r egu la r school

program.

In o rder to he lp the emot iona l l y handicapped c h i l d pe rce i ve

the demands o f the school s e t t i n g more r e a l i s t i c a l l y and be ab le to

respond to them more adequate ly , i t was necessary that a c l ose working

r e l a t i o n s h i p be mainta ined between the s p e c i a l teacher and the res t

of the school s t a f f . The S o c i a l Adjustment Room was under the d i r e c t

a d m i n i s t r a t i v e con t ro l of the p r i n c i p a l . It was necessary that he be

aware o f and approve the a c t i v i t i e s o f the program. His a c t i v e awareness

made i t p o s s i b l e f o r him to f a c i l i t a t e coopera t i ve e f f o r t s o f a l l the

s t a f f in working as a team to c rea te a school environment in which these

c h i l d r e n cou ld work toward a be t t e r adjustment.

The s p e c i a l teacher used a v a r i e t y o f academic and s o c i a l

adjustment p rocedures. She developed a b a s i c o r i e n t a t i o n - o f a t tempt ing

-21-

to understand the meaning o f each c h i l d ' s behav io r . Th is helped her to

be ab le to react to i t in a manner which best he lped the c h i l d respond

c o n s t r u c t i v e l y to the demands o f the school s i t u a t i o n . For example, i f

a c h i l d s a i d he would not do h i s a r i t h m e t i c ass ignment, he might s imply

be t e s t i n g the r e a l i t y demands o f the c lassroom s i t u a t i o n at the moment.

I f such were the case , i t might be most he l p fu l f o r the teacher to t e l l

him d i r e c t l y that he must do the work now or he would have to do i t

l a t e r dur ing f ree t ime, or a f t e r s c h o o l .

On the o ther hand, the c h i l d may have refused to do h i s work

because he was momentari ly anxious and upset . There cou ld be many

reasons f o r t h i s . Someone at home that morning might have t o l d him he

was c a r e l e s s and would never amount to any th ing . He might have a t e s t

coming up in h i s regu la r c lassroom that a f te rnoon . If he were very

anxious and upset f o r t h i s l a t t e r k ind o f reason, s imply demanding

that he do h i s work would probably be o f no help to him. It would on ly

make him more anxious and less ab le to per form. In such a case the

teacher might be most he l p fu l by l e t t i n g him know that she was aware

and acceptant of h i s anxious s t a t e , and that she was a v a i l a b l e to he lp

him when he was ready to be helped and cou ld l e t her know what so r t o f

he lp he needed.

The teacher sought to be cons i s t en t in the meaning that her

behav ior had fo r the c h i l d r e n . As j u s t i l l u s t r a t e d , t h i s d id not mean

that she always reacted to s i m i l a r s i t u a t i o n s w i th a se t k i nd o f behav io r .

Her ac tua l behav ior had to be f l e x i b l e in order f o r i t s meaning to the

c h i l d to be c o n s i s t e n t . The k inds of meaning she sought to convey were

that she l i k e d and cared about the c h i l d , that she demanded the best

behav ior he was capable of at any g iven t ime, that she accepted the

-22-

f ac t that he was capable o f be t t e r behav ior at some t imes than at o t h e r s , that she would p rov ide ex te rna l con t ro l s f o r h i s behavior i f necessa ry , that she was always des i rous of he lp ing him w i th h i s academic and behav io ra l ad justment , and that the reasons f o r the th ings she d id were because she l i k e d him and wished to be o f he lp to him.

I t i s not meant to be imp l ied here that the teacher was ove r l y

pe rmiss ive about r e a l i t y demands o f the c lassroom s e t t i n g . It was thought

to be important that the c h i l d r e a l i z e c e r t a i n behaviors led to s p e c i f i c

consequences. For example, ea t i ng candy always r esu l t ed in the candy being

taken away. It was gene ra l l y returned to the c h i l d at the end o f the

school day. A r egu la r r ou t ine o f a c t i v i t i e s f o r the morning was cons idered

important and there was seldom d e v i a t i o n from i t . The need f o r cons is tency

in rou t ine and in consequences f o r some types o f c h i l d behav ior needs

to be d i f f e r e n t i a t e d from the need f o r the teacher to be f l e x i b l e in some

areas o f her behav ior so as to convey a c o n s i s t e n t meaning to the c h i l d r e n .

The f o l l o w i n g i nd i ca tes some of the academic and s o c i a l

adjustment procedures used by the t eacher .

The reading and a r i t h m e t i c achievement l e v e l s o f the c h i l d r e n

va r i ed w ide ly w i th l i t t l e r e l a t i o n s h i p to t h e i r formal grade placement

in s c h o o l . Not on ly d id they vary between c h i l d r e n , they a l so v a r i e d

w i t h i n a c h i l d . Th is c a l l e d f o r d a i l y , i n d i v i d u a l lesson p l ans .

Psychq log i ca l t e s t i n g had i nd i ca ted extreme i n s e c u r i t y in most of the

c h i l d r e n in r e l a t i o n to most academic t a s k s . The teacher co r respond ing ly

s t a r t e d t h e i r assignments on a l eve l where she was con f ident o f t h e i r

a b i l i t y to succeed. Her i n i t i a l goal was to b u i l d each c h i l d ' s conf idence

in h i s academic s e l f - i m a g e ra ther than a goal o f immediately r a i s i n g

the i r testable achievement l e v e l .

-23-

Not on ly the l eve l o f d i f f i c u l t y of ass ignments , but a l s o the

length o f assignments had to be c a r e f u l l y cons ide red . The a t t e n t i o n span

and f r u s t r a t i o n t o l e rance of most of the c h i l d r e n was very shor t at

f i r s t . Repeated exper ience of success in complet ing an assignment tended

to lengthen them. E v e n t u a l l y , conf idence reached a l eve l where a s s i g n ­

ments cou ld be lengthened and made more d i f f i c u l t . At t h i s po in t i t began

to be p o s s i b l e f o r a c h i l d to accept the t eache r ' s e f f o r t s t o -he lp him not

on ly complete the work, but a l s o to co r rec t i t .

The development of conf idence in the c h i l d ' s s e l f - image as a

l ea rne r was a ided by the nature of the feedback that he got regard ing h i s

academic accompl ishments. The teacher kept posted char ts on which she

l i s t e d d a i l y , the amount of ma te r ia l covered by each c h i l d in each s u b j e c t .

This helped the c h i l d to be c o n t i n u a l l y aware o f h i s past accomplishment

as a support to h i s being ab le to take the next s t e p . Work was broken

down in to smal l s teps so that he rece ived acknowledged c r e d i t f o r the

sma l l es t achievement. The fac t that he read a page was acknowledged,

ra ther than w i t hho ld i ng acknowledgement u n t i l he had read a chapter or

a book.

Exper ience o f success in the school room s e t t i n g was f u r t h e r

con t r i bu ted to by i n vo l v i ng the c h i l d r e n in a r t s and c r a f t s p r o j e c t s .

In o rder f o r these to p rov ide meaningful success e xpe r i ence , the teacher

f e l t i t important to t r y them f i r s t h e r s e l f in o rder to assess t h e i r l eve l

o f d i f f i c u l t y . To be of va lue they needed to p rov ide some cha l lenge to

the c h i l d so that he cou ld l earn to cope w i th f r u s t r a t i o n . They needed

to be s imple so that they cou ld be completed s u c c e s s f u l l y enough and

speed i l y enough to p rov ide g r a t i f i c a t i o n . It sometimes proved h e l p f u l to

- 24 -

be ab le to r e l a t e the more academica l l y o r i e n t e d tasks to a r t s and c r a f t s p ro j ec t s so as to combine exper iences of s uccess fu l accomplishment.

There were occas ions when an e s p e c i a l l y he l p fu l procedure was that

o f suppor t ing c h i l d r e n to ac t as academic he lpers to each o the r . Th is

appeared to have severa l advantages. It o f ten a l lowed more c h i l d r e n to

be g e t t i n g help than would have been p o s s i b l e i f the teacher were the on ly

he lpe r . More impo r tan t l y , i t c on t r i bu ted to the he lp ing c h i l d ' s s e l f - i m a g e

as one o f being academica l l y competent. It a l s o helped him be t t e r accept

h i s own d i f f i c u l t i e s in l ea rn ing as being remediable when he cou ld

r e a l i z e that o thers have s i m i l a r d i f f i c u l t y . Th is a ided the c h i l d being

helped as he came to r e a l i z e that o thers cou ld accept and support h i s

need fo r help ra ther than see ing him as b a s i c a l l y inadequate because o f i t .

Th is procedure supported development of a group norm of l ea rn i ng

and he lp i ng each o the r learn ra ther than each c h i l d f e e l i n g that h i s

s t r u g g l e w i th l ea rn ing was something unique between h imse l f and the

teacher . The teacher c a r r i e d t h i s to the po in t of o c c a s i o n a l l y having

a pe r iod dur ing the morning when one c h i l d acted as teacher in p resen t ing

and e x p l a i n i n g an academic task to the group. A f u r t h e r advantage o f

the procedure seemed to be that i t helped the c h i l d r e n to be t t e r under­

stand and accept the ro le of the t eacher . It he lped them r e a l i z e that

the t e a c h e r ' s behavior which they had sometimes m i s i n t e r p r e t e d was

r e a l l y an e f f o r t to be of. he lp to them.

One of the major procedures used to help the c h i l d r e n improve

t h e i r s o c i a l adjustment in the ca lssroom s e t t i n g was that o f suppor t ing

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the c h i l d r e n in he lp ing each o the r . Th is was j u s t d i scussed above in r e l a t i o n to t h e i r p r ov i d i ng academic help f o r each o the r . They were a l s o supported on p r o v i d i n g s o c i a l and emot ional he lp f o r each o t h e r . The teacher f r equen t l y spoke openly w i th a c h i l d in f r on t of the group about her concern f o r h i s f ee l i -ngs . She spoke openly w i th the group about the apparent e f f e c t s of h i s behav ior on them and the e f f e c t s o f t h e i r behavior on h im. By promoting group d i s c u s s i o n about behav io r , the teacher made i t l e g i t i m a t e f o r the c h i l d r e n to f r e e l y express t h e i r f e e l i n g s towards one another so that they could have the opportunity to l earn o f the e f f e c t s that behav ior has on o thers and co r rec t each o t h e r ' s d i s t o r t e d i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s of behav io r . As the c h i l d r e n began to be ab le to i d e n t i f y the meaning of some of t h e i r behavior in r e l a t i o n to the e f f e c t s that they had on each o t h e r , and as they began to r e a l i z e and accept o t h e r ' s negat ive behavior as a s i gn of d i s t r e s s ra ther than a p e r s o n a l l y d e s t r u c t i v e ac t d i r e c t e d at themselves, they began to be ab le to o f f e r each o ther support and acceptance ra ther than r e t a l i a t i o n and r e j e c t i o n .

Another procedure i nvo lved the technique used by the teacher

to help the c h i l d r e n l earn from t h e i r on-going exper ience in the c lass room.

This was the technique of the L i f e Space In te rv iew. In the L i f e Space

In terv iew the teacher r e f l e c t s w i th the c h i l d or the group about the

meaning o f some behav ior which has j u s t been t ak ing p l a c e . Th is was the

technique used in he lp ing the c h i l d r e n to become aware o f ways tha t they

cou ld help each o the r . Two types o f purposes o f the L i f e Space In terv iew

are to p rov ide emot ional support and to promote increased r e a l i t y aware­

ness and react i veness.

-26-

Opportun i ty f o r exper iences that improved the c h i l d ' s s o c i a l

adjustment in the school s e t t i n g were f u r t he r enhanced by the coopera t i ve

e f f o r t s of the regu la r c lassroom teachers and the community school d i r e c t o r .

The t r a n s i t i o n which the c h i l d faced each day in going from the S o c i a l

Adjustment Room back to h i s regu la r c lassroom group p rov ided cont inuous

oppor tun i t y f o r him to re -exp lore and re -de f ine h i s pe rcep t ion of t eache rs ,

c l assma tes , and h i s own r o le in s c h o o l .

A c h i l d might f ee l that a l l teachers de-valued h i s worth as

a learner. As the procedures of the Social Adjustment Room helped him

r e a l i z e that the s p e c i a l teacher did va lue him at the same time that

she behaved in many ways as did h is r egu la r t eacher , he had to begin r e ­

examining h i s negat ive pe rcep t ion of the regu la r t eacher . A c h i l d might

have f e l t that he was completely r e j e c t e d , and un j us t l y so, by h i s peers .

As the procedures of the S o c i a l Adjustment Room helped him r e a l i z e that

h i s peers there did not r e jec t him comp le te ly , and that they had good

reason f o r w i sh ing to r e j ec t some of h i s behav io r , he cou ld begin to

re-assess h i s pe rcep t ion of peers in o ther s e t t i n g s .

The regu la r teachers were ab le to a id t h i s re-assessment by

deve lop ing innovat ions in improving human r e l a t i o n s exper iences in t h e i r

c lass rooms. The community school d i r e c t o r was ab le to f u r t h e r a i d t h i s

.re-assessment by p r o v i d i n g human r e l a t i o n s t r a i n i n g exper iences in a f t e r

school a c t i v i t i e s c l u b s . Communication between the s p e c i a l t eache r , the

regu la r t eache rs , and the community school d i r e c t o r helped them to make

t h e i r e f f o r t s c o n s i s t e n t w i th each o the r .

-27-

Eva lua t ion of The S o c i a l Adjustment Room Program

C l i n c i a n s rated psycho log i ca l t e s t data of each c h i l d which

was c o l l e c t e d p r i o r to t h e i r i n c l u s i o n in the program and again a f t e r

they had been in the program f o r a pe r i od of three semesters . S i x o f

the seven c h i l d r e n who remained in the program f o r t h i s pe r i od were rated

as having shown some improvement.

S tan ford Academic Achievement Tests were admin is tered before

i n c l u s i o n in the program and again at the end of a year and a h a l f . The

average annual ra te of progress in academic achievement was c a l c u l a t e d

f o r each c h i l d up to the po in t of h i s i n c l u s i o n in the S o c i a l Adjustment

Room. The average annual rate o f academic achievement was a l s o c a l c u l a t e d

f o r the year and a h a l f pe r iod that he was in the S o c i a l Adjustment Room.

Four of the seven c h i l d r e n showed an i nc rease in t h e i r ra te o f academic

progress as determined, by these measures.

The -spec ia l teacher f i l l e d in a behav io ra l c h e c k l i s t of her

d a i l y observa t ions o f each c h i l d in the S o c i a l Adjustment Room. There

were severa l items that cou ld be checked under each of s i x c a t e ­

gor ies of behav io r . The s i x ca tegor ies inc lude i n t e g r a t i v e types o f

behavior d i r e c t e d toward pee rs , s e l f , and t eacher , and d i s i n t e g r a t i v e

behavior d i r e c t e d towards pee rs , s e l f , and teacher . Comparing n ine

weeks o f the f i r s t sp r ing semester o f the program's ope ra t i on w i th n ine

weeks of the sp r ing semester of the f o l l o w i n g year y i e l d e d r e s u l t s p re ­

sented in Diagram k.

It may be seen t h a t , accord ing to the s p e c i a l t eache r ' s

d a i l y observa t ions o f the c h i l d r e n ' s behav io r , i n t e g r a t i v e behav ior

d i r e c t e d towards peers decreased f o r a l l but one c h i l d . It should be. noted

that t h i s decrease seemed p a r t i a l l y due to an o v e r a l l decrease in peer

i n te rac t i on .

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DIAGRAM k

RESULTS OF DAILY OBSERVATIONS OF CHILDREN'S SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT ROOM BEHAVIOR

C h i l d Peer Peer S e l f S e l f Teacher Teacher Number In t . D i s i n t . In t . D i s i n t . In t . D i s i n t .

1 • + + + + + +

2 + + + +

3 + + + + +

k o

5 - + + + + +

6 - - + + + +

7 - o - o

+ i nd i ca tes improvement, i . e . , i n t e g r a t i v e behav ior i n c reased , or d i s i n t e g r a t i v e behavior decreased.

- i n d i ca tes the o p p o s i t e , i . e . , i n t e g r a t i v e behav ior decreased, or d i s i n t e g r a t i v e behav ior i nc reased .

o i nd i ca tes that there, was no change.

-29-

There appears to have been general improvement in the behav ior of f i v e o f the seven c h i l d r e n . Beahvior became worse f o r the two c h i l d r e n numbered above as 4 and 7- C h i l d number h i s a boy whose behav ior was ext remely p o s i t i v e in a l l ca tegor ies dur ing the f i r s t s p r i ng p e r i o d . Though i t decreased in p o s i t i v e n e s s in f i v e o f the s i x ca tego r ies to approach the norm of behav ior o f the o ther c h i l d r e n in the S o c i a l Adjustment Room, i t remained comparat ive ly p o s i t i v e . The behav ior of c h i l d number 7 became worse in four c a t e g o r i e s . Th is was the one c h i l d in the group f o r whom the c l i n i c i a n s f e l t an i nc rease of d i s r u p t i v e a c t i ng -ou t behav ior represented a necessary s tage of emotional p rog ress .

-30-

O p e r a t i o n o f t h e V i s i t i n g T e a c h e r P r o g r a m

The v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r a t t e m p t e d t o meet w i t h t h e p a r e n t s o f t h e

c h i l d r e n i n t h e S o c i a l A d j u s t m e n t Room on a r e g u l a r b a s i s . D u r i n g t h e f i r s t

s e m e s t e r o p e r a t i o n o f t h e p r o g r a m , some p a r e n t s were seen on a w e e k l y b a s i s .

O t h e r s were seen l e s s o f t e n . T h r e e o f t h e c h i l d r e n d i d n o t have f a t h e r s

i n t h e home. Two o f t h e r e m a i n i n g f i v e f a t h e r s r e f u s e d i n v o l v e m e n t . The

v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r a t t e m p t e d t o a r r a n g e a r e g u l a r s c h e d u l e o f m e e t i n g s a t

t h e s c h o o l . T h i s d i d n o t work w e l l . She changed h e r a p p r o a c h t o i n c l u d e

making home v i s i t s and a c c e p t i n g a p p o i n t m e n t s i n t h e a f t e r n o o n o r

e v e n i n g s i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h p a r e n t s ' r e q u e s t s o r s i t u a t i o n a l demands

o f t h e c h i l d ' s c u r r e n t s c h o o l b e h a v i o r . The v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r r e p o r t e d

f e e l i n g i t " a b s o l u t e l y n e c e s s a r y " t o make h e r a v a i l a b i l i t y t o t h e s e

p a r e n t s as f l e x i b l e as p o s s i b l e .

The v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r met w i t h c h i l d r e n as t h e need and o p p o r t u n i t y

t o do s o a r o s e . She met w i t h e a c h o f them i n i t i a l l y t o l e t them know o f

h e r i n t e r e s t i n them r e l a t i v e t o t h e i r s c h o o l e x p e r i e n c e and o f h e r a v a i l ­

a b i l i t y t o t a l k w i t h them a b o u t i t . She e v e n t u a l l y met w i t h some on a w e e k l y

b a s i s and w i t h o t h e r s i r r e g u l a r l y , d e p e n d e n t on h e r p e r c e p t i o n o f need

and a p p r o p r i a t e n e s s . She was a v a i l a b l e t o any o f them i n t h e b u i l d i n g d u r i n g

s c h o o l h o u r s a t l e a s t one day each week. She f o u n d i t i m p o r t a n t t o work

w i t h t h e c h i l d r e n on u n d e r s t a n d i n g why t h e y had been i n c l u d e d i n t h e S o c i a l

-Adjustment Room, c l a r i f i c a t i o n o f t h e r o l e s o f t h e d i f f e r e n t a d u l t s w i t h

whom t h e y r e l a t e d i n t h e s c h o o l s e t t i n g , and d i s c r e p a n c i e s w h i c h t h e y

p e r c e i v e d between t h e i r e x p e r i e n c e s i n t h e S o c i a l A d j u s t m e n t Room <

and a r e a s o f t h e r e g u l a r s c h o o l p r o g r a m .

The v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r met r e g u l a r l y w i t h t h e s p e c i a l t e a c h e r .

They g e n e r a l l y communicated s e v e r a l t i m e s a week c o n c e r n i n g t h e b e h a v i o r

-31-

o f t h e c h i l d r e n a t s c h o o l and k n o w l e d g e o f t h e i r e x p e r i e n c e o u t s i d e t h e s c h o o l w h i c h c o u l d be h e l p f u l . The v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r a l s o c o n s u l t e d w i t h t h e c h i l d ' s r e g u l a r c l a s s r o o m t e a c h e r and o t h e r s c h o o l p e r s o n n e l on an i r r e g u l a r b a s i s c o n c e r n i n g any m a t t e r w h i c h seemed r e l e v a n t t o i m p r o v i n g h i s s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t . The v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r was sometimes a b l e t o p r o v i d e a c o o r d i n a t i n g r o l e i n p r o m o t i n g team e f f o r t among s c h o o l s t a f f ' i n d e a l i n g w i t h a c h i l d ' s c u r r e n t n e e d s . I n c l u s i o n o f t h e r e g u l a r t e a c h e r i n p l a n n i n g and e v a l u a t i o n o f t h e c h i l d ' s p r o g r e s s was f e l t t o be e x t r e m e l y i m p o r t a n t .

The V i s i t i n g T e a c h e r Program was under t h e d i r e c t a d m i n i s t r a t i v e

c o n t r o l o f t h e p r i n c i p a l o f t h e s c h o o l i n w h i c h i t o p e r a t e d . I t was

n e c e s s a r y t h a t he be aware o f and a p p r o v e a l l a c t i v i t i e s i n r e l a t i n g w i t h

t h e s e c h i l d r e n and t h e i r p a r e n t s . By h i s a c t i v e a w a r e n e s s ,. he was a b l e t o

c o n t r i b u t e t o p l a n n i n g and p l a y a s u p p o r t i v e r o l e i n r e l a t i n g ; t o p a r e n t s

a b o u t t h e n a t u r e o f t h e p r o g r a m , and t h e need f o r t h e i r c o o p e r a t i o n i n

w o r k i n g w i t h t h e s c h o o l s t a f f t o h e l p t h e i r c h i l d r e n b e n e f i t . H i s i n v o l v e ­

ment a l s o gave him a f a m i l i a r i t y w i t h t h e program w h i c h a i d e d h i s - a b i 1 i t y

t o communicate i t s n a t u r e t o t h e l a r g e r community.

During- t h e s e c o n d and t h i r d s e m e s t e r s o f t h e p r o g r a m ' s o p e r a t i o n ,

t h e p e r s o n who had been i n t h e v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r r o l e was p l a c e d i n a t r a i n i n g

r o l e o f a s s i s t a n t p r i n c i p a l i n t h e s c h o o l where t h e program was b e i n g

c a r r i e d o u t . T h i s change was n o t r e l a t e d t o t h e program. B e c a u s e o f t h e

r e l a t i o n s h i p s w h i c h she had e s t a b l i s h e d , and b e c a u s e she was a s s i g n e d t o

t h i s s c h o o l , i t was d e c i d e d t h a t she s h o u l d c o n t i n u e t o work i n t h i s p r o g r a m .

I t d i d n o t p r o v e f e a s i b l e f o r h e r , i n h e r new r o l e , t o c o n t i n u e a l l o f t h e

a c t i v e c a s e w o r k r e l a t i o n s h i p s w h i c h she had had w i t h some o f t h e c h i l d r e n

and p a r e n t s d u r i n g t h e f i r s t s p r i n g s e m e s t e r o f t h e program.'s o p e r a t i o n .

She d i d c o n t i n u e t o w o r k a c t i v e l y w i t h a f e w , and t o be a v a i l a b l e t o t h e r e s t

on an i r r e g u l a r b a s i s as need demanded.

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The v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r was r e s p o n s i b l e f o r s e c u r i n g s o c i a l h i s t o r y d a t a a b o u t e a c h f a m i l y . T h i s was r e v i e w e d by c l i n i c i a n s and a p p r o p r i a t e s c h o o l s t a f f i n c a s e c o n f e r e n c e s f o r p u r p o s e s o f d i a g n o s i s and p e r i o d i c i n d i v i d u a l p l a n n i n g on t r e a t m e n t g o a l s and means. The v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r k e p t r e c o r d s o f h e r m e e t i n g s w i t h p a r e n t s and c h i l d r e n t o be used f o r h e r own p l a n n i n g and f o r e v e n t u a l e v a l u a t i v e e f f o r t s . She a l s o s e c u r e d q u e s t i o n n a i r e d a t a f r o m p a r e n t s c o n c e r n i n g t h e i r r e a c t i o n s t o i n v o l v e m e n t i n t h e program.

E v a l u a t i o n o f The V i s i t i n g T e a c h e r Program

The v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r was s u c c e s s f u l i n g a i n i n g some i n v o l v e m e n t

o f one o r b o t h p a r e n t s o f e a c h c h i l d i n t h e S o c i a l A d j u s t m e n t Room. I t

t e n d e d t o be d i f f i c u l t t o i n v o l v e f a t h e r s . Two d i d not become i n v o l v e d a t

a l l . The p a r e n t s ' r e a c t i o n s t o a q u e s t i o n n a i r e a t t h e end o f t h e f i r s t

s e m e s t e r o f t h e p r o g r a m ' s o p e r a t i o n i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e y f e l t t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p

had h e l p e d them t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e i r c h i l d b e t t e r , t h a t t h e y w i s h e d t o

c o n t i n u e t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p , and t h a t t h e y f e l t t h e program had h e l p e d t h e i r

c h i l d . The v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r ' s r e c o r d s o f c o n f e r e n c e s w i t h p a r e n t s and

c h i 1 d r e n - i n d i c a t e d t h a t p o s i t i v e c h a n g e s had o c c u r r e d i n t h e ways t h a t

members o f some f a m i l i e s r e l a t e d t o one a n o t h e r . Her r e c o r d s i n d i c a t e d t h a t

some o f t h e c h i l d r e n had become b e t t e r a b l e t o cope w i t h t h e f r u s t r a t i n g and

a n x i e t y - p r o v o k i n g f a c t o r s t h a t t h e y p e r c e i v e d i n t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p o f t h e i r

fam i 1 y s i t u a t i o n t o t h e i r s c h o o l e x p e r i e n c e .

R e v i e w o f d a t a d e s c r i b i n g t h e v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r program s u g g e s t s

two i m p o r t a n t p o i n t s . The f i r s t i s t h a t t h e v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r a p p e a r s t o

be i n an e s p e c i a l l y a d v a n t a g e o u s r o l e , i f a l l o t t e d s u f f i c i e n t t i m e , t o

c o n t r i b u t e t o c o o r d i n a t i o n o f p e r s o n s who i n f l u e n c e t h e c h i l d ' s s c h o o l

a d j u s t m e n t . The s e c o n d i s t h a t f a t h e r s m i g h t be e x p e c t e d t o be e s p e c i a l l y

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d i f f i c u l t , and e s p e c i a l l y i m p o r t a n t t o i n v o l v e i n a program o f t h i s s o r t .

T h i s l a s t p o i n t i m p l i e s t h a t a p p r o a c h e s t o i n v o l v i n g f a t h e r s , o t h e r t h a n

t h o s e t r i e d i n t h i s p r o g r a m , need t o be e x p e r i m e n t e d w i t h and d e v e l o p e d .

Two A p p r o a c h e s t o P r o m o t i n g Improvement o f C l a s s r o o m Human R e l a t i . o n s

Two a p p r o a c h e s , were t a k e n i n s e e k i n g t o promote improved c l a s s r o o m

human r e l a t i o n s . The f i r s t was t a k e n d u r i n g t h e f o u r months o f t h e p i l o t

phase o f EPEH. T h i s i n v o l v e d t h e F l i n t Y o u t h S t u d y c o n s u l t a n t g o i n g i n t o

t h e c l a s s r o o m once a week t o demons t r a t e some human r e l a t i o n s t r a I n i ng

t e c h n i q u e s . The s e c o n d a p p r o a c h was t a k e n d u r i n g t h e f o l l o w i n g e x p e r i m e n t a l

y e a r o f t h e program. T h i s i n v o l v e d teams o f t e a c h e r s m e e t i n g t o g e t h e r w i t h

t h e F l i n t Y o u t h S t u d y c o n s u l t a n t on a once-a-week b a s i s . They met t o

s h a r e t h e i r r e s o u r c e s w i t h e a c h o t h e r r e l a t i v e t o d e a l i n g w i t h c l a s s r o o m

human r e l a t i o n s p r o b l e m s .

The C o n s u l t a n t - D e m o n s t r a t o r A p p r o a c h

The c o n s u l t a n t r d e m o n s t r a t o r 1 s r e l a t i o n s h i p t o t h e r e g u l a r c l a s s ­

room t e a c h e r s v a r i e d a t t h e two s c h o o l s . In one s c h o o l , t e a c h e r s were

i n v i t e d t o v o l u n t e e r t o have t h e i r c l a s s r o o m s i n v o l v e d . In t h e o t h e r

s c h o o l , t h e p r i n c i p a l d e s i g n a t e d t h a t t h e c o n s u l t a n t - d e m o n s t r a t o r work

i n c e r t a i n c l a s s r o o m s where she f e l t t h e r e was t h e g r e a t e s t need. ( I t s h o u l d

be n o t e d t h a t i n b o t h s c h o o l s t h e 4 t h , 5th and 6th g r a d e s were on a p l a t o o n

s y s t e m . T h a t i s , e a c h c l a s s s p e n t h a l f t h e day i n a home room w i t h t h e i r

r e g u l a r c l a s s r o o m t e a c h e r . The o t h e r h a l f day was s p e n t r o t a t i n g i n s e v e r a l

c l a s s e s s u c h as a r t , a r i t h m e t i c , m u s i c and p h y s i c a l e d u c a t i o n . )

In t h e f i r s t s c h o o l , t h e c o n s u l t a n t - d e m o n s t r a t o r worked w i t h

a 6th g r a d e t e a c h e r who had v o l u n t e e r e d . The d e m o n s t r a t i o n work was done

w i t h h i s a f t e r n o o n c l a s s . The t e a c h e r h e l p e d d e v e l o p some o f t h e m a t e r i a l s

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used and c o l l e c t d a t a on t h e c h i l d r e n ' s r e a c t i o n s . The t e a c h e r t o o k

i n i t i a t i v e i n t r y i n g o u t t h e program on h i s own w i t h h i s m o r n i n g c l a s s .

He a l s o t r i e d o u t t h e p r o g r a m as d e m o n s t r a t o r i n t h e a f t e r n o o n c l a s s o f

t h e o t h e r 6th g r a d e t e a c h e r a t her i n v i t a t i o n . She t h e n t o o k t h e

I n i t i a t i v e o f t r y i n g o u t t h e program on her own w i t h h e r m o r n i n g c l a s s .

In t h e o t h e r s c h o o l , t h e c o n s u l t a n t - d e m o n s t r a t o r went i n t o

two 5th g r a d e c l a s s e s and two 4th g r a d e c l a s s e s In w h i c h t h e t e a c h e r s

had been i n s t r u c t e d t o c o o p e r a t e * These t e a c h e r s showed s t r o n g s i g n s

o f r e s i s t a n c e t o i n v o l v e m e n t . They t e n d e d t o spend t h e p e r i o d s c o r r e c t i

p a p e r s . When i n v i t e d t o d i s c u s s t h e program i n g e n e r a l o r s p e c i f i c

s e s s i o n s , t h e i r q u e s t i o n s t e n d e d t o be c r i t i c a l r a t h e r t h a n i n q u i r i n g .

The f o l l o w i n g i s an o u t l i n e o f t h e a c t i v i t i e s w h i c h were c a r r i e d

o u t by t h e c o n s u l t a n t - d e m o n s t r a t o r i n t h e 6th g r a d e c l a s s r o o m a t t h e

f i r s t s c h o o l :

The f i r s t s e s s i o n i n v o l v e d t h e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f a m o v i e a b o u t

f i g h t i n g and a c l a s s d i s c u s s i o n o f i t .

A t t h e s e c o n d s e s s i o n , a s t o r y a b o u t d i f f i c u l t y i n t h e c l a s s r o o m

was r e a d . The s t o r y was i n t e r r u p t e d s e v e r a l t i m e s d u r i n g w h i c h

t h e c l a s s had ''buzz-group" s e s s i o n s t o l i s t t h e i r a n s w e r s t o

q u e s t i o n s a b o u t what was g o i n g on i n t h e s t o r y . F o l l o w i n g t h e

s t o r y , t h e e n t i r e c l a s s d i s c u s s e d t h e answer t o t h e q u e s t i o n s

t h a t t h e b u z z g r o u p s had come up w i t h .

A t t h e t h i r d s e s s i o n , t h e s t o r y o f t h e p r e v i o u s week was

r e v i e w e d and p r o j e c t i v e p i c t u r e s were p r e s e n t e d t o s t i m u l a t e

d i s c u s s i o n o f what t h i n g s s t a r t and s t o p n e g a t i v e i n t e r p e r s o n a l

b e h a v i o r i n t h e c l a s s r o o m . The g r o u p s ' i d e a s f o r t r o u b l e

s t a r t e r s and s t o p p e r s were l i s t e d as g i v e n .

A t t h e f o u r t h s e s s i o n , a c h e c k l i s t o f t h e c l a s s ' s t r o u b l e

s t a r t e r and s t o p p e r b e h a v i o r s was p r e s e n t e d f o r t h e c l a s s t o

use i n k e e p i n g w e e k l y r a t i n g s o f s u c h b e h a v i o r . D i s c u s s i o n

o f r e c e n t p r o b l e m s i t u a t i o n s i n v o l v i n g t h e s e b e h a v i o r s was

i n i t i a t e d and t h e " a u x i l i a r y c h a i r t e c h n i q u e s " f o r r o l e - p l a y i n g

s u c h s i t u a t i o n s was i n t r o d u c e d .

A t t h e f i f t h s e s s i o n , s m a l l g r o u p r o l e - p l a y i n g i n t e r a c t i o n was

i n i t i a t e d w i t h e m p h a s i s on o b s e r v i n g t h e e f f e c t s o f one's modes

o f r e l a t i n g on t h e p e r c e p t i o n and r e s p o n s e o f o t h e r s .

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D u r i n g t h e s i x t h and s e v e n t h s e s s i o n s , a p a r t i c u l a r p r o b l e m

s i t u a t i o n o f c o n c e r n t o t h e c l a s s g r o u p as a w h o l e was i d e n t i f i e d .

T r o u b l e - s t a r t i n g and m a i n t a i n i n g r o l e s i n t h i s s i t u a t i o n were

i d e n t i f i e d . A p p r o a c h e s t o i m p r o v i n g t h e p r o b l e m were d i s c u s s e d .

No s e s s i o n s were h e l d d u r i n g t h e n e x t two w e e k s , d u r i n g w h i c h t i m e t h e c l a s s r o o m g r o u p a t t e m p t e d t o improve t h e p r o b l e m s i t u a t i o n

t h a t t h e y had been c o n s i d e r i n g .

A t t h e e i g h t h s e s s i o n , t h e g r o u p d i s c u s s e d and e v a l u a t e d t h e i r

a t t e m p t s a t i m p r o v i n g t h e i r d e s i g n a t e d p r o b l e m s i t u a t i o n .

E v a l u a t i o n o f The C o n s u l t a n t - D e m o n s t r a t o r A p p r o a c h

The c h i l d r e n in t h e f i v e c1 a s s rooms worked w i t h responded ve ry

p o s i t i v e l y t o t h e human r e l a t i o n s t r a i n i n g e x p e r i e n c e s t h a t were t r i e d .

They d e m o n s t r a t e d an a b i l i t y t o become c o n s t r u c t i v e l y i n v o l v e d i n d i a g n o s i n g

c l a s s r o o m p r o b l e m s , p r a c t i c i n g new s k i l l s i n r e l a t i n g , and p l a n n i n g and

c a r r y i n g o u t e f f o r t s t o c h a n g e . E x t e n s i v e s o c i o m e t r i c and c o n c e p t d a t a

c o l l e c t e d i n one c l a s s r o o m i n d i c a t e d improvement i n i d e a s a b o u t how t o

behave and f e e l i n g s a b o u t e a c h o t h e r . T h i s g r o u p e v a l u a t e d i t s e f f o r t s

a t i m p r o v i n g i t s n e g a t i v e b e h a v i o r i n one p l a t o o n c l a s s as h i g h l y

s u c c e s s f u l . T e a c h e r s who became i n v o l v e d on a v o l u n t a r y b a s i s d e m o n s t r a t e d

e n t h u s i a s m and an a b i l i t y t o d e v e l o p and p a s s on t o e a c h o t h e r t h e

t r a i n e r s k i l l s n e c e s s a r y t o c a r r y i n g on human r e l a t i o n s t r a i n i n g

e x p e r i e n c e s i n t h e i r c l a s s r o o m s . I t d i d a p p e a r t h a t t e a c h e r s needed

some s p e c i a l t r a i n i n g i n o r d e r t o c a r r y o u t s u c h e x p e r i e n c e s .

The T e a c h e r - R e s o u r c e Team A p p r o a c h

A t e a c h s c h o o l - , t e a c h e r s who had c o n t a c t w i t h any o f t h e c h i l d r e n

d e s i g n a t e d as b e i n g i n t h e e x p e r i m e n t a l g r o u p o f EPEH were t o l d t h a t t h e

F l i n t Y o u t h S t u d y c o n s u l t a n t c o u l d be a v a i l a b l e a t t h e i r s c h o o l f o r t h e

p u r p o s e o f m e e t i n g w i t h any who w i s h e d t o do so t o e x p l o r e human r e l a t i o n s

p r o b l e m s t h a t o c c u r i n t h e i r c l a s s r o o m s . A t b o t h s c h o o l s t h e t e a c h e r s

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r e s p o n d e d by d e c i d i n g t o meet f o r l u n c h o n c e a week t o d i s c u s s s u c h

p r o b l e m s .

The p r i n c i p a l s a t b o t h s c h o o l s d e c l i n e d b e i n g i n v o l v e d on a

r e g u l a r m e e t i n g b a s i s e x p r e s s i n g a c o n c e r n t h a t t h e t e a c h e r s m i g h t f e e l

t h a t t h e i r a t t e n d a n c e was c o m p u l s o r y i f t h e p r i n c i p a l were t h e r e . On t h e

b a s i s o f e x p e r i e n c e w i t h t e a c h e r i n v o l v e m e n t a t t h e two s c h o o l s d u r i n g t h e

p i l o t p h a s e o f EPEH, i t was f e l t t h a t t h e v o l u n t a r y n a t u r e o f i n v o l v e m e n t

was v e r y i m p o r t a n t . T h i s was e m p h a s i z e d i n m e e t i n g s a t b o t h s c h o o l s

and was b r o u g h t up t o be r e - e x a m i n e d p e r i o d i c a l l y t h r o u g h o u t t h e y e a r .

I t was s t a t e d t h a t t h e m e e t i n g s were f o r t h e p u r p o s e o f b e i n g o f h e l p

t o each o t h e r and t h a t p e o p l e were t o come o n l y as t h e y f e l t i t t o be

w o r t h w h i l e and n o t c r e a t i n g c o n f l i c t i n g demands on t h e i r t i m e and

e n e r g y .

The n a t u r e o f t h e t e a c h e r - r e s o u r c e team m e e t i n g s o v e r t h e

c o u r s e o f t h e s c h o o l y e a r c a n be d e s c r i b e d g e n e r a l l y i n f o u r p h a s e s :

The f i r s t p h a s e l a s t e d f o r t h e f i r s t two o r t h r e e m e e t i n g s .

T h i s t u r n e d o u t t o be an o r i e n t a t i o n t i m e d u r i n g w h i c h t h e

r a t i o n a l e and s t a g e s o f d e v e l o p m e n t o f EPEH were d i s c u s s e d .

The t a s k o f m e e t i n g t o g e t h e r t o s h a r e c l a s s r o o m human r e l a t i o n s

p r o b l e m - s o l v i ng r e s o u r c e s was d e f i ned.

The s e c o n d p h a s e f o c u s e d on d i a g n o s i n g t h e k i n d s o f p r o b l e m s

t h a t were b e i n g r a i s e d . T h i s f o c u s o c c u p i e d t h e n e x t t h r e e

o r f o u r m e e t i n g s . E f f o r t was s p e n t a t t e m p t i n g t o i d e n t i f y

f a c t o r s t h a t c o n t r i b u t e d t o and m a i n t a i n e d p r o b l e m s i t u a t i o n s .

As t e a c h e r s a t t e m p t e d t o d e s c r i b e p r o b l e m s i t u a t i o n s t o e a c h

o t h e r , t h e q u e s t i o n s and s u g g e s t i o n s w h i c h were r a i s e d h e l p e d

them t o become s p e c i f i c i n i d e n t i f y i n g t h e s e f a c t o r s . In

many i n s t a n c e s i t became c l e a r t h a t n o t enough i n f o r m a t i o n was

a v a i l a b l e . T h i s l e d some t e a c h e r s t o t r y u s i n g q u e s t i o n n a i r e s

and d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h t h e i r c l a s s r o o m g r o u p s t o g a i n a d d i t i o n a l

d i a g n o s t i c d a t a . W r i t t e n d e s c r i p t i o n o f q u e s t i o n n a i r e t o o l s

d e v e l o p e d by t e a c h e r s i n o t h e r s c h o o l s y s t e m s were made a v a i l a b l e .

The t h i r d p h a s e l a s t e d f o r t h e n e x t s e v e n o r e i g h t m e e t i n g s .

D u r i n g t h i s t i m e , d i a g n o s t i c work c o n t i n u e d t o be done as new

c l a s s r o o m p r o b l e m s were i d e n t i f i e d . What was added t o t h i s

was t h e a t t e m p t t o d e v e l o p i n n o v a t i o n s i n t h e c l a s s r o o m s t o

-37-

i m p r o v e t h e s e s i t u a t i o n s . T h i s sometimes i n v o l v e d t h e i n v e n t i o n

o f an i n n o v a t i o n t h a t was new t o t h e g r o u p . In many o t h e r

i n s t a n c e s i t i n v o l v e d i n n o v a t i v e e f f o r t a t a d a p t i n g someone

e l s e ' s i d e a t o one's own c l a s s r o o m s i t u a t i o n . Members i n t h e

g r o u p s h a r e d i d e a s w i t h e a c h o t h e r . W r i t t e n d e s c r i p t i o n s o f

h u m a n - r e l a t i o n s t r a i n i n g i n n o v a t i o n s o f t e a c h e r s f r o m o t h e r

s c h o o l s y s t e m s were made a v a i l a b l e . A t one p o i n t , an o u t s i d e

c o n s u l t a n t was b r o u g h t i n t o d i s c u s s t h e i n n o v a t i o n o f t r a i n i n g

o l d e r y o u t h t o work a s h e l p e r s w i t h y o u n g e r o n e s . E v a l u a t i o n

needs and p o s s i b i l i t i e s were c o n s i d e r e d i n r e l a t i o n t o c a r r y i n g

o u t a c t i o n a t t e m p t s a t i m p r o v i n g t h e c l a s s r o o m human r e l a t i o n s

e n v i ronment.

The f i n a l p h a s e i n v o l v e d some t i m e s p e n t on c o n s i d e r i n g t h e

s c h o o l s t a f f r o l e i n c o n t r i b u t i n g t o a f i n a l round o f d a t a

g a t h e r i n g t o be used i n e v a l u a t i o n o f EPEH as a w h o l e . The

i m p o r t a n c e o f t h e o p p o r t u n i t y f o r t e a c h e r s t o r e c e i v e m e a n i n g f u l

f e e d b a c k i n f o r m a t i o n on t h e r e s u l t s o f t h e i r e f f o r t s i n work

w i t h y o u t h was e m p h a s i z e d .

F o l l o w i n g t h e f i r s t two o r t h r e e m e e t i n g s , no f o r m a l agenda

was s p e c i f i e d . Norms o f i n t e r a c t i o n d e v e l o p e d i n w h i c h anyone was

e n c o u r a g e d t o r a i s e a c o n c e r n and i n w h i c h i t was a p p r o p r i a t e f o r anyone

p r e s e n t t o o f f e r a r e a c t i o n o r r a i s e a f u r t h e r q u e s t i o n a b o u t t h e c o n c e r n .

Each p e r s o n was r e c o g n i z e d as h a v i n g some e x p e r t i s e t o o f f e r t o t h e o t h e r s

f r o m t h e i r own u n i q u e e x p e r i e n c e and t r a i n i n g . A t each s c h o o l , a c o r e

o f p e r s o n s a t t e n d e d most o f t h e m e e t i n g s . O t h e r s became i n v o l v e d

o c c a s i o n a l l y as i n t e r e s t and c o m p e t i n g t i m e demands d i c t a t e d .

A v a r i e t y o f i n n o v a t i o n s were d e v e l o p e d t o a t t e m p t t o d e a l w i t h

c l a s s r o o m human r e l a t i o n s c o n c e r n s t h a t were i d e n t i f i e d and d i s c u s s e d

i n t h e s e m e e t i n g s . T h i r t y - t w o s u c h i n n o v a t i o n s were i d e n t i f i e d as h a v i n g

been s h a r e d a t t h e s e m e e t i n g s .

E v a l u a t i o n o f The T e a c h e r - R e s o u r c e Team A p p r o a c h

A t each s c h o o l , t e a c h e r s who had c o n t a c t w i t h c h i l d r e n d e s i g n a t e d

as b e i n g i n t h e e x p e r i m e n t a l g r o u p o f t h e E x p e r i m e n t a l P r o g r a m f o r t h e

E m o t i o n a l l y H a n d i c a p p e d had t h e o p p o r t u n i t y o f m e e t i n g w i t h t h e F l i n t

Y o u t h S t u d y c o n s u l t a n t t o d i s c u s s and s h a r e i n n o v a t i v e i d e a s a b o u t d e a l i n g

-38-

w i t h human r e l a t i o n s p r o b l e m s t h a t o c c u r i n t h e i r c l a s s r o o m s . A t b o t h

s c h o o l s t h e t e a c h e r s r e s p o n d e d by d e c i d i n g t o meet f o r l u n c h once a

week t o d i s c u s s s u c h p r o b l e m s . These team m e e t i n g s l e d t o t h e s h a r i n g

and t r i a l o f t h i r t y - t w o i n n o v a t i o n s . The m e e t i n g s a p p e a r e d t o have a

f u r t h e r v a l u e o f l e g i t i m i z i n g s h a r i n g o f c o n c e r n s and s u p p o r t i n g a

p r o b l e m - s o l v i n g a p p r o a c h i n d e a l i n g w i t h them. They promoted c l a r i f i ­

c a t i o n o f some o f t h e p r o b l e m s e n c o u n t e r e d i n a t t e m p t i n g i n n o v a t i o n s

and s u g g e s t e d some s p e c i f i c s k i l l s t h a t m i g h t be v a l u a b l e f o r t e a c h e r s

t o a c q u i r e .

The e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f change b r o u g h t a b o u t by some o f t h e s e

i n n o v a t i o n s was i n d i c a t e d f o r one c l a s s r o o m by s o c i o m e t r i c and a t t i t u d e

q u e s t i o n n a i r e d a t a c o l l e c t e d a t t h e b e g i n n i n g and e n d i n g o f t h e s c h o o l

y e a r . The t e a c h e r used d a t a c o l l e c t e d a t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e y e a r t o

h e l p p l a n i n n o v a t i o n s f o r improvement o f human r e l a t i o n s i n t h i s c l a s s ­

room. I t a p p e a r e d t h a t t h e i n n o v a t i o n s w h i c h she a t t e m p t e d c o n t r i b u t e d

t o t h e f o l l o w i n g c h a n g e s :

Of t h e n i n e c h i l d r e n seen as most i n f l u e n t i a l by o t h e r c h i l d r e n

i n t h e c l a s s r o o m , o n l y one was s e e n as s t r o n g l y p r o - t e a c h e r

a t t h e b e g i n n i n g . Two were s e e n as s t r o n g l y p r o - t e a c h e r a t

t h e end.

F o u r o f t h o s e n i n e were s e e n as s t r o n g l y a n t i - t e a c h e r a t t h e

b e g i n n i n g . O n l y one was seen as a n t i - t e a c h e r a t t h e end.

One o f t h o s e who changed f o r t h e b e t t e r was t h e most i n f l u e n t i a l

l e a d e r i n t h e c l a s s .

A t t h e b e g i n n i n g , members o f t h e c l a s s r o o m f e l t t h a t a l m o s t a l l

o t h e r members c o u l d do b e t t e r s c h o o l w o r k i f t h e y wanted t o .

A t t h e e n d , t h e y f e l t t h a t t h e r e were o n l y a few who c o u l d be

d o i n g b e t t e r s c h o o l w o r k i f t h e y wanted t o .

Norms o f b e h a v i o r became more p o s i t i v e . Of t h e e l e v e n c h i l d r e n

i n t h e c l a s s r o o m who had r e p o r t e d t h e most n e g a t i v e i d e a s a b o u t

how t o b e h a v e , e i g h t showed improvement i n t h e i r r e s p o n s e s t o

t h e s e c o n d round o f q u e s t i o n n a i r e s .

-39-

A l m o s t e v e r y o n e i n t h e c l a s s r o o m improved t h e i r image o f o t h e r s . T h i s i s c o n t r a r y t o what r e s e a r c h has shown t o be t y p i c a l o f most c l a s s r o o m g r o u p s i n w h i c h p e o p l e seen n e g a t i v e l y a t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e s c h o o l y e a r a r e s e e n even more n e g a t i v e l y by t h e end o f t h e y e a r . The p o s i t i v e change i n t h i s g r o u p was s t a t i s t i c a l l y s i g n i f i c a n t a t t h e .001 l e v e l .

O p e r a t i o n o f t h e A c t i v i t i e s C l u b Program

Membership o f a c l u b was s e t up a s f o l l o w s . R e g u l a r c l a s s r o o m

t e a c h e r s r a t e d e a c h c h i l d i n e a c h o f t h e i r c l a s s r o o m g r o u p s on t h e P u p i l

B e h a v i o r R a t i n g S c a l e ( P B R S ) . (The PBRS was d e v e l o p e d by t h e C a l i f o r n i a

Department o f P u b l i c I n s t r u c t i o n u n d e r t h e d i r e c t i o n o f E l i Bower t o

s c r e e n f o r e m o t i o n a l l y h a n d i c a p p e d c h i l d r e n i n t h e p u b l i c s c h o o l s . )

C h i l d r e n g i v e n h i g h r a t i n g s by t h e i r t e a c h e r s had been f u r t h e r s t u d i e d

as p o s s i b l y h a v i n g e m o t i o n a l h a n d i c a p s . C h i l d r e n g i v e n t h e l o w e s t

r a t i n g s were c o n s i d e r e d as c o m p a r a t i v e l y more e m o t i o n a l l y s t a b l e .

F i f t e e n o f them were s e l e c t e d f o r membership i n t h e c l u b s , a l o n g w i t h

two o r t h r e e o f t h e c h i l d r e n who had been f u r t h e r t e s t e d and f o u n d t o

have e m o t i o n a l h a n d i c a p s .

U s i n g t h e s e r a t i n g s as a c r i t e r i a f o r s e l e c t i o n , an e q u a l

number o f c h i l d r e n were s e l e c t e d f r o m each c l a s s r o o m g r o u p o f t h e

g r a d e l e v e l b e i n g worked w i t h . The c h i l d r e n were t o l d t h a t a few o f

them had been c h o s e n a t random, i . e . , "we drew names o u t o f a h a t , "

f r o m e a c h c l a s s g r o u p t o be i n t h i s new c l u b . A t t h e f i r s t m e e t i n g ,

t h e members were t o l d t h a t t h i s was t h e i r c l u b . The a d u l t s were t h e r e

t o h e l p them p l a n f o r and c a r r y o u t a c t i v i t i e s t h a t i n t e r e s t e d them.

A number o f p o s s i b l e a c t i v i t i e s were s u g g e s t e d by s h o w i n g s l i d e s

and h a v i n g a d i s c u s s i o n .

The a c t i v i t i e s o f t h e c l u b p r o v i d e d t h e s e t t i n g w i t h i n w h i c h

the object ives were worked towards. Any pa r t icu lar a c t i v i t y t h a t was

- 4 0 -

p r e s e n t e d a n d d e v e l o p e d by t h e b o y s w a s v i e w e d by t h e a d u l t l e a d e r s i n

r e l a t i o n t o i t s p o t e n t i a l f o r h e l p i n g t h e g r o u p move t o w a r d s t h e o b j e c t i v e s .

T h e a d u l t s ' r o l e h e r e w a s n o t o n e o f d i r e c t i v e l y s a n c t i o n i n g a c t i v i t i e s

o n e way o r t h e o t h e r , b u t r a t h e r o f s e e k i n g t o s u p p o r t w h a t e v e r t h e b o y s

r e a s o n a b l y d e c i d e d o n i n a way t h a t f u r t h e r e d t h e o b j e c t i v e s . T h u s , t h e

i d e a o f a c a r w a s h p r o v i d e d a n o p p o r t u n i t y t o i n t r o d u c e a n a u t h o r i t y f i g u r e

i n a p o s i t i v e m a n n e r . E x p r e s s i o n o f f e e l i n g t h a t m e m b e r s who " m e s s a r o u n d "

s h o u l d be " k i c k e d o u t " p r o v i d e d a n o p p o r t u n i t y f o r t h e b o y s t o l o o k a t

w h a t t h e c l u b h a d c o m e t o mean t o e a c h o f t h e m a n d t h e n a t u r e o f t h e i r

r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o e a c h o t h e r . A l m o s t a n y o c c u r r e n c e h e l d some p o t e n t i a l

f o r f u r t h e r i n g t h e o b j e c t i v e s .

T h e a d u l t s a c t i v e l y s o u g h t t o i n t r o d u c e a n d s u p p o r t a c t i v i t i e s

w h i c h p r o m o t e d t h e n e e d f o r l a r g e g r o u p i n v o l v e m e n t a n d h i g h l i g h t e d t h e

v a r i e t y o f c o n t r i b u t i o n s t h a t d i f f e r e n t I n d i v i d u a l s c o u l d m a k e . P a r t i c u l a r

g a m e s , c a m p i n g , m o n e y - e a r n i n g a c t i v i t i e s w e r e s u g g e s t e d o n t h i s b a s i s .

F o r e x a m p l e , t h e a d u l t s made a s p e c i a l e f f o r t o f s u g g e s t i n g s e v e r a l a d v a n t a g

o f a c a r w a s h a s c o m p a r e d t o s e l l i n g t h i n g s f r o m d o o r - t o - d o o r . T h e r e a s o n

f o r m a k i n g s u c h s u g g e s t i o n s w a s t h a t a c a r w a s h c o u l d b e c a r r i e d o u t a s an

e f f o r t o f t h e e n t i r e g r o u p , d u r i n g w h i c h a l l c o u l d e x p e r i e n c e t h e v a l u e

o f t h e s i z e o f t h e g r o u p a s w e l l a s e a c h I n d i v i d u a l ' s c o n t r i b u t i o n i n i t .

T h i s s o r t o f o r i e n t a t i o n s e e m e d t o h e l p p r o m o t e t h e o b j e c t i v e o f

i n c l u s i o n o f i n d i v i d u a l s by t h e g r o u p m e m b e r s . T h e b o y s d e v e l o p e d s t r o n g

g r o u p f e e l i n g s a b o u t t h e i r c l u b s . B u t t h i s was n o t a c l i q u i s h f e e l i n g i n

w h i c h t h e y s o u g h t t o e x c l u d e n o n - m e m b e r s f r o m t h e i r a c t i v i t i e s . On t h e

c o n t r a r y , a d v a n t a g e s o f i n c r e a s e d m e m b e r s h i p w e r e e v i d e n t a n d t h e b o y s

r e p e a t e d l y r a i s e d t h i s i s s u e w i t h t h e i r a d u l t l e a d e r s . T h e y w e r e n e v e r

i n f o r m e d by t h e a d u l t s o f t h e t r u e m a n n e r o f t h e i r s e l e c t i o n , as t h e a d u l t s

- i n -

s u p p o s e d t h i s m i g h t u n d e r m i n e some o f t h e b a s i c o b j e c t i v e s . T h e y w e r e

s i m p l y t o l d t h a t t h e i r names h a d b e e n d r a w n f r o m a h a t a n d t h a t t r a n s p o r ­

t a t i o n r e s o u r c e s f o r c e d a l i m i t t o m e m b e r s h i p s i z e . In r e s p o n s e , t h e b o y s

i n a l l t h r e e c l u b s w o r k e d o u t p r o c e d u r e s f o r t a k i n g t u r n s b r i n g i n g g u e s t s

t o t h e . m e e t i n g s .

T h e a d u l t s d i d m a k e s e v e r a l p r o g r a m s u g g e s t i o n s d i r e c t l y a n d

i n d i r e c t l y . T h e y g e n e r a l l y a t t e m p t e d t o b r i n g o u t a l t e r n a t e s u g g e s t i o n s

on a n y p a r t i c u l a r i s s u e a n d t h e n t o a s s i s t t h e b o y s in r e a c h i n g a d e c i s i o n

i n a c o n s t r u c t i v e m a n n e r . D e c i s i o n s made by t h e b o y s t h e m s e l v e s w e r e m o s t

a p t t o be f o l l o w e d t h r o u g h t o s u c c e s s f u l o u t c o m e s . E v e n when t h e b o y s

made a d e c i s i o n t h a t s e e m e d a r e l a t i v e l y p o o r o n e t o t h e a d u l t , i t had

a l a t e r a d v a n t a g e . T h e b o y s ' i n v o l v e m e n t i n i t g e n e r a l l y made i t p o s s i b l e

f o r t h e a d u l t t o h e l p t h e m s e e a s u b s e q u e n t f a i l u r e a s a n e x p e r i e n c e

f r o m w h i c h t h e y c o u l d l e a r n s o m e t h i n g w o r t h w h i l e .

E a r l y i n t h e c l u b ' s h i s t o r y , t h e b o y s n e e d e d a g o o d d e a l o f h e l p

w i t h t h e d e c i s i o n - m a k i n g p r o c e s s a n d w i t h c o n d u c t i n g a n o r d e r l y m e e t i n g .

P r o v i d i n g s u c h h e l p w i t h o u t h a v i n g t h e b o y s s h i f t a l l o f t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y

o n t o t h e a d u l t c a l l e d f o r s e n s i t i v i t y a n d s k i l l . I t was e s p e c i a l l y i m p o r t a n t

f o r t h e a d u l t t o a c t i n a n o n - d i r e c t i v e m a n n e r a t t h e f i r s t m e e t i n g s s o

a s t o o f f s e t t h e b o y s ' s t r o n g s t e r e o t y p e s o f a d u l t s a s n e g a t i v e c o n t r o l l i n g

f i g u r e s . T h e b o y s f o u n d t h a t t h e y c o u l d c o u n t on t h e a d u l t f o r a c e r t a i n

a m o u n t o f c o n t r o l , b u t t h a t t h e y , t o o , w e r e e x p e c t e d t o a s s u m e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y

i n t h i s a r e a .

T h i s c a l l e d f o r much p a t i e n c e f r o m t h e a d u l t . He n e e d e d f a i t h

i n t h e p o t e n t i a l o f t h e g r o u p t o g r o w . T h e a d u l t ' s c o n t r i b u t i o n s t e n d e d

t o t a k e t h e f o r m o f o f f e r i n g a l t e r n a t i v e s u g g e s t i o n s on a n i s s u e , a s k i n g

quest ions t h a t would f o c u s on a s t e p o f t h e d e c i s i o n p r o c e s s t h a t s e e m e d

- 4 2 -

t o b e b e i n g i g n o r e d , a n d m a k i n g r e f l e c t i v e s t a t e m e n t s a b o u t w h a t w a s

g o i r i g o n a t t h e m o m e n t .

T o t h e e x t e n t t h a t t h e a d u l t l e a d e r a s s i s t e d t h e b o y s i n m a k i n g

t h e i r own d e c i s i o n s a n d c a r r y i n g t h e m o u t , he p r o v i d e d o p p o r t u n i t y f o r

t h e m t o p r a c t i c e l e a d e r s h i p s k i l l s . T h e a d u l t s u p p o r t e d d e v e l o p m e n t o f

a w a r e n e s s i n t h e b o y s o f l e a d e r s h i p a b i l i t i e s t h a t e a c h o f t h e m h a d .

L e a d e r s h i p t r a i n i n g b e c a m e a n a c t i v e p a r t o f t h e p r o g r a m o f o n e c l u b i n

w h i c h t h e b o y s w o r k e d a s v o l u n t e e r h e l p e r s w i t h a c l u b o f y o u n g e r b o y s .

Spec ia l meetings w e r e h e l d to p r a c t i c e how to teach and s u p e r v i s e g a m e s .

T h i s l e d t o r o l e - p l a y i n g o n how t o s t o p f i g h t s a n d h o w , " t o h e l p a g u y who

i s f e e l i n 1 1 e f t o u t "

One o f t h e g e n e r a l c o n c e r n s i n d e v e l o p i n g t h e c l u b p r o g r a m w a s

t h a t o f p r o v i d i n g t r a i n i n g f o r d i r e c t w o r k e r s w i t h y o u t h . T h i s was

d o n e by h a v i n g t h e F l i n t Y o u t h S t u d y c o n s u 1 t a n t ^ - w o r k a s t h e a d u l t c l u b

l e a d e r i n a d e m o n s t r a t o r r o l e w h i l e t h e r e g u 1 a r a d u 11 l e a d e r s t a r t e d o u t a s

a p a r t i c i p a n t o b s e r v e r . T h e t w o w o r k e d t o g e t h e r i n s p e c i f y i n g g o a l s ,

p l a n n i n g p r o c e d u r e s , d e s i g n i n g e v a l u a t i o n , a n d d i s c u s s i n g s k i l l s , t e c h n i q u e s ,

a n d t h e p r o g r e s s o f e v e n t s . E v e n t u a l l y , t h e r e g u l a r a d u l t l e a d e r e i t h e r

t o o k o v e r t h e a c t i v e a d u l t r o l e w i t h t h e c l u b , o r s t a r t e d a new c l u b w i t h

t h e F l i n t Y o u t h S t u d y c o n s u l t a n t a c t i n g i n t h e r o l e o f p a r t i c i p a n t

o b s e r v e r .

E v a l u a t i o n o f T h e A c t i v i t i e s C l u b P r o g r a m

M a j o r o b j e c t i v e s r e l a t i v e t o b e h a v i o r o f b o y s i n t h e a c t i v i t i e s

c l u b s i n c l u d e d t h e f o l l o w i n g :

- 4 3 -

A w a r e n e s s o f c o m m u n i t y r e s o u r c e s .

I n t e r p e r s o n a 1 s e n s i t i v i t y i n i n d i v i d u a 1 p e e r r e i a t i o n s .

I n t e r p e r s o n a l s e n s i t i v i t y i n g r o u p d e c i s i o n - m a k i n g .

T a k i n g r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r p o s i t i v e b e h a v i o r n o r m s r a t h e r t h a n

l o o k i n g t o t h e a d u l t f o r c o n t r o l .

E v i d e n c i n g i n s i g h t i n t o t h e i r own b e h a v i o r .

T a k i n g t h e i r own r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r p l a n n i n g a n d c a r r y i n g o u t

a c t i v i t i e s .

S e e i n g a d u l t s i n a p o s i t i v e , h e l p i n g r o l e .

A n e c d o t a l r e c o r d s o f t h e b o y s ' b e h a v i o r i n t h e c l u b w h i c h

o p e r a t e d f o r a p e r i o d o f t h r e e s e m e s t e r s i n d i c a t e d r a m a t i c m o v e m e n t

t o w a r d s t h e s e o b j e c t i v e s . A q u e s t i o n n a i r e b a s e d o n t h e s e o b j e c t i v e s was

a d m i n i s t e r e d t o t h i s c l u b w h i c h was o p e r a t e d o n a d e m o n s t r a t i o n b a s i s by

t h e F l i n t Y o u t h S t u d y c o n s u l t a n t . I t w a s a l s o a d m i n i s t e r e d t o a c o m ­

p a r a b l e g r o u p o f b o y s i n a c l u b o p e r a t e d by a r e g u l a r a d u l t c l u b l e a d e r

who had w o r k e d i n a t r a i n i n g r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h t h e c o n s u l t a n t . I t w a s ad

m i n i s t e r e d t o a t h i r d , c o m p a r a b l e g r o u p o f b o y s who w e r e i n o t h e r c l u b s .

R e s p o n s e s o f b o y s i n t h e f i r s t g r o u p w e r e s i g n i f i c a n t l y b e t t e r t h a n

t h o s e o f b o y s i n t h e s e c o n d g r o u p . R e s p o n s e s o f b o y s i n t h e s e c o n d g r o u p

w e r e s i g n i f i c a n t l y b e t t e r t h a n t h o s e o f b o y s i n t h e t h i r d . I t may be

c o n c l u d e d t h a t t h e manner in w h i c h t h e c l u b s w e r e o p e r a t e d made a m e a n i n g

f u l c o n t r i b u t i o n t o h e l p i n g t h e b o y s move t o w a r d s t h e s t a t e d o b j e c t i v e s .

T h i s c o n t r i b u t i o n w a s g r e a t e r t h a n t h a t g e n e r a l l y made by p r e v i o u s l y

e x i s t i n g e x t r a - c u r r i c u l a r c l u b s i n t h e a r e a . T h e r e I s a f u r t h e r i n d i c a ­

t i o n t h a t t h e t r a i n i n g o f t h e r e g u l a r a d u l t c l u b l e a d e r i n t h i s p r o g r a m

s i g n i f i c a n t l y i m p r o v e d s k i l l s i n w o r k i n g w i t h c h i l d r e n t o w a r d s t h e s e

o b j e c t i v e s .

T h e D u a l R e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f A c t i o n - R e s e a r c h

L e w i n s t a t e s , " I t i s i m p o r t a n t t o u n d e r s t a n d c l e a r l y t h a t s o c i a l

r e s e a r c h c o n c e r n s i t s e l f w i t h t w o r a t h e r d i f f e r e n t t y p e s o f q u e s t i o n s ,

n a m e l y t h e s t u d y o f g e n e r a l l a w s o f g r o u p l i f e a n d t h e d i a g n o s i s o f a

s p e c i f i c s i t u a t i o n . "

" P r o b l e m s o f g e n e r a l l a w s d e a l w i t h t h e r e l a t i o n b e t w e e n p o s s i b l e

c o n d i t i o n s a n d p o s s i b l e r e s u l t s . T h e y a r e e x p r e s s e d i n ' i f s o ' p r o p o s i t i o n s .

T h e k n o w l e d g e o f l a w s c a n s e r v e a s a g u i d a n c e f o r t h e a c h i e v e m e n t o f c e r t a i n

o b j e c t i v e s u n d e r c e r t a i n c o n d i t i o n s . T o a c t c o r r e c t l y , i t d o e s n o t s u f f i c e ,

h o w e v e r , i f t h e e n g i n e e r o r t h e s u r g e o n knows t h e g e n e r a l l a w s o f p h y s i c s

o r p h y s i o l o g y . He h a s t o know , t o o , t h e s p e c i f i c c h a r a c t e r o f t h e s i t u a t i o n

a t h a n d . T h i s c h a r a c t e r i s d e t e r m i n e d by a s c i e n t i f i c f a c t - f i n d i n g c a l l e d

d i a g n o s i s . F o r a n y f i e l d o f a c t i o n b o t h t y p e s o f s c i e n t i f i c r e s e a r c h a r e

n e e d e d 1 . ' ( L e w i n , 1 9 ^ 6 ) .

F o l l o w i n g f r o m t h i s s t a t e m e n t , a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h may be c o n s i d e r e d

a s h a v i n g a d u a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y . I t s h o u l d a t t e m p t t o c o n t r i b u t e t o

i n c r e a s e d u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f g e n e r a l l a w s t h a t g o v e r n s o c i a l i n t e r a c t i o n .

I t s h o u l d a l s o a t t e m p t t o p r o v i d e a v a l i d a t e d d i a g n o s t i c a s s e s s m e n t o f t h e

d y n a m i c s o p e r a t i n g i n a p a r t i c u l a r a c t i o n s i t u a t i o n .

Some o f t h e r e s e a r c h i m p l i c a t i o n s a p p l i e d i n d e s i g n i n g t h e a c t i o n

p r o g r a m o f EPEH i n v o l v e i n f l u e n c e o f p e r s o n s i n r o l e s r e l a t i n g t o t h e

e m o t i o n a l l y h a n d i c a p p e d c h i l d r e l a t i v e t o t h e c h i l d ' s s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t .

T h e s e r o l e s i n c 1 u d e d t e a c h e r s , p e e r s , p a r e n t s , a n d commun i t y a u t h o r i t y

f i g u r e s . T h e r e s e a r c h i m p l i c a t i o n c o n c e r n i n g " m u l t i p l e e n t r y " w a s a s s u m e d

t o a p p l y t o t h i s a c t i o n s i t u a t i o n i n t e r m s o f t h e i n f l u e n c e s o f s u c h

p e r s o n s , a s p e r c e i v e d by t h e c h i l d , c o m b i n i n g w i t h h i s f e e l i n g s t o w a r d

t h e p e r s o n s i n b e i n g a s i g n i f i c a n t d e t e r m i n a n t o f h i s s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t

- 4 5 -

b e h a v i o r . I t i s p r o p o s e d t h a t a t e s t o f t h i s a s s u m p t i o n o n c h i l d r e n i n t h e EPEH p r o j e c t c o n t r i b u t e s t o i n c r e a s e d u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f g e n e r a l l a w s t h a t g o v e r n s o c i a l i n t e r a c t i o n o f s o c f o - e m o t i o n a l l y h a n d i c a p p e d c h i l d r e n i n t h e p u b l i c s c h o o l s e t t i n g .

I f d e s i r e d b e h a v i o r o f c h i l d r e n r e l a t e s t o t h e i r s e e i n g o t h e r s

whom t h e y c a r e a b o u t w a n t i n g t h e m t o b e h a v e In t h e s e d e s i r e d w a y s , t h e n

i t s h o u l d be a s s u m e d t h a t o t h e r s who c a r r i e d o u t t h e a c t i o n d e s i g n o f

EPEH w o u l d h a v e b e e n p e r c e i v e d m o r e t h i s way t h a n o t h e r s w h o w e r e n o t

s o i n v o l v e d . I t w o u l d f u r t h e r be a s s u m e d t h a t c h i l d r e n w h o s e b e h a v i o r

t h e a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH a t t e m p t e d t o i m p r o v e , w o u l d b e f o u n d t o p e r c e i v e

o t h e r s a s i n f l u e n c i n g t h e m m o r e p o s i t i v e l y a n d m o r e c o n g r u e n t l y a n d w o u l d

b e b e h a v i n g m o r e p o s i t i v e l y t h a n c o m p a r a b l e c h i l d r e n n o t s o i n v o l v e d .

I t i s p r o p o s e d t h a t a t e s t o f t h e s e l a s t t w o a s s u m p t i o n s c o n t r i b u t e s t o

a v a l i d a t e d d i a g n o s t i c a s s e s s m e n t o f t h e d y n a m i c s o p e r a t i n g i n t h i s

p a r t i c u l a r a c t i o n s i t u a t i o n .

T h i s s t u d y w a s c o n c e i v e d a n d c o n d u c t e d w i t h i n t h e c o n t e x t o f

a t t e m p t i n g t o mee t t h e d u a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h a s p u t

f o r t h by L e w i n .

C H A P T E R 3

SURVEY OF THE F I E L D

T h e a c t i o n p r o g r a m i n w h i c h t h i s s t u d y w a s c a r r i e d o u t a t t e m p t e d

t o i m p r o v e t h e s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r o f s o c i o - e m o t i o n a 1 1 y h a n d i ­

c a p p e d c h i l d r e n . T h e f i r s t p a r t o f t h i s c h a p t e r b r i e f l y r e v i e w s e v a l u ­

a t i v e a p p r o a c h e s o f o t h e r s u c h a c t i o n p r o g r a m s t o d e t e r m i n e w h e t h e r t h e y

prov ide a n y g u i d e l i n e s f o r t h e d e s i g n of t h i s s t u d y .

T h e p r o b l e m t o be s t u d i e d , a s s t a t e d i n c h a p t e r 1, i s c o n c e r n e d

w i t h i n t e r p e r s o n a l i n f l u e n c e s on c h i l d r e n ' s s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r .

D a t a c o n c e r n i n g t h e s e i n f l u e n c e s w i l l be u s e d t o p r o v i d e a s c o r e a c c o r d ­

i n g t o a t h e o r e t i c a l f o r m u l a t i o n d e r i v e d f r o m a c o n c e p t u a l m o d e l o f

i n t e r p e r s o n a l r e l a t i o n s h i p s d e v e l o p e d by L i p p i t t a n d h i s a s s o c i a t e s

( L i p p i t t , 1964). A n u m b e r o f r e s e a r c h f i n d i n g s w e r e c o n s i d e r e d i n d e v e l ­

o p i n g t h i s m o d e l . T h e s e c o n d p a r t o f t h i s c h a p t e r r e v i e w s a n u m b e r o f

t h e s t u d i e s f r o m w h i c h t h e s e r e s e a r c h f i n d i n g s c a m e . D e c i s i o n s a b o u t

t h e k i n d s o f d a t a t o c o l l e c t i n t h i s s t u d y w e r e made o n t h e b a s i s o f

t h i s r e v i e w . T h e r e v i e w was c o n d u c t e d s e l e c t i v e l y i n c o n s u l t a t i o n w i t h

L i pp i t t .

E v a l u a t i v e A p p r o a c h e s o f E d u c a t i o n a l P r o g r a m s f o r t h e E m o t i o n a l l y H a n d i c a p p e d

A r e v i e w o f e v a l u a t i v e e f f o r t s o f o t h e r e d u c a t i o n a l p r o g r a m s

f o r t h e e m o t i o n a l l y h a n d i c a p p e d i n d i c a t e s t h e u n i q u e n e s s o f t h e a p p r o a c h

t a k e n i n t h i s s t u d y . An a n n o t a t e d b i b l i o g r a p h y , T h e E m o t i o n a l l y D i s ­

t u r b e d C h i I d , p u b l i s h e d by t h e B o a r d o f E d u c a t i o n o f t h e C i t y o f New Y o r k

- 46 -

- 4 7 -

(1962), c r e a t e s t h e i m p r e s s i o n t h a t f e w p r o g r a m s i n t h i s a r e a i n c l u d e a n e m p i r i c a l r e s e a r c h e f f o r t .

H a r i n g a n d P h i l l i p s r e p o r t s i g n i f i c a n t i m p r o v e m e n t In a c a d e m i c

a c h i e v e m e n t a n d b e h a v i o r a l a d j u s t m e n t o f e m o t i o n a l l y h a n d i c a p p e d c h i l ­

d r e n i n a s p e c i a l c l a s s r o o m o r i e n t e d t o w a r d a c a d e m i c a l l y s t r u c t u r e d

e x p e r i e n c e s a s c o m p a r e d t o t h o s e i n a s p e c i a l c1 a s s r o o m w h i c h w a s a c a d e m i ­

c a l l y m o r e p e r m i s s i v e a n d o r i e n t e d t o w a r d p r o v i d i n g e f f e c t i v e s u p p o r t ,

a n d a t h i r d g r o u p who r e m a i n e d i n r e g u l a r c l a s s r o o m s ( H a r i n g a n d P h i l l i p s ,

1962).

Newman d e v e l o p e d a n d d e m o n s t r a t e d t h e r e l i a b i l i t y o f a s y s t e m

o f r a t i n g d a i l y r e p o r t s o f t h e s c h o o l b e h a v i o r o f s i x " e m o t i o n a l l y d i s ­

t u r b e d , h y p e r a g r e s s i v e , a c t i n g - o u t b o y s . " T h e s e b e h a v i o r a n e c d o t e s w e r e

r a t e d a s n e g a t i v e o r p o s i t i v e a n d w e r e a l s o c a t e g o r i z e d i n t e r m s o f t h e i r

i n v o l v i n g , " t h e c h i l d ' s s e l f c o n c e p t , " " t h e c h i l d ' s r e l a t i o n s h i p t o a d u l t s

o r h i s r e l a t i o n s h i p t o p e e r s , " " t h e s c h o o l m a t e r i a l s , s u b j e c t m a t t e r ,

a n d m e t h o d s , " o r , " t h e s c h o o l t e a c h e r p e r s o n a l i t y ! ' ( N e w m a n , 1957).

A s t u d y o f s e c o n d g r a d e r s w i t h " g r a v e e m o t i o n a l a n d b e h a v i o r

p r o b l e m s " was c a r r i e d o u t w i t h i n t h e New Y o r k B o a r d o f E d u c a t i o n ' s

J u n i o r G u i d a n c e C l a s s p r o g r a m . T h e r e s e a r c h d e s i g n i n c l u d e d e x p e r i m e n t a l

a n d c o n t r o l g r o u p s a n d c o m p a r i s o n o f d a t a c o l l e c t e d b e f o r e a n d a f t e r

t w o y e a r s o p e r a t i o n o f t h e p r o g r a m . T h e y r e p o r t e d t h a t , " T h e d a t a t o

be c o l l e c t e d w i l l c o n s i s t o f t h e o r i g i n a l s c r e e n i n g i n f o r m a t i o n , c l i n i c a l

e v a l u a t i o n s a n d d i a g n o s e s , a c a d e m i c a c h i e v e m e n t l e v e l s , p a r e n t a l e v a l u ­

a t i o n s , a n d t e a c h e r e v a l u a t i o n s " ( B o a r d . o f E d u c a t i o n , C i t y o f New Y o r k ,

1961).

T h e D e t r o i t S c h o o l - C o m m u n i t y B e h a v i o r P r o j e c t f o c u s e d c o n c e r n

- 4 8 -

o n , " t r o u b l e d e l e m e n t a r y ( p r e - p u b e r t y ) s c h o o l c h i l d r e n w h o e x h i b i t a n t i ­s o c i a l a n d / o r a s o c i a l s c h o o l b e h a v i o r . " T h e y c o n s i d e r t h a t " s u c h b e h a v i o r i s a s y m p t o m o f e m o t i o n a l d i s t u r b a n c e a n d / o r i n c o m p l e t e p e r s o n a l i t y d e v e l ­o p m e n t . . . . " T h e p r o j e c t i n v o l v e d , " a m u l t i - d i s c i p l i n e d t r e a t m e n t a p p r o a c h o f s c h o o l a n d c o m m u n i t y r e s o u r c e s t o a c h i l d ' s p r o b l e m s . . . . " T e a c h e r g r a d i n g o f c h i l d r e n i n c l u d e d i n t h e p r o j e c t on s c h o l a r s h i p , e f f o r t , b e h a v i o r , a n d a t o t a l a v e r a g e o f a l l g r a d e s h a s b e e n t h e b a s i s o f e v a l u ­a t i o n ( D e t r o i t S c h o o l - C o m m u n i t y B e h a v i o r P r o j e c t , 1 9 6 1 ) .

T h e C a l i f o r n i a S ta te Department o f E d u c a t i o n e x p l o r e d a n u m b e r

o f e x p e r i m e n t a l p r o g r a m s . E v a l u a t i o n i n v o l v e d , " C o m p a r i s o n o f e x p e r i ­

m e n t a l a n d c o n t r o l g r o u p s , " o n b e f o r e a n d a f t e r a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e

" s c r e e n i n g p r o c e s s , " " i nd i v i d u a 1 a p p r a i s a 1 , " a n d " a c a d e m i c a c h i e v e m e n t 1 . 1

( L a m b e r t , Van V l e e t , W h i t n e y , F i s h e r , a n d B o w e r , 1 9 5 9 ) .

Few s p e c i a l e d u c a t i o n a l p r o g r a m s f o r e m o t i o n a l l y h a n d i c a p p e d

c h i l d r e n h a v e b e e n i n o p e r a t i o n l o n g e n o u g h f o r f o l l o w - u p s t u d i e s o f

c h a n g e s o f c h i l d r e n w h o w e r e i n t h e m . One e x c e p t i o n w h i c h i s r e p o r t e d

o n i s t h a t o f t h e R o c h e s t e r C i t y S c h o o l D i s t r i c t U n i t f o r E m o t i o n a l l y

D i s t u r b e d C h i l d r e n . The r e p o r t s i m p l y s t a t e s w h e r e e a c h c h i l d i s

r e l a t i v e t o s c h o o l i n g o r o c c u p a t i o n , a n d i n some c a s e s , how s a t i s f a c t o r y

h i s a d j u s t m e n t i s , w i t h d e f i n i t i o n o f c r i t e r i a u p o n w h i c h t h e s e l a t e r

j u d g m e n t s w e r e b a s e d . ( C i t y S c h o o l D i s t r i c t , R o c h e s t e r , New Y o r k , I 9 6 0 ) .

M o r s e a n d C u t l e r d e s c r i b e d a n d e v a l u a t e d a l a r g e s a m p l e o f

p u b l i c s c h o o l s p e c i a l c l a s s r o o m p r o g r a m s f o r e m o t i o n a l l y d i s t u r b e d

c h i l d r e n t h r o u g h o u t t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s f r o m d a t a c o l l e c t e d i n a q u e s t i o n ­

n a i r e s u r v e y . E v a l u a t i o n o f t h e e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f t h e s e s p e c i a l c l a s s ­

r o o m p r o g r a m s was b a s e d o n q u e s t i o n n a i r e r e s p o n s e s o f t e a c h e r s , p a r e n t s ,

- 4 9 -

a n d i n v o l v e d c h i l d r e n c o n c e r n i n g r e t r o s p e c t i v e r a t i n g s o f p a s t s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t a n d r a t i n g s o f c u r r e n t s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t ( M o r s e a n d C u t l e r , 1964) •

T h e e v a l u a t i v e a p p r o a c h e s t a k e n i n a l l but t w o o f t h e a b o v e

p r o g r a m s a r e c o n c e r n e d w i t h t h e c h i l d ' s b e h a v i o r o r p s y c h o l o g i c a l

o r i e n t a t i o n b e f o r e a n d a f t e r i n c l u s i o n i n some s p e c i a l s c h o o l p r o g r a m ,

u s u a l l y a s p e c i a l c l a s s r o o m . B e f o r e a n d a f t e r d a t a i n c l u d e s u c h t h i n g s

a s a c a d e m i c a c h i e v e m e n t , b e h a v i o r r a t i n g s , s c r e e n i n g c r i t e r i a , c l i n i c a l

eva lua t i ons and d iagnoses , g rades , a n d r a t i ngs o f " e f f o r t , " " s c h o l a r ­

s h i p , " a n d " s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t . " I f a c h i l d i s f o u n d t o h a v e i m p r o v e d

a f t e r i n c l u s i o n I n o n e o f t h e s e p r o g r a m s , i t i s a p p a r e n t l y a s s u m e d t h a t

s o m e t h i n g a b o u t b e i n g I n t h e p r o g r a m c o n t r i b u t e d t o h i s i m p r o v e m e n t .

T h e r e i s s c a r c e l y e v e r a n y m e n t i o n o f a c h i l d h a v i n g g o t t e n w o r s e , much

l e s s t h e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n t h a t I n c l u s i o n i n t h e p r o g r a m c o n t r i b u t e d t o

h i s g e t t i n g w o r s e . T h e p o s s i b l e c o n c u r r e n t e f f e c t s of o t h e r i n v o l v e ­

m e n t s of t h e s e c h i l d r e n a r e n o t r e p o r t e d .

O n l y In N e w m a n ' s s t u d y d o e s a t t e n t i o n a p p e a r t o b e g i v e n t o

w h a t t h e " s o m e t h i n g " , w h i c h i s s u p p o s e d t o b e i n f l u e n c i n g c h a n g e i n t h e

c h i l d i n c l u d e d i n a s p e c i a l p r o g r a m m i g h t b e . H e r w o r k d e m o n s t r a t e s

a t e c h n i q u e by w h i c h some o f t h e p e r s o n a l a n d i n t e r p e r s o n a l v a r i a b l e s

w h i c h m i g h t be e f f e c t i n g c h a n g e c a n be r e l i a b l y d e t e r m i n e d . T h e i d e a

o f a d a p t i n g h e r t e c h n i q u e a s p a r t o f t h i s s t u d y w a s r e j e c t e d b e c a u s e o f

t h e i n s u r m o u n t a b l e d i f f i c u l t y t h a t w o u l d h a v e b e e n i n v o l v e d i n g e t t i n g

t h e n e c e s s a r y p e o p l e t o c o o p e r a t e i n b e i n g t r a i n e d t o k e e p , a n d i n k e e p ­

i n g , o b j e c t i v e a n e c d o t a l r e c o r d s o f t h e i r i n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h t h e c h i l d r e n .

Many o f t h e e v a l u a t i v e a p p r o a c h e s o f t h e s e o t h e r p r o g r a m s w e r e

incorpora ted in o ther par ts of t h e o v e r a l l e v a l u a t i v e des ign of EPEH.

- 5 0 -

They were no t seen as p r o v i d i n g any u s e a b l e g u i d e l i n e s f o r t he d e s i g n o f t h i s s t u d y . ( J u n g , 1 9 6 4 ) .

R e s e a r c h C o n c e r n i n g t he I n f l u e n c e o f O t h e r s on C h i l d r e n ' s S c h o o l A d j u s t m e n t B e h a v i o r

R e s e a r c h has been r e p o r t e d f r om a v a r i e t y o f s t u d i e s i n d i c a t i n g

t h a t p e r s o n s In v a r i o u s r o l e s r e l a t i n g t o a c h i l d do i n f l u e n c e h i s s c h o o l

a d j u s t m e n t . Some such r e p o r t s w i l l be r e f e r r e d t o h e r e c o n c e r n i n g the

c h i 1 d 1 s r e l a 1 1 o n s w i t h f a m f 1 y , p e e r s , s c h o o l p e r s o n n e 1 , r e c r e a t i o n a 1

p e r s o n n e l , and In te rms o f the c o m b i n i n g o f i n f l u e n c e f r o m such p e r s o n s .

Summary comments w i l l be i n c l u d e d c o n c e r n i n g p o s s i b l e g u i d e l i n e s d e r i v e d

f r o m t h e s e r e p o r t s w h i c h were c o n s i d e r e d i n d e s i g n i n g t h i s s t u d y .

1. F a m i l y I n f l u e n c e on C h i l d r e n ' s S c h o o l A d j u s t m e n t B e h a v i o r

Butman r e p o r t s a s t u d y o f t he r e l a t i o n s h i p , " be tween the c h i l d ' s

r o l e i n h i s f a m i l y , v i s - a - v i s h i s p a r e n t s , and t he r o l e he s u b s e q u e n t l y

p l a y e d i n t he c l a s s r o o m . " '448 boys and g i r l s f r om t he f o u r t h , f i f t h ,

and s i x t h g rades were i n c l u d e d in t he s t u d y . The d a t a c o n s i s t o f " t h e

c h i l d ' s p e r c e p t i o n s , a t t i t u d e s and r a t i n g s o f h i s f a m i l y and h i s own r o l e

In the f a m i l y , h i s t e a c h e r ' s p e r c e p t i o n s o f h i s b e h a v i o r , r e l a t i v e t o

o t h e r members o f the c l a s s r o o m , and the r a t i n g s he r e c e i v e d f r om h i s p e e r s ,

bo th o f l i k e and o p p o s i t e s e x . "

"The g e n e r a l c o n c l u s i o n f r o m t h i s r e p o r t i s t h a t f o r b o t h boys

and g i r l s t h e r e i s a good dea l o f i n t e r a c t i o n between the e f f e c t o f

c o n d i t i o n e r s such as s i m i l a r i t y between s i t u a t i o n s , d e g r e e o f c o n f l i c t

o v e r r o l e p r e s c r i p t i o n s and the b e h a v i o r a l model o f the l i k e - s e x e d

p a r e n t under c o n d i t i o n s o f h i g h and low power a t t a i n m e n t i n t he f a m i l y

and b e h a v i o r i n t he c l a s s r o o m . W h i l e t h e r e a r e o v e r - a l l r e l a t i o n s h i p s

- 5 1 -

f o r bo th s e x e s between power a t home o r power among p e e r s and b e h a v i o r , t he s p e c i f i c b e h a v i o r s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h h i g h o r low power a r e r e l a t e d t o , and In some deg ree d e r i v e d f r o m , the r e l a t i o n s h i p o f t he c h i l d t o h i s l i k e - s e x p a r e n t and t he way i n w h i c h he p e r c e i v e s t h i s r e l a t i o n s h i p as a f f e c t i n g h i m " (Bu tman , 1 9 6 4 ) .

Worme l l e x p l o r e d t he r e l a t i o n s h i p be tween c h i l d r e n ' s u t i l i z a ­

t i o n o f t h e i r i n t e l l e c t u a l a b i l i t y on a cadem ic a c h i e v e m e n t a t s c h o o l

and t h e i r p e r c e p t i o n s o f " e x p e r i e n c e s i n home, s c h o o l , and s o c i a l r e l a ­

t i o n s h i p s as ones w h i c h can be s a t i s f a c t o r i l y I n t e g r a t e d i n t o an a c c e p t i n g

s e l f - c o n c e p t . " Degree o f u t i l i z a t i o n o f i n t e l l e c t u a l a b i l i t y was d e t e r ­

mined on t he b a s i s o f O t i s I n t e l l i g e n c e T e s t s c o r e s and g r a d e - p o i n t

a v e r a g e o f f i v e s u b j e c t s . 857 c h i l d r e n were d i v i d e d i n t o q u i n t l l e s on

each s c o r e . These two s e t s o f q u i n t i l e s were used as t he two s i d e s o f a

2 5 - c e l l m a t r i x . P o s i t i o n i n t h i s m a t r i x i n d i c a t e d whe the r a c h i l d was a

h i g h o r a low u t i l i z e r . One hundred c h i l d r e n were matched f o r s e x , age

w i t h i n s i x mon ths , i n t e l l i g e n c e w i t h i n s i x O t i s p o i n t s , and s o c i o - e c o n o m i c

s t a t u s , 50 l o w - u t i l i z e r s w i t h 50 h i g h - u t i l i z e r s . The c h i l d ' s p e r c e p t i o n s

o f s u p p o r t f o r i n t e l l e c t u a l u t i l i z a t i o n w i t h i n t he home and f a m i l y , and

the n a t u r e o f c o m m u n i c a t i o n w i t h p a r e n t s were d e t e r m i n e d f r om r e s p o n s e s

t o a q u e s t i o n n a l r e .

Some o f t he f i n d i n g s o f t h i s s t u d y a r e as f o l l o w s . " . . . p e r ­

c e p t i o n s o f p a r e n t a l s u p p o r t , e s p e c i a l l y t o u c h i n g upon the l e v e l a t w h i c h

i n t e l l e c t u a l a b i l i t y i s b e i n g u t i l i z e d , r e i n f o r c e t he e x i s t i n g l e v e l o f

s c h o o l a c h i e v e m e n t f o r bo th h i g h , and l o w - u t i l i z e r s . H i g h - u t i l i z e r s more

o f t e n t han do l o w - u t i l i z e r s b e l i e v e t h e i r p a r e n t s know a b o u t , a p p r o v e ,

and make f a v o r a b l e c o m p a r i s o n s abou t i n t e l l e c t u a l a c t i v i t i e s a t s c h o o l

- 5 2 -

and in a s u p p o r t i v e manner . The h i g h - u t i l i z i n g g roup r e a c t s w i t h p o s i t i v e f e e l i n g s t o h i s p e r c e i v e d t r e a t m e n t , t he l o w - u t i l i z i n g g roup w i t h n e g a t i v e f e e l i n g s . Y e t p a r e n t a l a p p r o v a l i s i m p o r t a n t t o a m a j o r i t y o f c h i l d r e n i n bo th h i g h and low g r o u p s . 1 1

" I n c e r t a i n i n s t a n c e s where p a r e n t s ' s u p p o r t f o r c h i l d r e n ' s

e f f o r t s a t s c h o o l i s t e s t e d , 1 ow-.ut i 11 z e r s more o f t e n than do h i g h -

u t i l i z e r s p e r c e i v e s u p p o r t coming f r o m a p a r e n t o f t he o p p o s i t e s e x

r a t h e r t han f r om a p a r e n t o f t he same s e x . " "When the a d v a n t a g e s and

d i s a d v a n t a g e s o f f a m i l y l i v i n g a r e s p e c i f i e d by s e p a r a t e i t e m s , p r a i s e

and b lame d i s c r i m i n a t e d i f f e r e n t l y between boys and g i r l s . L o w - u t i l i z i n g

boys t h i n k t hey ge t more t han t h e i r s h a r e o f b lame f o r what t hey do w r o n g .

L o w - u t i l i z i n g g i r l s b e l i e v e they r e c e i v e l e s s t han t h e i r s h a r e o f p r a i s e

f o r what t hey do r i g h t " ( W o r m e l l , 1 9 6 3 ) .

Voge l s t u d i e d the r e l a t i o n s h i p between p a r e n t a t t i t u d e s and

b e h a v i o r and s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t o f s e c o n d - and t h i r d - g r a d e b o y s . A g roup

o f 15 w e l l - a d j u s t e d boys were i n d i v i d u a l l y matched on age and I .Q . w i t h

a g roup who were p o o r l y a d j u s t e d . S c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t was d e t e r m i n e d on

the b a s i s o f t e a c h e r r a t i n g s . F a t h e r s and mo thers we re i n t e r v i e w e d

s e p a r a t e l y t o d e t e r m i n e a t t i t u d e s and b e h a v i o r . " Q u e s t i o n s a sked o f t he

p a r e n t s were t a ken a l m o s t e n t i r e l y f r om t he i n t e r v i e w s c h e d u l e d e v i s e d

by S e a r s , M a c c o l e y , and L e v i n , i n P a t t e r n s o f C h i l d R e a r i n g . " Judges

r a t e d r e s p o n s e s on a n i n e - p o i n t s c a l e . " C o m p a r i s o n s were made between

t he mothers o f t he a n t i - s o c i a l g roup and t he we 1 1 - a d j u s c e d group on a l l

o f t he s c a l e s e v a l u a t e d by t he t h r e e j u d g e s . " Voge l no tes t h a t low

agreement between t he J u d g e s i n he r s t u d y i n d i c a t e s a need f o r c a u t i o n

i n I n t e r p r e t i n g t he r e s u l t s .

- 5 3 -

The r e s u l t s i n d i c a t e t h a t mothers and f a t h e r s o f boys i n t he w e l l - a d j u s t e d g roup r e p o r t e d : a g r e a t e r amount o f t ime s p e n t w i t h the boy f o r t he p a r e n t s ' own p l e a s u r e ; g r e a t e r a c c e p t a n c e o f t he boy f o r w h a t e v e r t r a i t s he may h a v e ; a g r e a t e r deg ree o f p r i d e , p l e a s u r e , and l o v e f o r t he boy when t hey t a 1 k e d about h i m ; g r e a t e r s u c c e s s i n d i r e c t i ng t he b o y ' s b e h a v i o r , s i n c e t hey were much b e t t e r a b l e t o ge t t he boy t o do what - t h e y , t he p a r e n t s , f e l t was i m p o r t a n t .

Mo the rs and f a t h e r s o f boys i n the p o o r l y a d j u s t e d g roup

reported; greater demands for at tent ion on t he part o f the i r boys;

h i g h i r r i t a b i l i t y w i t h t h e i r b o y s ; as e x p r e s s e d by much g r e a t e r use o f

s c o l d i n g , n a g g i n g , and l e c t u r i n g ; a g r e a t e r d e g r e e o f g u i l t f e e l i n g s f o r

p u n i s h i n g o r t h r e a t e n i n g t o p u n i s h the b o y , as w e l l as show ing a g r e a t e r

deg ree o f c h i l d - r e a r i n g a n x i e t y ; more f r e q u e n t l y used c o n c r e t e r eward

r a t h e r t han v e r b a 1 app rova1 f o r good b e h a v i o r .

Mo thers o f boys i n t he w e l l - a d j u s t e d g roup gave e v i d e n c e o f a

h i g h e r deg ree o f s e l f - e s t e e m and made g r e a t e r use o f r e a s o n i n g as t e c h ­

n i q u e o f c o n t r o l . Mo thers o f boys i n t he p o o r l y a d j u s t e d g roup more

o f t e n c a r r i e d t h rough on a t h r e a t o f pun i shmen t t o t he boy and r e p o r t e d

more f r e q u e n t p o s i t i v e r e s p o n s e o f t he boy when he was p u n i s h e d . F a t h e r s

o f boys i n t h e p o o r l y a d j u s t e d g roup more o f t e n used w i t h d r a w a l o f

p r i v i l e g e s • ( V o g e l , 1962) .

H o f f m a n , R o s e n , and L i p p i t t r e p o r t a s t u d y w h i c h e x p l o r e s t he

r e l a t i o n s h i p between i ndependen t v a r i a b l e s o f p a r e n t a l c o e r c i v e n e s s and

c h i l d au tonomy , as p e r c e i v e d by t he c h i l d , and dependen t v a r i a b l e s o f

h os111 i t y , a s s e r t f v eness i n t he schoo1 s i t u a t i o n , s e l f - c o n f i d e n c e i n

i n d e p e n d e n t a c t i o n , and s k i l l s w h i c h have r e l e v a n c e f o r pee r g roup l e a d e r s h i p

- 5 4 -

S u b j e c t s f o r t h e ' s t u d y i n c l u d e d 2 1 1 " t h i r d - t h r o u g h s i x t h - g r a d e b o y s .

P a r e n t a l c o e r c l v e n e s s was d e f i n e d a s , " t h e e x t e n t t o w h i c h the

p a r e n t s p u n i s h the c h i l d , p h y s i c a l l y o r by d e p r i v a t i o n . " C h i l d autonomy

was d e f i n e d a s , " t h e e x t e n t t o w h i c h the c h i l d i s f r e e t o a c t w i t h o u t

immedia te a d u l t s u p e r v i s i o n . " Data on t h e s e two v a r i a b l e s were o b t a i n e d

f r om c h i l d r e n ' s q u e s t i o n n a i r e r e s p o n s e s . Measures o f h o s t i l i t y and needs

f o r s e l f - a s s e r t i o n were a l s o o b t a i n e d f rom c h i l d r e n ' s q u e s t i o n n a i r e

r e s p o n s e s . The o t h e r v a r i a b l e s were measured m a i n l y b y . t e a c h e r r a t i n g s ,

although one va r iab le , how much the subjects were l i k e d , was measured by

c l a s s r o o m s o c i o m e t r i c s .

R e s u l t s o f t h i s s t u d y w h i c h were s i g n i f i c a n t a t t he .05 l e v e l

indicated t h a t boys who r e p o r t h i g h p a r e n t a l c o e r c i v e n e s s and h i g h

autonomy w i l l :

- " show h i g h e r a cadem ic p e r f o r m a n c e . "

- " u s e more d i r e c t i v e n e s s in t h e i r i n f l u e n c e a t t e m p t s . "

- " a c h i e v e g r e a t e r s u c c e s s i n p e r s o n a l i n f l u e n c e on p e e r s . "

- " engage i n more g roup o r i e n t e d l e a d e r s h i p . "

- " show more a c t i v e f r i e n d l i n e s s t oward p e e r s . "

(Ho f fman , R o s e n , and L i p p i t t , I960)-

Go ld c o n d u c t e d a s t u d y e x p l o r i n g t he r e l a t i o n s h i p between

p a r e n t a l p u n i s h m e n t , g u i l t o f b o y s , and b o y s ' b e h a v i o r i n s c h o o l . 191

boys were i n c l u d e d i n t he s t u d y . O n e - t h i r d each were f r o m e l e m e n t a r y

s c h o o l , j u n i o r h i g h s c h o o l , and s e n i o r h i g h s c h o o l . The boys were i n

t he t h i r d and f o u r t h , s e v e n t h and e i g h t h , and t e n t h and e l e v e n t h g r a d e s

r e s p e c t i v e l y . At each g rade l e v e l , h a l f t he boys were s e l e c t e d as h a v i n g

been r a t e d by t h e i r t e a c h e r s as h i g h on " a c t i v e d i s a p p r o v e d b e h a v i o r . "

- 5 5 -

The o t h e r h a l f had been r a t e d h i g h on " p r a i s e w o r t h y b e h a v i o r . "

Each p a r e n t o r p a r e n t - s u r r o g a t e was i n t e r v i e w e d s e p a r a t e l y t o

o b t a i n d a t a on t he k i n d s of pun ishment u s e d . T h e i r r e s p o n s e s were coded

i n t o d i f f e r e n t c a t e g o r i e s of p u n i s h m e n t . Those used i n t he s t u d y i n c l u d e d

t h r e e w h i c h were c o n s i d e r e d t o e m p h a s i z e e x t e r n a l c o n t r o l and two w h i c h

e m p h a s i z e d i n t e r n a l c o n t r o l . E x t e r n a l c o n t r o l c a t e g o r i e s i n c l u d e d p h y s i c a l

p u n i s h m e n t , s c o l d i n g o r d e p r i v i n g , and o r d e r i n g . I n t e r n a l c o n t r o l c a t e ­

g o r i e s i n c l u d e d r e a s o n i n g and g i v i n g u p . E x t e r n a l h e r e means t h a t t he

parents' reaction was the a t t e m p t e d means of c o n t r o l l i n g t he b o y s ' b e h a v ­

i o r . I n t e r n a l means t h a t t h e p a r e n t sough t t o a r o u s e f e e l i n g s w i t h i n t he

boy w h i c h w o u l d s e r v e t o c o n t r o l the b o y s ' b e h a v i o r .

Each boy was i n t e r v i e w e d and asked t o r espond t o s i x s t o r i e s

w h i c h p r e s e n t e d a " m o r a l v i o l a t i o n s i t u a t i o n , " such a s , " s t e a m i n g open a

l e t t e r f r o m s c h o o l t o h i s f a t h e r , s t e a l i n g a b a s e b a l l g l o v e , o r c h e a t i n g

i n a r a c e w i t h h i s f r i e n d s . " The b o y s ' r e s p o n s e s were c a t e g o r i z e d under

the s u p e r v i s i o n o f a c l i n i c a l p s y c h o l o g i s t . Th ree c a t e g o r i e s used i n t he

s t u d y w e r e , " e x p r e s s i o n o f g u i l t , " " e x t e r n a 1 i z a t i o n o f c o n t r o l , " and " no

g u i l t a p p a r e n t . " " E x p r e s s i o n o f g u i l t " was seen as " a symptom o f i n t e r n a l

c o n t r o l . " " E x t e r n a l i z a t i o n o f c o n t r o l " and " n o g u i l t a p p a r e n t " were seen

as " i n d i c a t o r s o f e x t e r n a l c o n t r o l . "

"The d a t a showed t h a t boys h i g h on l a c k o f g u i l t were more l i k e l y

t o be c i t e d as s c h o o l b e h a v i o r p rob lems when t h e i r f a t h e r s s c o l d e d and

d e p r i v e d them, bu t no t when t h e i r mo thers d i d ( p . 1 0 ) . W h i l e d a t a f o r

o t h e r t y p e s o f p a r e n t a l r e s p o n s e s and f o r h i g h e x t e r n a 1 i z a t i o n o f c o n t r o l

showed no d i f f e r e n c e s , t h i s one i n s t a n c e o f a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e

s u g g e s t e d t h a t ma jo r i m p o r t a n c e must be a s s i g n e d t o f a t h e r s ' r e s p o n s e s

to m i s b e h a v i o r i n p r o d u c i n g s c h o o l b e h a v i o r p r o b l e m s . "

-56-

I n d i c a t i o n o f t he e x t e n t t o w h i c h p a r e n t a l pun i shmen t was c a u s a l

i n i n f l u e n c i n g the b o y s ' o r i e n t a t i o n r a t h e r t han s i m p l y a r e s p o n s e t o i t

i s s u g g e s t e d as f o l l o w s . " B o t h mo thers and f a t h e r s were a s k e d , 'when y o u r

son was s t a r t i n g s c h o o l , a t abou t age s i x o r s e v e n , what ways d i d you f i n d

u s e f u l t o ge t h im t o do r i g h t and t o keep h im f r om d o i n g w r o n g ? 1 A c h i -

s q u a r e t e s t a p p l i e d t o f a t h e r s ' r e s p o n s e s showed (beyond the .05 p_ l e v e l )

t h a t f a t h e r s o f boys who were l a t e r t r o u b l e s o m e were more l i k e l y t o

e m p h a s i z e e x t e r n a l c o n t r o l s . M o t h e r s ' r e s p o n s e s I n d i c a t e d t h e same t r e n d ,

but not a t an a c c e p t a b l e p_ leve l ' ' . ' ( G o l d , 1959) .

S e a s h o r e e x p l o r e d b o y s ' c o n g r u e n c e w i t h mother and f a t h e r as i t

r e l a t e d t o h i s c i t i z e n s h i p g rades a t s c h o o l . T h i s s t u d y i n c l u d e d 89 n o n -

d e l i n q u e n t boys and t h e i r p a r e n t s , and 78 d e l i n q u e n t boys and t h e i r p a r e n t s .

Data was c o l l e c t e d f r om i n t e r v i e w s and f r om s c h o o l r e c o r d s . Congruence

s c o r e s were based on the b o y s ' r e s p o n s e t o t he f o l l o w i n g q u e s t i o n .

"When you t h i n k o f how you s h o u l d do t h i n g s o r what you ought

t o do - - do you f e e l t h a t you and you r ( m o t h e r ) ( f a t h e r ) a l w a y s

a g r e e , u s u a 1 l y , somet i mes, se1dom, o r n e v e r ? "

I t was f ound t h a t , f o r boys who a r e d e l i n q u e n t , c o n g r u e n c e w i t h p a r e n t s i s

s i g n i f i c a n t l y p o s i t i v e l y r e l a t e d w i t h c i t i z e n s h i p g rades a t s c h o o l . The

t r e n d f o r n o n - d e l i n q u e n t s was the same, but was no t s t a t i s t i c a l l y s i g n i f i ­

c a n t ( S e a s h o r e , i960)..

M i l l e r and Westman c o n d u c t e d a s t u d y o f t he r e l a t i o n s h i p between

f a m i l y r e l a t i o n s h i p s , i n t e r n a l dynamics o f f a m i l y members, and r e a d i n g

d i s a b i l i t y o f a boy i n t he f a m i l y . E i g h t e e n boys and t h e i r f a m i l i e s were

s t u d i e d . The boys were o u t p a t i e n t s a t t he C h i l d r e n ' s P s y c h i a t r i c H o s ­

p i ta l o f the U n i v e r s i t y o f M i c h i g a n M e d i c a l Center. They were between

-57-

10 and 12 y e a r s o f a g e . Data i n c l u d e d r e s u l t s o f c l i n i c a l t e s t i n g and i n t e r v i e w i n g , i n t e l l e c t u a l and a cadem ic t e s t i n g , r e c o r d s o f p s y c h o t h e r ­a p e u t i c s e s s i o n s w i t h c h i l d and w i t h p a r e n t s , and v i s i t s t o o b s e r v e i n t e r a c t i o n s a t home and a t s c h o o l .

M i l l e r and Westman c o n c l u d e t h a t t he meaning o f t he r e a d i n g

d i s a b i l i t y o f the boys whom they s t u d i e d s h o u l d be v i e w e d , " i n t he c o n t e x t

o f t he c h i l d ' s s u b i d e n t i t y as p s e u d o - s t u p i d o r I n f a n t i l e s o n . The symptom

i s t hus an e s s e n t i a l i n g r e d i e n t in the bonds be tween h i s s u b i d e n t i t y and

the p a r e n t a l s u b i d e n t I t I e s o f f a t h e r and mother and o f t e n h e l p s t o m a i n ­

t a i n bonds between t he p a r e n t s ' m a r i t a l s u b i d e n t i t i e s . In s h o r t , we

p o s t u l a t e t h a t p a r e n t s and c h i l d r e n r e s i s t change i n t he r e a d i n g d i s ­

a b i l i t y because I t c o n t r i b u t e s t o t he f a m i l y ' s s u r v i v a l . "

M i l l e r and Westman c i t e f o u r k i n d s o f e v i d e n c e t o s u p p o r t t h i s

i n t e r p r e t a t i o n . These i n c l u d e : "1) That t he c h i l d ' s symptom and s u b -

i d e n t i t y a r e c o m p a t i b l e w i t h t h o s e o f t he p a r e n t s ; 2) Tha t members o f

many f a m i l i e s engage i n a c t i v i t i e s w h i c h r e i n f o r c e the symptom; 3) Tha t

c o n c r e t e e v i d e n c e o f the c h i l d ' s u n r e a l i z e d i n t e l l e c t u a l p o t e n t i a l i s

d e n i e d by the a d u l t s and even the c h i l d ; 4) That some members r e a c t t o

improved r e a d i n g w i t h e m o t i o n a l d i s t u r b a n c e s , and the e n t i r e f a m i l y

r esponds as i t w o u l d t o a ma jo r emergency 1 . 1 ( M i l l e r and Westman, 1 9 6 4 ) .

Summary o f r e s e a r c h f i nd i ngs c o n c e r n i ng f a m i l y

Bu tman ' s f i nd i ngs i n d I c a t e t h a t ch i 1 d r e n p e r c e i ve t he i n f 1 u e n c e

o f t h e i r mother and f a t h e r d i f f e r e n t i a l l y w i t h r e g a r d t o I t s e f f e c t on

s c h o o l b e h a v i o r . T h i s I m p l i e s t h a t d a t a s h o u l d be c o l l e c t e d c o n c e r n i n g

the c h i l d ' s p e r c e p t i o n o f e a c h . The " b e h a v i o r a l model o f t he l i k e - s e x

p a r e n t " i s f ound t o be i m p o r t a n t . I t i s no t s i m p l y t he " r e l a t i o n s h i p o f

-58-

the c h i l d t o h i s l i k e - s e x p a r e n t , " but " t h e way i n w h i c h he p e r c e i v e s t h i s r e l a t i o n s h i p as a f f e c t i n g h im . " It t h e r e f o r e seems t h a t t he c h i l d ' s p e r c e p t i o n s o f the r e l a t i o n s h i p , r a t h e r than some o t h e r d e t e r m i n a n t o f t he r e l a t i o n s h i p , s h o u l d be d i s c o v e r e d . I t wou ld be i m p o r t a n t t o know how the c h i l d sees the p a r e n t model and how he sees t he r e l a t i o n s h i p e f f e c t i n g h i m . W o r m e l l ' s f i n d i n g s i n d i c a t e t h a t p e r c e i v e d p a r e n t a l a p p r o v a l i s i m p o r t a n t . T h i s c o u l d be t h o u g h t t o imp ly t h a t c h i l d r e n w i l l do what t hey t h i n k t h e i r p a r e n t s want them t o do i n o r d e r t o g a i n t h a t a p p r o v a l . Blame and threat as well as praise are found to be important. It wou ld t h e r e f o r e seem n e c e s s a r y t o know what t he c h i l d t h i n k s t he p a r e n t w i l l do. i f t he c h i l d does not do what he t h i n k s the p a r e n t w a n t s .

V o g e 1 ' s f i nd i ngs i nd i c a t e t h a t good f e e l i ngs i n t he r e l a t i o n -

s h l p between p a r e n t s and c h i l d r e n , as opposed t o a l o t o f a n x i e t y and

pun i s hmen t , a re i m p o r t a n t . H o f f m a n , R o s e n , and L i pp i 11 ' s f I n d i ngs a l s o

i n d i c a t e t h a t pun i shmen t i s i m p o r t a n t . In c o m b i n a t i o n w i t h " c h i l d

au tonomy" t hey f i n d t h a t pun i shmen t can have some p o s i t i v e e f f e c t s

whereas V o g e l ' s f i n d i n g s p i c t u r e pun i shmen t as g e n e r a l l y n e g a t i v e . One

s h o u l d , t h e n , be c a r e f u l i n u s i n g d a t a abou t p u n i s h m e n t . The meaning o f

i t s i n f l u e n c e a p p a r e n t l y comb ines w i t h o t h e r f a c t o r s . G o l d ' s f i n d i n g s

i n d i c a t e s o m e t h i n g abou t t he dynamics o f pun i shmen t as an i n f l u e n c e on

b o y s ' s c h o o l b e h a v i o r . Sons o f p a r e n t s who use a l o t o f pun i shmen t

d e v e l o p l i t t l e " g u i l t " and show more " d i s a p p r o v e d b e h a v i o r " i n s c h o o l .

T h u s , a g a i n , i t seems i m p o r t a n t to c o l l e c t d a t a on the c h i l d ' s p e r c e p t i o n s

o f t he n e g a t i v e r e a c t i o n s o f p a r e n t s t o t he c h i l d ' s b e h a v i o r . A c c o r d i n g

t o G o l d ' s f i n d i n g s t h i s a p p l i e s e s p e c i a l l y t o t he f a t h e r .

S e a s h o r e ' s f i n d i n g s abou t c o n g r u e n c e adds s u p p o r t t o t he Impor­

t a n c e o f f i n d i n g ou t the e x t e n t t o w h i c h the c h i l d wants t o do what t he

-59-

p a r e n t d e s i r e s . One might wonder h e r e i f t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g d i s t i n c t i v e

between t he i m p o r t a n c e o f t he c h i l d w a n t i n g t o do the same t h i n g t h a t t h e

p a r e n t wan ts him t o do and the Impo r tance o f t he c h i l d w a n t i n g t o p l e a s e

t he p a r e n t by d o i n g what t he p a r e n t w a n t s . It seems c o n c e i v a b l e t h a t a

c h i l d may want v e r y much t o p l e a s e h i s p a r e n t s bu t no t l i k e the t h i n g s

t hey want h im t o d o . It a l s o seems c o n c e i v a b l e t h a t t h e c h i l d c o u l d want

t o do t he same t h i n g t h a t h i s p a r e n t s want h im t o do w i t h o u t c a r i n g w h e t h e r

o r not he pleases them. I f these rea l ly are po tent ia l l y separate factors

o f i m p o r t a n c e , one m igh t s u s p e c t t h a t a c h i l d f ound to be h i g h on bo th

c o n g r u e n c e and on w a n t i n g t o p l e a s e m igh t be i n f l u e n c e d w i t h m u l t i p l i c a t i v e

r a t h e r t han j u s t a d d i t i v e f o r c e .

M i l l e r and Wes tman 's f i n d i n g s i n d i c a t e the i m p o r t a n c e o f d e t e r ­

m i n i n g the n a t u r e o f r e l a t i o n s h i p s o f t he c h i l d w i t h o t h e r members o f h i s

f a m i l y . They i n d i c a t e t h a t i t may a l s o be i m p o r t a n t t o d e t e r m i n e the

mean ing t o t he c h i l d o f the r e l a t i o n s h i p s w h i c h he p e r c e i v e s between

o t h e r members o f t he f a m i l y . Bo th o f t h e s e f a c t o r s a p p a r e n t l y i n f l u e n c e

h i s s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t .

2 . P e e r s I n f l u e n c e on C h i l d r e n ' s S c h o o l A d j u s t m e n t B e h a v i o r

Van Egmond c o n d u c t e d a s t u d y t o e x p l o r e whe the r second and f i f t h

g rade p u p i l s ' u t i l i z a t i o n o f i n t e l l e c t u a l a b i l i t y i n a cadem ic a c h i e v e m e n t

i s r e l a t e d t o e n v i r o n m e n t a l v a r i a b l e s i n c l u d i n g : the p a t t e r n o f i n f l u e n c e

and a c c e p t a n c e r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h p e e r s , age and s e x o f t he c h i l d , and

the s o c i o - e c o n o m i c p o s i t i o n o f t he c h i l d ' s f a m i l y . 640 c h i l d r e n i n 16

s e c o n d and 16 f i f t h - g r a d e c l a s s r o o m s were i n c l u d e d i n t he s t u d y . U t i l i z a ­

t i o n o f i n t e l l e c t u a l a b i l i t y was d e t e r m i n e d on the b a s i s o f I n d i v i d u a l

- 6 0 -

c o m p a r i s o n s o f s c o r e s on s t a n d a r d i z e d t e s t s o f menta l a b i l i t i e s and o f a c a d e m i c a c h i e v e m e n t . S o c i o - e c o n o m i c c l a s s was based on o c c u p a t i o n o f f a t h e r . The e x t e n t s t o w h i c h s u b j e c t s were a c c e p t e d by t h e i r p e e r s , were p e r c e i v e d as i n f l u e n t i a l members o f t he g r o u p , and were c o n s i d e r e d t o be a b l e i n s c h o o l t a s k s were d e t e r m i n e d by s o c i o m e t r i c r a t i n g s by c l a s s m a t e s , r a t i n g s by t e a c h e r s , and o b s e r v a t i o n s o f b e h a v i o r i n t he c l a s s r o o m .

Van Egmond r e p o r t s t h a t c h i l d r e n "who a r e i n f l u e n t i a l w i t h p e e r s

and a c c e p t e d by them u t i l i z e I n t e l l e c t u a l a b i l i t y t o a g r e a t e r d e g r e e

t han c h i l d r e n who a r e not as i n f l u e n t i a l o r w e l l a c c e p t e d . " " C o n t r o l l i n g

f o r i n t e l l i g e n c e , i t was f ound t ha t s o c i a l r e l a t i o n s h i p f a c t o r s were no t

as c l o s e l y r e l a t e d t o t he l e v e l o f u t i l i z a t i o n o f i n t e l l e c t u a l a b i l i t y

f o r t h o s e c a t e g o r i z e d as low i n menta l a b i l i t y as f o r t h o s e c a t e g o r i z e d

as m i d d l e o r h i g h i n menta l a b i l i t y . " "The r e l a t i o n s h i p s were f ound to

be much weaker a t t he second g rade than a t the f i f t h g rade l e v e l , p a r t i c ­

u l a r l y f o r i n f l u e n c e r e l a t i o n s h i p s . " I t a p p e a r e d t h a t t h i s l a t t e r f i n d i n g

was m a i n l y a t t r i b u t a b l e t o " a group norm a g a i n s t h i g h a c h i e v e m e n t on t he

p a r t o f s e c o n d - g r a d e b o y s . " C h i l d r e n whose f a m i l i e s were i n m i d d l e - c l a s s

s t a t u s pos i t i on as d e t e rmi ned by f a t h e r s 1 o c c u p a t i on " u t i 1 i ze I n t e 1 1 e c t u a 1

a b i l i t y t o a h i g h e r l e v e l than t h o s e whose f a m i l i e s were i n a l ower s t a t u s

p o s i t i o n . " In c o m p a r i n g sexes Van Egmond r e p o r t s , " I t a p p e a r s t h a t l a c k

o f i n f l u e n c e a b i l i t y i s a more i m p o r t a n t d i s t r a c t i o n f o r boys, w h i l e l a c k

o f a f f e c t i o n a l r e l a t i o n s h i p s i s t he more i m p o r t a n t d i s t r a c t i o n f o r g i r l s

w i t h r e s p e c t t o a c h i e v e m e n t p e r f o r m a n c e in the c l a s s r o o m " (Van Egmond,

I960) .

E c h e l b e r g e r c o n d u c t e d a s t u d y t o e x p l o r e whe the r a c h i l d ' s

s o c i o m e t r i c p o s i t i o n i n the c l a s s r o o m on d i m e n s i o n s o f powe r , l i k e a b i l i t y ,

and expertness r e l a t e d to r a t i n g s of h i s o v e r t b e h a v i o r p r o b l e m s , and o f

- 6 1 -

h l s i n t e l l e c t u a l , p h y s i c a l , s o c i a l and e m o t i o n a l t r a i t s . The s t u d y i n c l u d e d 274 boys and g i r l s i n t he f i r s t t h r o u g h s i x t h g r a d e s o f a u n i v e r s i t y l a b o r a t o r y s c h o o l . The s o c i o m e t r i c d a t a - w a s g a t h e r e d f r om the c h i l d r e n i n t h e s e c l a s s r o o m s . The r a t i n g s were made by t e a c h e r s on t he H a g g a r t y - 0 1 s o n - W I c k m a n B e h a v i o r R a t i n g S c a l e . E c h e l b e r g e r f ound t h a t c h i l d r e n who a r e more i n f l u e n t i a l and p o p u l a r among t h e i r c l a s s m a t e s a r e r a t e d by t e a c h e r s as h a v i n g f ewer b e h a v i o r p r o b l e m s , b e t t e r s o c i a l a d j u s t ­ment , and b e t t e r e m o t i o n a l a d j u s t m e n t t han l e s s I n f l u e n t i a l , l e s s p o p u l a r p e e r s ( E c h e l b e r g e r , 1959)•

E p p e r s o n , L u s z k i , and Schmuck r e p o r t a s t u d y w h i c h e x p l o r e d the

r e l a t i o n s h i p between c l a s s r o o m i n t e r p e r s o n a l r e l a t i o n s , men ta l h e a l t h ,

and a c t u a l i z a t i o n o f i n t e l l e c t u a l a b i l i t y in a cadem ic a c h i e v e m e n t . Data

f o r t h i s s t u d y was c o l l e c t e d f r om t he boys and g i r l s and t e a c h e r s i n f o u r

s i x t h - g r a d e c l a s s r o o m s . Men ta l h e a l t h was d e f i n e d a s , " t h e adequacy o f

t he p u p i l s ' r e l a t i o n s h i p t o h i s l e a r n i n g e n v i r o n m e n t and t he p o s i t i v e n e s s

o f h i s f e e l i n g s abou t h i m s e l f . " S o c i o m e t r i c t e s t s p r o v i d e d d a t a on c l a s s ­

room i n t e r p e r s o n a l r e l a t i o n s on the d i m e n s i o n o f who was l i k e d and no t

l i k e d by whom. Two o f the c l a s s r o o m s , i n w h i c h a few c h i l d r e n were s e l e c t e d

by most o f t he r e s t as bes t l i k e d and a few s e l e c t e d as l e a s t l i k e d were

termed as h a v i n g s o c i a l a tmospheres w h i c h were " c e n t r a l l y s t r u c t u r e d . "

Two c l a s s r o o m s i n w h i c h most o f t he c h i l d r e n r e c e i v e d d e s i g n a t i o n s f r o m

some o t h e r s as b e s t l i k e d and l e a s t l i k e d were te rmed as h a v i n g a " d i f f u s e l y

s t r u c t u r e d " s o c i a l a t m o s p h e r e . Adequacy o f r e l a t i o n s h i p o r l e a r n i n g

e n v i r o n m e n t was c o n s i d e r e d r e f l e c t e d by t he a c c u r a c y o f t he p u p i l ' s e s t i ­

mate o f h i s p o s i t i o n i n t he l i k i n g s t r u c t u r e o f h i s c l a s s r o o m , by r a t i n g s

o f s e n t e n c e comp le t i o n , t e s t r e s p o n s e s c o n c e r n i ng the s c h o o l s e t t i n g , and

- 6 2 -

by h i s a c t u a l i z a t i o n o f i n t e l l e c t u a l p o t e n t i a l i n a c a d e m i c a c h i e v e m e n t as d e t e r m i n e d by c o m p a r i n g i n t e l l i g e n c e t e s t s c o r e s w i t h t e a c h e r s ' r a t i n g s o f a c h i e v e m e n t r e l a t i v e t o o t h e r s i n t he c l a s s . P o s i t i v e n e s s o f f e e l i n g s abou t s e l f was d e t e r m i n e d f r om r a t i n g s o f s e n t e n c e c o m p l e t i o n t e s t r e s p o n s e s c o n c e r n i ng h i mse1 f .

The f o l l o w i n g f i n d i n g s c o n c e r n i n g a c h i l d ' s r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h

p e e r s were r e p o r t e d . C h i l d r e n who were low i n l i k i n g s t a t u s i n t h e i r

c l a s s r o o m s were more a c c u r a t e i n p e r c e i v i n g t h i s I f t hey were i n c l a s s ­

rooms w h i c h had a c e n t r a l l y - s t r u c t u r e d soc ia l a t m o s p h e r e . C h i l d r e n who

a c c u r a t e l y p e r c e i v e d low s t a t u s on l i k e a b i l i t y were l ower a c t u a l i z e r s o f

a c a d e m i c r e s o u r c e s t han t h o s e who were a c c u r a t e and w e l l - l i k e d . C h i l d r e n

who p e r c e i v e t h e m s e l v e s as not w e l l - l i k e d a r e l ower a c t u a l i z e r s t han t h o s e

who p e r c e i v e t h e m s e l v e s as w e l l - I I k e d . C h i l d r e n who p e r c e i v e t h e m s e l v e s

as no t w e l l - l i k e d show lower s e l f - e s t e e m than t h o s e who p e r c e i v e t hem­

s e l v e s as w e l l - l i k e d . P u p i l s who t hough t t he t e a c h e r s and o t h e r p u p i l s

d i d not v a l u e h im had low s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t and low a c t u a l i z a t i o n o r

a cadem ic a c h i e v e m e n t ( E p p e r s o n , L u s z k i , Schmuck, 1 9 6 1 ) /

Schmuck c o n d u c t e d f u r t h e r r e s e a r c h w h i c h r e p l i c a t e d and f u r t h e r

v a l i d a t e d h i s work w i t h Eppe rson and L u s z k i . He added a v a r i a b l e w h i c h

was c a l l e d , " p u p i l p o t e n c y o f i n v o l v e m e n t In t he pee r g r o u p , " w h i c h was

d e f i n e d a s , " t h e deg ree t h a t a p u p i l i s l i m i t e d t o h i s c l a s s m a t e s f o r

l i k e - a g e f r i e n d s h i p t i e s . " T h i s v a r i a b l e was o p e r a t i o n a 1 1 zed as f o l l o w s .

" E a c h p u p i l d e s i g n a t e s how many p e e r s o u t s i d e t h e c l a s s r o o m he l i k e s the

same o r b e t t e r t han h i s c l a s s m a t e s . A c l a s s r o o m median Is used to d i s ­

t i n g u i s h h i g h i n v o l v e m e n t f r o m low i n v o l v e m e n t f o r each p u p i l . "

S c h m u c k ' s f i n d i n g s c o n c e r n i n g t he p o t e n c y v a r i a b l e were t h a t

- 6 3 -

the a s s o c i a t i o n s w h i c h had been, found, between a c t u a l l i k i n g s t a t u s and o n e ' s u t i l i z a t i o n o f a b i l i t i e s e x i s t o n l y f o r p u p i l s w i t h h i g h p o t e n c y o f i n v o l v e m e n t i n t he p e e r g r o u p . Schmuck a l s o f ound t h a t t he a s s o c i a t i o n between a c t u a l l i k i n g s t a t u s and o n e ' s a t t i t u d e t oward s e l f e x i s t s o n l y f o r t he h i g h p o t e n c y p u p i l s . (Schmuck, 1963) -

L i p p i t t and Go ld r e p o r t a s t u d y In w h i c h o b s e r v a t i o n s were

r e c o r d e d o f c h i l d r e n ' s i n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h each o t h e r i n f o u r a c t i v i t i e s

b e i n g c o n d u c t e d i n t he c l a s s r o o m . The d a t a was used t o t y p e c h i l d r e n In

terms o f a behavioral output pattern. The f i ve k i n d s o f patterns were

t e r m e d : a c t i v e - a s s e r t i v e , f r i e n d l y ; a c t i v e - a s s e r t i v e , u n f r i e n d l y ; n e u t r a l

o r m i x e d ; p a s s i v e , f r i e n d l y ; p a s s i v e , u n f r i e n d l y . The r e l a t i o n s h i p between

t h e s e p a t t e r n s and the c h i l d ' s p o s i t i o n i n t he l i k e a b i l i t y s t r u c t u r e o f

h i s c l a s s r o o m were e x p l o r e d .

L i p p i t t and Go ld r e p o r t t h a t , " t h o s e b e h a v i o r p a t t e r n s w h i c h

i n d i c a t e a g g r e s s i v e - a s s e r t i v e o r p a s s i v e - h o s t i l e a c t i v i t y o u t p u t a r e more

f r e q u e n t l y c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f t he l ow-power c h i l d r e n In t he c l a s s r o o m s o c i a l

s t r u c t u r e . L o w - s t a t u s c h i l d r e n t end t o behave i n ways t h a t a r e l i k e l y t o

d i s r u p t i n t e r p e r s o n a l f r i e n d s h i p s and a l s o c l a s s r o o m f u n c t i o n i n g . " I t i s

f u r t h e r r e p o r t e d t h a t , " t h o s e low i n t he s o c i a l s t r u c t u r e e x p e r i e n c e d more

f a i l u r e o f t h e i r own a t t e m p t s and were more dom ina ted by t he b e h a v i o r o f

o t h e r s . T h i s c o r r e l a t i o n i n c r e a s e d d u r i n g the c o u r s e o f the s c h o o l y e a r .

Some o f the l o w - s t a t u s c h i l d r e n r e a c t e d t o t h e s e b e h a v i o r s f r om t h e i r

p e e r s by more w i t h d r a w a l , and o t h e r s r e a c t e d by more a g g r e s s i v e - a s s e r t i v e

e f f o r t s t o improve t h e i r p o s i t i o n , w h i c h o n l y r e s u l t e d i n s t i l l more

f a i l u r e . " And f u r t h e r , "we asked the t e a c h e r s i n the e x p e r i m e n t a l c l a s s ­

rooms t o r a t e each c h i l d on the r e l a t i v e amount o f warmth he r e c e i v e d

- 6 4 -

f r om o t h e r s . These r a t i n g s were s i g n i f i c a n t l y c o r r e l a t e d w i t h the pee r r a t i n g s o f s o c i a l power and l i k e a b l l l t y . The c o r r e l a t i o n s were c o n s i d ­e r a b l y h i g h e r in t he s p r i n g t han i n t he f a l l " ( L i p p i t t and G o l d , 1959)*

Summary o f r e s e a r c h f i n d i n g s c o n c e r n i n g p e e r s •

Van Egmond's f i n d i n g s i n d i c a t e t h a t a c h i l d ' s s o c i a l r e l a t i o n ­

s h i p w i t h p e e r s i n the c l a s s r o o m r e l a t e t o use o f h i s i n t e l l e c t u a l c a p a c ­

i t y . E c h e 1 b e r g e r ' s f i n d i n g s i n d i c a t e t h a t r e l a t i o n s w i t h p e e r s a l s o

r e l a t e s w i t h o v e r t b e h a v i o r p rob lems and e m o t i o n a l a d j u s t m e n t . These

s t u d i e s d o n ' t i n d i c a t e c l e a r l y what t he n a t u r e o f t he I n f l u e n c e p r o c e s s

o f p e e r s on the c h i l d m igh t b e . E p p e r s o n , L u s z k i , and S c h m u c k ' s f i n d i n g s

do g i v e some such i n d i c a t i o n s . C h i l d r e n who p e r c e i v e t h e m s e l v e s as not

w e l l l i k e d and no t v a l u e d by o t h e r s show poor s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t and poo r

use o f a c a d e m i c p o t e n t i a l . S c h m u c k ' s f u r t h e r f i n d i n g s r e g a r d i n g " t h e

c h i l d ' s p o t e n c y o f i n v o l v e m e n t i n t he p e e r g r o u p " seems e s p e c i a l l y i m p o r ­

t a n t . A p p a r e n t l y the p e e r s ' i n f l u e n c e i s dependent on how much the c h i l d

l i k e s t h o s e p e e r s In r e l a t i o n to o t h e r pee r f r i e n d s h i p s . Thus i t seems

i m p o r t a n t t o get d a t a on the meaning o f d i f f e r e n t pee r g r o u p i n g s t o t he

c h i l d as w e l l as t he k i n d o f b e h a v i o r w h i c h the c h i l d sees each p e e r

g r o u p i n g d e s i r i n g . L i p p i t t and G o l d ' s f i n d i n g s I n d i c a t e t h a t t o t he

e x t e n t . t h a t a c h i l d i s no t w i t h i n the d i r e c t i n f l u e n c e s p h e r e o f a p ee r

g r o u p i n g , t h i s a l i e n a t i o n a c t s as an i n f l u e n c e i n I t s e l f w h i c h r e s u l t s i n

I n c r e a s i n g l y p o o r e r s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r . T h i s i m p l i e s t h a t d a t a

a b o u t pee r r e l a t i o n s h i p s s h o u l d be g a t h e r e d t o d e t e r m i n e whe the r t h e r e i s

a d i r e c t i n f l u e n c e , as w e l l as t o d e t e r m i n e t he n a t u r e o f any i n f l u e n c e ,

t h a t e x i s t s .

- 6 5 -

3 . S c h o o l P e r s o n n e l I n f l u e n c e on C h i l d r e n ' s S c h o o l A d j u s t m e n t B e h a v i o r

W o r m e l l ' s s t u d y , r e f e r r e d t o e a r l i e r under t he h e a d i n g o f F a m i l y ,

a l s o r e p o r t s some f i n d i n g s c o n c e r n i n g t he r e l a t i o n s h i p between a c h i l d ' s

u t i l i z a t i o n o f i n t e l l e c t u a l a b i l i t y on a cadem ic a c h i e v e m e n t and p e r c e p t i o n s

o f h i s t e a c h e r . I t was found t h a t bo th h i g h and low u t i l i z e r s , " t e n d t o

r e g a r d t e a c h e r s w i t h a t t i t u d e s s i m i l a r to t h o s e w h i c h t hey h o l d toward

p a r e n t s . " " J u s t as w i t h p a r e n t s , h i g h - u t i l i z i n g c h i l d r e n f i n d commun ica ­

t i o n w i t h t e a c h e r s more u s e f u l t han do l o w - u t i l i z i n g c h i l d r e n . In t he

e s t i m a t i o n s o f t h e two g r o u p s , t h e r e i s more t i m e a v a i l a b l e f o r h i g h -

u t i l i z e r s t o t a l k t o t e a c h e r s than t h e r e i s f o r l o w - u t i l i z e r s . " I t was

a l s o f ound t h a t , " t e a c h e r s pose a t h r e a t t o autonomy f o r l o w - u t i l i z e r s

more o f t e n t han f o r h i g h . However , a u t h o r i t y as e x e r c i s e d by t e a c h e r s i s

p e r c e i v e d by the l o w - u t i l i z i n g g roups as somewhat l e s s t h r e a t e n i n g than

the a u t h o r i t y o f p a r e n t s " ( W o r m e l l , 1963).

E p p e r s o n , L u s z k i , and S c h m u c k ' s r e p o r t , r e f e r r e d t o e a r l i e r

under the h e a d i n g P e e r s , c o n t a i n e d f i n d i n g s c o n c e r n i n g the r e l a t i o n s h i p

between the c h i l d ' s p e r c e p t i o n o f h i s t e a c h e r ' s e v a l u a t i o n o f h i m , h i s

s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t as d e t e r m i n e d by r a t i n g s o f h i s r e s p o n s e on i n c o m p l e t e

s e n t e n c e s , and h i s a c t u a l i z a t i o n o f i n t e l l e c t u a l a b i l i t y on a cadem ic

a c h i e v e m e n t . The f o l l o w i n g h y p o t h e s e s were c o n f i r m e d . "When a p u p i l

t h i n k s the t e a c h e r and the o t h e r p u p i l s do no t v a l u e h i m , h i s s c h o o l

a d j u s t m e n t w i l l be l o w . " "When the p u p i l t h i n k s the t e a c h e r s and the

o t h e r s i n t he c l a s s do no t v a l u e h i m , h i s a c t u a l i z a t i o n o f a c a d e m i c

p o t e n t i a l i s r e d u c e d . " "A l a c k o f c o n g r u e n c e between how the p u p i l f e e l s

abou t c l a s s r o o m r e l e v a n t b e h a v i o r s and how he t h i n k s the t e a c h e r f e e l s

abou t t h e s e same b e h a v i o r s i s a c c o m p a n i e d by a low l e v e l o f a c t u a l i z a t i o n . "

- 6 6 -

" A l a c k o f c o n g r u e n c e between how the p u p i l f e e l s about c l a s s r o o m r e l e v a n t b e h a v i o r s and how he t h i n k s the t e a c h e r f e e l s i s a ccompan ied by a h i g h d e s i r e f o r change i n t h e t e a c h e r . " " A l a c k o f c o n g r u e n c e between a p u p i l ' s own a t t i t u d e s and t h o s e he a t t r i b u t e s to t he t e a c h e r i s a ceompan ied by a low a t t r a c t i o n t o t h e c l a s s . " " A low a t t r a c t i o n to the c l a s s w i l l be accompan ied by a low l e v e l o f a c t u a l i z a t i o n . " ( E p p e r s o n , L u s z k i , Schmuck , 1961) .

Koun ln and Gump c o n d u c t e d a s t u d y o f the i n f l u e n c e t h a t c o n t r o l

t e c h n i q u e s used by t he t e a c h e r h a v e , n~. . . n o t on t he c h i l d r e n who a r e b e i n g

d i s c i p l i n e d - but on the o t h e r c h i l d r e n who a r e w a t c h i n g and l i s t e n i n g . "

They c a l l e d t h i s t he " r i p p l e e f f e c t s . " 51 o b s e r v e r s c o l l e c t e d d a t a in the

k i n d e r g a r t e n s o f 26 s c h o o l s . The o b s e r v e r s made d e t a i l e d r e p o r t s o f

i n c i d e n t s i n w h i c h a t e a c h e r c o r r e c t e d a n o t h e r c h i l d f o r m i s b e h a v i o r .

They r e p o r t e d o n , " t h r e e phases o f each i n c i d e n t : The b e h a v i o r o f the

w a t c h i n g c h i l d i m m e d i a t e l y b e f o r e the i n c i d e n t , t he b e h a v i o r o f t he t e a c h e r

and the c h i l d who was b e i n g c o r r e c t e d d u r i n g the i n c i d e n t , and the b e h a v i o r

o f t he w a t c h i n g c h i l d f o r two m inu tes a f t e r t he i n c i d e n t . " Four hundred

and s i x i n c i d e n t s were a n a l y z e d . T e a c h e r s ' c o n t r o l t e c h n i q u e s were c a t e ­

g o r i z e d on d i m e n s i o n s o f c l a r i t y , f i r m n e s s , and r o u g h n e s s . C h i l d r e n ' s

r e a c t i o n were c a t e g o r i z e d on d i m e n s i o n s o f no r e a c t i o n , " d i s r u p t i o n " o f

t h e i r p r e v i o u s b e h a v i o r , a s p e c i a l e f f o r t t o be good termed " c o n f o r m a n c e , "

s t a r t i n g some m i s b e h a v i o r termed " n o n - c o n f o r m a n c e , " and v a c i l l a t i o n between

c o n f o r m a n c e and n o n - c o n f o r m a n c e . Th ree o t h e r v a r i a b l e s t h a t were c o n s i d ­

e r e d i n v o l v e d the n a t u r e o f t he w a t c h i n g c h i l d ' s a c t i v i t y p r i o r t o t he

i n c i d e n t , whe the r t he c h i l d was w a t c h i n g the m i s b e h a v i n g c l a s s m a t e w i t h

" c o n s i d e r a b l e i n t e r e s t , " and the number o f days t he w a t c h i n g c h i l d had

been i n k i n d e r g a r t e n .

- 6 7 -

Koun in and Gump r e p o r t t h e i r f i n d i n g s as f o l l o w s . "To t he

e x t e n t t h a t we can g e n e r a l i z e on cause and e f f e c t , t he s t u d y i n d i c a t e s

t h a t t he r e a c t i o n o f w a t c h i n g c h i l d r e n t o a t e a c h e r ' s c o n t r o l o f a m i s ­

b e h a v i n g c h i l d i s r e l a t e d t o a t l e a s t t h r e e f a c t o r s .

" F i r s t , t he newness o f t he s i t u a t i o n . On the f i r s t day i n

k i n d e r g a r t e n , w a t c h i n g c h i l d r e n showed the s t r o n g e s t r e s p o n s e s .

" S e c o n d , t he b e h a v i o r o f t he w a t c h i n g c h i l d r e n . P u p i l s who were

t h e m s e l v e s m i s b e h a v i n g o r i n t e r e s t e d in c h i l d r e n who were m i s b e h a v i n g were

more l i k e l y t o show t he s t r o n g e s t r e a c t i o n s ; t he p a r t i c u l a r r e s p o n s e was

most l i k e l y t o be v a c i l l a t i o n .

" T h i r d , t he d i s c i p l i n a r y t e c h n i q u e i t s e l f , t h a t . I s , t he c l a r i t y ,

f i rmness , and the r oughness o f t he t e chn i q u e .

"When t he t e a c h e r made i t c l e a r what b e h a v i o r she o b j e c t e d t o

o r what b e h a v i o r she e x p e c t e d , the w a t c h i n g c h i l d r e n r esponded w i t h i n ­

c r e a s e d " con fo rmance and d e c r e a s e d n o n - c o n f o r m a n c e .

" I f t he t e a c h e r ' s b e h a v i o r conveyed f i r m n e s s , t he w a t c h i n g

c h i l d r e n somet imes r esponded w i t h i n c r e a s e d con fo rmance and d e c r e a s e d n o n ­

c o n f o r m a n c e . T h i s r e a c t i o n o c c u r r e d i f t h e w a t c h i n g c h i l d r e n had been

m i s b e h a v i n g o r i n t e r e s t e d In a c h i l d who was m i s b e h a v i n g .

" I f the t e a c h e r used rough t e c h n i q u e s , the c h i l d r e n showed b e ­

h a v i o r d i s r u p t i o n but no t c on fo rmance o r n o n - c o n f o r m a n c e " ( K o u n i n and

Gump, 1958) .

A n o t h e r s t u d y by Koun in and Gump e x p l o r e d the r e l a t i o n s h i p

between t e a c h e r p u n i t i v e n e s s and c h i l d r e n ' s c o n c e p t s o f s c h o o l m i s c o n d u c t .

Ik boys and 100 g i r l s In s i x f i r s t g rade c l a s s r o o m s were i n c l u d e d i n t he

- 6 8 -

s t u d y . The s i x c l a s s r o o m s i n c l u d e d t h r e e p a i r s o f p u n i t i v e v e r s u s n o n -p u n i t i v e t e a c h e r s . The p u n i t i v e n e s s o f the t e a c h e r s had been d e t e r m i n e d by r a t i n g s o f t he p r i n c i p a l s and a s s i s t a n t p r i n c i p a l s o f t he s c h o o l s , t he two p r i n c i p l e i n v e s t i g a t o r s a f t e r o b s e r v a t i o n , and a s u p e r v i s o r o f s t u d e n t t e a c h e r s . C h i l d r e n ' s c o n c e p t s o f m i s c o n d u c t were d e t e r m i n e d by c o d i n g o f r e s p o n s e s f r om i nd I v I dua 1 i n t e r v I ews w i t h the ch i 1 d.ren.

The major f i n d i n g s o f the s t u d y were as f o l l o w s . P u n i t i v e

t e a c h e r s c r e a t e o r a c t i v a t e more a g g r e s s i o n - t e n s i o n t han n o n - p u n i t i v e

teachers. The responses o f chi ldren with punit ive teachers emphasize

p h y s i c a l a s s a u l t s , w h i l e t h o s e o f c h i l d r e n w i t h n o n - p u n i t i v e t e a c h e r s

e m p h a s i z e r u l e v i o l a t i o n s . C h i l d r e n w i t h p u n i t i v e t e a c h e r s a r e more

u n s e t t l e d and c o n f l i c t e d about m i s b e h a v i o r i n s c h o o l . P u n i t i v e n e s s o f

t e a c h e r s d e t r a c t s f r o m c h i l d r e n ' s c o n c e r n w i t h s c h o o l u n i q u e v a l u e s . For

e x a m p l e , c h i l d r e n w i t h n o n - p u n i t i v e t e a c h e r s t a l k more abou t l e a r n i n g

ach i evement 1 o s s e s . (Koun i n and Gump, 1 9 6 1 ) .

F l a n d e r s c o n d u c t e d a s t u d y w h i c h e x p l o r e d the r e l a t i o n s h i p

between t e a c h e r s ' b e h a v i o r , and s t u d e n t s ' l e a r n i n g , f e e l i n g s , and p h y s i o ­

l o g i c a l r e s p o n s e and b e h a v i o r . Two t e a c h e r s and seven s t u d e n t s were i n ­

v o l v e d i n t he s t u d y . The t e a c h e r s were t r a i n e d t o behave i n a d i r e c t i v e ,

demanding " t e a c h e r - c e n t e r e d " manner , and i n a s u p p o r t i v e , a c c e p t i n g " l e a r n e r -

c e n t e r e d " manner . Data on s t u d e n t l e a r n i n g was based on r e c a l l and a b i l i t y

t o e l a b o r a t e and use p r i n c i p l e s f r om the e x p e r i m e n t a l t a s k s i t u a t i o n .

Data on the p o s i t i v e and n e g a t i v e f e e l i n g s o f t he s t u d e n t s ' was p r o v i d e d

by h a v i n g the s t u d e n t use c o n c e a l e d l e v e r s w h i l e i n the e x p e r i m e n t a l

s i t u a t i o n t o r e c o r d such f e e l i n g s . Data on p h y s i o l o g i c a l r e s p o n s e o f t he

s t u d e n t s d u r i n g the e x p e r i m e n t a l s i t u a t i o n i n c l u d e d r e c o r d i n g o f p u l s e

- 6 9 -

r a t e and g a l v a n i c s k i n r e s p o n s e . S t u d e n t b e h a v i o r was f u r t h e r d e t e r m i n e d f r o m a n a l y s i s o f r e c o r d e d v e r b a l s t a t e m e n t s .

F l a n d e r s c o n d u c t e d a s y s t e m a t i c r o l e a n a l y s i s o f t he " t e a c h e r -

c e n t e r e d " and " l e a r n e r - c e n t e r e d " r o l e s o f t he two t e a c h e r s w h i c h i n d i c a t e d

t h a t t h e s e r o l e s a r e g e n e r a l l y c o n s i s t e n t and o p p o s i t e i n m e a n i n g . The

s t u d e n t s ' a b i l i t y t o name, e l a b o r a t e , use a n d ' r e c a l l p r i n c i p l e s was g r e a t e r

f o r t he l e a r n e r - c e n t e r e d t han f o r t he t e a c h e r - c e n t e r e d p e r i o d s . A l l s even

s t u d e n t s r e c o r d e d more n e g a t i v e l e v e r movements d u r i n g " t e a c h e r - c e n t e r e d "

learning periods;. S i x ' o f t he seven recorded more pos i t ive f e e l i n g s d u r ­

i n g the " l e a r n e r c e n t e r e d " l e a r n i n g p e r i o d s . The g a l v a n i c s k i n r e s p o n s e

l e v e l was h i g h e r d u r i n g t he " t e a c h e r c e n t e r e d " l e a r n i n g p e r i o d s . " T e a c h e r

c e n t e r e d " b e h a v i o r e l i c i t e d s t u d e n t b e h a v i o r o f h o s t i l i t y , w i t h d r a w a l ,

a p a t h y , and a g g r e s s i v e n e s s . " L e a r n e r c e n t e r e d " b e h a v i o r e l i c i t e d s t u d e n t

b e h a v i o r o f p r o b l e m o r i e n t a t i o n , d e c r e a s e d i n t e r p e r s o n a l a n x i e t y , and

i n t e g r a t i o n ( F l a n d e r s , 1958)

F l a n d e r s c o n d u c t e d s t u d i e s i n M i n n e s o t a and i n New Z e a l a n d t o

e x p l o r e t h e " r e l a t i o n s h i p s between p a t t e r n s o f t e a c h e r i n f l u e n c e and the

a t t i t u d e s o f p u p i l s t oward t h e i r t e a c h e r s and s c h o o l w o r k . " C l a s s r o o m s

were i n c l u d e d in t he s t u d i e s on the b a s i s o f t he a v e r a g e o f s c o r e s o f

p u p i l s i n them h a v i n g been e i t h e r h i g h o r low on an a t t i t u d e i n v e n t o r y .

The p a t t e r n o f t e a c h e r i n f l u e n c e was d e t e r m i n e d f r om coded o b s e r v a t i o n s

o f the v e r b a l b e h a v i o r o f the t e a c h e r s i n t h e i r c l a s s r o o m s . C a t e g o r i e s

l abe l ed as "d i r e c t i n f 1 u e n c e " i n c l u d e d : " a c c e p t s , c l a r i f i es s t u d e n t i d e a s ;

g e n e r a l q u e s t i o n s . " C a t e g o r i e s l a b e l e d as " i n d i r e c t i n f l u e n c e " i n c l u d e d :

" r o u t i n e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o r s t a t e m e n t s u n r e l a t e d t o l e a r n i n g ; g i v e s i n f o r ­

m a t i o n , op i n i o n ; g i ves c r i t i c i s m ; j u s t i f i e s n o n - a u t h o r i t y . 1 1 The above

- 7 0 -

c a t e g o r i e s were used i n t he M i n n e s o t a s t u d y . Some changes were made i n t he New Z e a l a n d s t u d y .

The f i n d i n g s o f t h e s e s t u d i e s were summar ized as f o l l o w s . "The

t e a c h e r s o f c l a s s e s t h a t s c o r e d h i g h on l i k i n g the t e a c h e r , m o t i v a t i o n ,

f a i r r ewards and p u n i s h m e n t s , l a c k o f a n x i e t y , and i ndependence used more

i n d i r e c t i n f l u e n c e , w h i l e t h e t e a c h e r s o f c l a s s e s t h a t s c o r e d low used

l e s s i n d i r e c t i n f l u e n c e . In New Z e a l a n d , but no t In M i n n e s o t a , t e a c h e r s

i n c l a s s r o o m s t h a t s c o r e d low used more d i r e c t i n f l u e n c e , t e a c h e r s o f h i g h

s c o r i n g c l a s s e s used l e s s . The i n c r e a s e d use o f i n d i r e c t i n f l u e n c e i n

the h i g h s c o r i n g c l a s s r o o m s was shown t o be p r i m a r i l y i n g i v i n g p r a i s e ,

c l a r i f y i n g and u s i n g pup i l i d e a s , and a s k i n g q u e s t i o n s . "

In the New Z e a l a n d s t u d y , t he sequence o f t he coded b e h a v i o r was

r e c o r d e d . T h i s made i t p o s s i b l e t o a n a l y z e t he d a t a i n a m a t r i x show ing

t he number o f t imes t h a t each b e h a v i o r was f o l l o w e d by any o t h e r b e h a v i o r .

Such an a n a l y s i s y i e l d e d t he f o l l o w i n g a d d i t i o n a l f i n d i n g s .

"The i n t e r a c t i o n d a t a showed t h a t much more than one h a l f o f t h e

s t a t e m e n t s were c o n c e r n e d w i t h s u b j e c t m a t t e r . I t i s c l e a r t h a t t h e main

b u s i n e s s o f the c l a s s r o o m i s l e a r n i n g s u b j e c t m a t t e r . Ye t e i g h t p e r c e n t

l e s s d i r e c t i n f l u e n c e d i s t i n g u i s h e d the t e a c h e r s o f h i g h and low s c o r i n g

c l a s s e s i n New Z e a l a n d . An a n a l y s i s o f i n t e r a c t i o n m a t r i c e s showed t h a t

t h e s e re 1 a t i v e l y sma11 d i f f e r e n c e s i n t he i n f 1uence p a t t e r n s o c c u r r e d a t

s t r a t e g i c moments i n c l a s s r o o m c o m m u n i c a t i o n . Fo r e x a m p l e , t h e r e were

i m p o r t a n t d i f f e r e n c e s i n t he r e s p o n s e o f the t e a c h e r a t t he moment t h a t

the p u p i l s s t o p t a l k i n g ; i n t he e x t e n d e d use o f c l a r i f i c a t i o n and p r a i s e ;

and in s h i f t i n g f r om g i v i n g d i r e c t i o n s t o c r i t i c i s m and back a g a i n . "

"One g e t s t he i m p r e s s i o n t h a t a s m a l l amount o f i n d i r e c t i n f l u e n c e

- 7 1 -

l u b r i c a t e s t he c l a s s r o o m g e a r s o f s u b j e c t m a t t e r l e a r n i n g , and even though i

the t o t a l amount o f i n d i r e c t i n f l u e n c e i s s m a l l , i t s p r e s e n c e o r absence

c o r r e l a t e s h i g h l y w i t h the a t t i t u d e s o f p u p i l s " ( F l a n d e r s , 1962).

A f u r t h e r s t u d y was c o n d u c t e d by F l a n d e r s to e x p l o r e t he r e l a ­

t i o n s h i p between v a r i a b l e s o f d i r e c t and i n d i r e c t t e a c h e r i n f l u e n c e , and

p u p i l s ' a t t i t u d e s , l e a r n i n g , and the. p e r c e p t i o n o f the l e a r n i n g g o a l .

D i r e c t and i n d i r e c t t e a c h e r i n f l u e n c e and p u p i l a t t i t u d e s were d e t e r m i n e d

f r o m d a t a s i m i l a r t o t h a t d e s c r i b e d i n t he e a r l i e r s t u d i e s . Seven s e v e n t h -

g rade s o c i a l s t u d i e s c l a s s r o o m s w i t h I n d i r e c t t e a c h e r s and e i g h t w i t h

d i r e c t t e a c h e r s were i n c l u d e d i n t he s t u d y . E i g h t e i g h t h - g r a d e m a t h e m a t i c s

c l a s s r o o m s w i t h i n d i r e c t t e a c h e r s and e i g h t w i t h d i r e c t t e a c h e r s were a l s o

i n c l u d e d i n t he s t u d y . Data was c o l l e c t e d i n each c l a s s r o o m i n a two-week

p e r i o d d u r i n g wh i ch t he t e a c h e r t a u g h t a u n i t p r e p a r e d and g i v e n t o he r

by the r e s e a r c h e r s . Data on l e a r n i n g was based on p u p i l s ' m a s t e r y o f

m a t e r i a l p r e s e n t e d in the s p e c i a l l y p r e p a r e d u n i t s . The " l e a r n i n g " s c o r e

was a r r i v e d a t by mak ing a d j u s t m e n t i n t he a c h i e v e m e n t s c o r e s on t he b a s i s

o f i n t e l l i g e n c e t e s t s c o r e s so as t o c o n t r o l f o r t h i s l a t t e r v a r i a b l e .

The p e r c e p t i o n o f l e a r n i n g goa l was e s t a b l i s h e d a r b i t r a r i l y on the b a s i s

o f the amount o f t ime w h i c h had been s p e n t on the u n i t . I t was assumed

t h a t l e a r n i n g g o a l s were not c l e a r l y p e r c e i v e d e a r l y i n t he u n i t as a

who le and a t t he p o i n t s o f i n t r o d u c t i o n o f new phases w i t h i n the u n i t .

F l a n d e r s r e p o r t s t h a t h i s f i nd i ngs ' ' s u p p o r t t he g e n e r a 1i z a t i on

t h a t t he t e a c h i n g methods we have c a l l e d i n d i r e c t p r o d u c e more a c h i e v e ­

m e n t . " He i n t e r p r e t s h i s f i n d i n g s as s u p p o r t i n g h y p o t h e s e s t h a t " D i r e c t

t e a c h e r i n f l u e n c e i n c r e a s e s l e a r n i n g when a s t u d e n t ' s p e r c e p t i o n o f t he

goa1 i s c1 e a r and a c c e p t a b l e , " and " I n d i r e c t t e a c h e r i n f 1uence i n c r e a s e s

- 7 2 -

l e a r n i n g when a s t u d e n t ' s p e r c e p t i o n o f t he goa l i s c o n f u s e d and a m b i g u o u s . " A t h i r d h y p o t h e s i s ( d e s i g n a t e d i n t he f o l l o w i n g q u o t e as h y p o t h e s i s one) s t a t e d t h a t " D i r e c t t e a c h e r i n f l u e n c e r e s t r i c t s l e a r n i n g when a s t u d e n t ' s p e r c e p t i o n o f t he goa l i s c o n f u s e d and a m b i g u o u s . " F l a n d e r s r e p o r t s "The e v i d e n c e c o n c e r n i n g d i r e c t i n f l u e n c e i s so c o n s i s t e n t t h a t t he f o l l o w i n g m o d i f i c a t i o n o f h y p o t h e s i s one i s j u s t i f i e d ; d i r e c t i n f l u e n c e d e c r e a s e s l e a r n i n g e x c e p t when g o a l s have i n i t i a l l y been c l a r i f i e d and made a c c e p t ­a b l e by t he use o f I n d i r e c t I n f l u e n c e . "

F l a n d e r s repor ts f u r t h e r t ha t , "Perhaps t he c o n c l u s i o n t h a t needs

t o be emphas i zed t he most i n t h i s summary i s t h a t the s t u d e n t s who a c h i e v e d

t he most and had s i g n i f l c a t l y h i g h e r s c o r e s on ou r r e v i s e d c l a s s r o o m

a t t i t u d e s i n s t r u m e n t were i n c l a s s e s w h i c h were e xposed t o f l e x i b l e p a t t e r n s

o f t e a c h e r i n f l u e n c e . T h i s f l e x i b l e p a t t e r n i n c l u d e d p e r i o d s o f p r e d o m i ­

n a n t l y d i r e c t i n f l u e n c e as w e l l as o t h e r p e r i o d s o f p r e d o m i n a n t l y I n d i r e c t

i n f l u e n c e . T h i s c h a r a c t e r i s t i c f l e x i b i l i t y was a s s o c i a t e d w i t h a h i g h e r

o v e r a l l i / d ( i n d i r e c t t o d i r e c t r a t i o ) a v e r a g e . Our d a t a show t h a t a

s u s t a i n e d above a v e r a g e p a t t e r n o f d i r e c t i n f l u e n c e r e s t r i c t s l e a r n i n g and

p r o d u c e s l e s s d e s i r a b l e a t t i t u d e s . I t i s o b v i o u s t h a t as t e a c h e r i n f l u e n c e

d e v i a t e s f r o m t h i s na r row pattern, t he o v e r a l l i / d must i n c r e a s e . These

d e v i a t i o n s a r e what we have c a l l e d f l e x i b i l i t y " ( F l a n d e r s , 1962).

Summary o f r e s e a r c h f i nd i ngs concern . ! ng s c h o o l p e r s o n n e 1 -

W o r m e l l ' s f i n d i n g s i n d i c a t e t h a t c h i l d r e n ' s p e r c e p t i o n s o f

t e a c h e r s have i m p o r t a n c e s i m i l a r t o t h a t o f p e r c e p t i o n s o f p a r e n t s . One

m igh t wonder whe the r t he s i m i l a r i t y t ends t o be so g r e a t t h a t i t i s u n n e c ­

e s s a r y t o c o l l e c t d a t a abou t t he p e r c e p t i o n s o f b o t h . On the o t h e r h a n d ,

I t m igh t be t h a t f o r t h o s e few c h i l d r e n who p e r c e i v e a d i f f e r e n c e , t h e

- 7 3 -

d i s c r e p a n c y i s , In i t s e l f , an i m p o r t a n t f a c t o r i n i n f l u e n c i n g s c h o o l a d j u s t ­ment, Bu tman ' s f i n d i n g s , r e p o r t e d under F a m i l y , c o n c e r n i n g the c a r r y - o v e r o f b e h a v i o r f r om f a m i l y t o t he s c h o o l under c o n d i t i o n s o f p e r c e i v e d s i m i l a r ­i t y o f the two s e t t i n g s wou ld s u g g e s t t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f e x p l o r i n g t he l a t t e r p o s s i b i 1 i t y .

E p p e r s o n , L u s z k i , and S c h m u c k ' s f i n d i n g s i n d i c a t e t he i m p o r t a n c e

o f what t he c h i l d p e r c e i v e s t h a t t he t e a c h e r t h i n k s o f h im and the i m p o r ­

t a n c e o f the e x t e n t t o w h i c h he wants t o do what he t h i n k s the t e a c h e r

w a n t s . K o u n i n and Gump's f i n d i n g s i n d i c a t e t h a t t he t e a c h e r ' s n e g a t i v e

s a n c t i o n i n g b e h a v i o r i n f l u e n c e s no t o n l y t he c h i l d b e i n g p u n i s h e d , bu t

o t h e r c h i l d r e n as w e l l . Roughness by t h e t e a c h e r r a t h e r t han j u s t f i r m ­

ness i n f l u e n c e d d i s r u p t i o n o f b e h a v i o r r a t h e r than c o n f o r m a n c e . T h e r e ­

f o r e , d a t a s h o u l d be g a t h e r e d c o n c e r n i n g the e x t e n t t o w h i c h the c h i l d sees

the t e a c h e r as " r o u g h " o r pe rhaps a n g r y as w e l l as what he t h i n k s t he

t e a c h e r wan ts h im t o do and how he f e e l s toward t he t e a c h e r abou t d o i n g

i t .

The s e r i e s o f s t u d i e s by F l a n d e r s have p roduced f i n d i n g s w h i c h

g i v e t he c l e a r e s t p i c t u r e o f what p a r t i c u l a r k i n d s o f b e h a v i o r , and what

p a t t e r n s o f b e h a v i o r o f t he t e a c h e r , i n f l u e n c e d i f f e r e n t f e e l i n g s and

b e h a v i o r i n c h i l d r e n . In t he f i r s t s t u d y , t he f i n d i n g s i n d i c a t e t h a t a

s t y l e o f t e a c h i n g ( " t e a c h e r - c e n t e r e d " ) can i n f l u e n c e l e a r n i n g o f the

c h i l d r e n , n e g a t i v e b e h a v i o r o f t he c h i l d r e n , and n e g a t i v e f e e l i n g s w h i c h

m igh t be e q u a t e d t o a l a c k o f d e s i r e t o p l e a s e t he t e a c h e r . I f t he l a t t e r

i s s o , t hen t h i s t e a c h e r i n f l u e n c e m igh t be d e t e r m i n e d by g a t h e r i n g d a t a

abou t t he c h i l d ' s d e s i r e t o p l e a s e t he t e a c h e r . F i n d i n g s f r om t he l a t e r

s t u d i e s w h i c h make more e x p l i c i t t he " d i r e c t " and " i n d i r e c t " b e h a v i o r and

b e h a v i o r p a t t e r n s s u g g e s t t h a t t he t e a c h e r ' s b e h a v i o r may be an i m p o r t a n t

- 74 -

model as w e l l as a means o f c o m m u n i c a t i n g what the t e a c h e r wants t he c h i l d r e n t o d o . I t m igh t t hus be Impo r tan t t o c o l l e c t d a t a about what t h e c h i l d r e n p e r c e i v e the t e a c h e r d o i n g as w e l l as d a t a abou t what t hey t h i n k t h e t e a c h e r wants them t o d o . F l a n d e r s ' f i n d i n g s c o n c e r n i n g t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f t he t e a c h e r show ing a " f l e x i b l e p a t t e r n " o f " d i r e c t " and " i n d i r e c t " i n f l u e n c e i n d i c a t e s t h a t d a t a on c h i l d r e n ' s p e r c e p t i o n s h o u l d no t s i m p l y i n d i c a t e whe the r they see t he t e a c h e r b e h a v i n g one way o r the o t h e r . The n a t u r e o f t he i n f l u e n c e t h a t the t e a c h e r ' s s t y l e o f b e h a v i o r has on a p a r t i c u l a r c h i l d might be determined s imply by ge t t i ng the c h i l d ' s e v a l u a t i v e r e a c t i o n as t o how he sees the t e a c h e r ' s b e h a v i o r .

4 . R e c r e a t i o n a l P e r s o n n e l I n f l u e n c e on C h i l d r e n ' s S c h o o l A d j u s t m e n t B e h a v i o r

P a r t o f a s t u d y r e p o r t e d by Go ld i s c o n c e r n e d w i t h the r e l a t i o n ­

s h i p between t he q u a l i t y o f r e c r e a t i o n a l f a c i l i t i e s , s o c i a l s t a t u s r a t i n g s

o f a b o y ' s n e i g h b o r h o o d , t he b o y ' s a t t i t u d e toward h i s n e i g h b o r h o o d , and

whe the r the boy i s d e l i n q u e n t o r n o n - d e l i n q u e n t . Matched p a i r s o f d e l i n ­

q u e n t and n o n - d e l i n q u e n t boys were i n t e r v i e w e d In t h i s s t u d y . Da ta f r om

i n t e r v i e w s i n d i c a t e d t h e i r f e e l i n g s toward t h e i r n e i g h b o r h o o d s . S o c i a l

s t a t u s o f n e i g h b o r h o o d s was d e t e r m i n e d f r om census d a t a . Th ree I n d i c e s

used i n c l u d e d : the p r o p o r t i o n o f home-owners i n the d i s t r i c t ; t he a v e r a g e

v a l u e o f d w e l l i n g u n i t s ; and the p r o d u c t o f t he f i r s t two w h i c h was c a l l e d

t he w e i g h t e d v a l u e . The q u a l i t y o f r e c r e a t i o n a l f a c i l i t i e s was d e t e r ­

mined by a r a t e r who p e r s o n a l l y v i s i t e d each p u b l i c r e c r e a t i o n s p a c e and

r a t e d I t on d i m e n s i o n s o f : l and a l l o t m e n t , t he a v e r a g e p r o v i d e d f o r p l a y

s p a c e i n each d i s t r i c t , i n c l u d i n g s c h o o l and p a r k f a c i l i t i e s ; l and u s e , a

p o i n t s y s t e m w h i c h summar ized and s t a n d a r d i z e d i n f o r m a t i o n on the p r e s e n c e

o f r e c r e a t i o n s t r u c t u r e s , p h y s i c a l e q u i p m e n t , f o r m a l l y l a i d out p l a y - s p a c e s ,

- 7 5 -

and l e a d e r s h i p and p rog ram as r a t e d by r e c r e a t i o n s u p e r v i s o r s ; and a

g e n e r a l m e a s u r e , t he sum o f t he f i r s t two .

G o l d ' s f i n d i n g s i n d i c a t e t h a t t he q u a l i t y o f r e c r e a t i o n a l

f a c i l i t i e s i s r e l a t e d t o s o c i a l s t a t u s o f t he n e i g h b o r h o o d . The f i n d i n g s

a l s o i n d i c a t e t h a t , f o r r e p e a t e d d e l i n q u e n t s , poo r r e c r e a t i o n a l f a c i l i t i e s

a r e r e l a t e d t o l e s s p o s i t i v e a t t i t u d e s t o w a r d , o r a t t r a c t i o n t o , t h e i r

n e i g h b o r h o o d . Go ld s t a t e s , " t h e s t r o n g e s t f a c t o r w h i c h d e t e r m i n e s t h e i r

a t t r a c t i o n s , t he human r e s o u r c e s o f r e c r e a t i o n a l l e a d e r s h i p and p rog ram

r a t h e r t han l and o r p h y s i c a l r e s o u r c e s , i s a l s o most c l o s e l y t i e d t o t he

s o c i a l s t a t u s o f t h e i r ne ighbo rhoods ' . 1 ( G o l d , 1963).

W h i t e and L i p p i t t r e p o r t a s t u d y o f t he b e h a v i o r o f e l e v e n - y e a r

o l d boys In c l u b s under v a r y i n g c o n d i t i o n s o f a d u l t l e a d e r s h i p . Twenty

boys i n c l u d e d in t he s t u d y were d i v i d e d i n t o f o u r c l u b g roups o f f i v e

e a c h . The g roups were fo rmed by the e x p e r i m e n t e r s to be c o m p a r a b l e on the

b a s i s o f such v a r i a b l e s as s o c i o - e c o n o m i c backg round o f f a m i l i e s , a g e ,

c u l t u r a l b a c k g r o u n d , s o c i o m e t r i c l i k i n g p o s i t i o n s In t h e i r s c h o o l c l a s s ­

room g r o u p s , s c h o l a r s h i p , h e i g h t , w e i g h t , and t e a c h e r s ' r a t i n g s on b e h a v i o r

cha r a c t e r i s11cs such as 1ead i n g , q u a r r e l i n g , obed i e n c e , and s o c i a 1 a c t i v i t y .

The e x p e r i m e n t e r s r e p o r t h a v i n g g i v e n l e s s w e i g h t t o the i m p o r t a n c e o f

c o m p a r a b i l i t y o f the g roups on t h e s e t e a c h e r s ' r a t i n g s . D i s s i m i l a r i t y o f

one g roup on t h i s v a r i a b l e l a t e r was seen as a c c o u n t i n g f o r some o t h e r ­

w i s e p e r p l e x i n g d i s c r e p a n c i e s i n t he d a t a . The t a s k o f mak ing masks was

the b a s i c a c t i v i t y o f a l l t he g roups a t e i g h t e e n w e e k l y m e e t i n g s . Each

c l u b h e l d i t s m e e t i n g s i n d e p e n d e n t l y , bu t s i m u l t a n e o u s l y i n a l a r g e room

w i t h one o t h e r c l u b .

Fou r adu)t l e a d e r s r o t a t e d t h e i r r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h the f o u r

- 76 -

c l u b s . An a d u l t l e a d e r worked w i t h a c l u b f o r s i x weeks and then l e f t t h a t g roup and became the a d u l t l e a d e r w i t h a d i f f e r e n t g roup f o r t he nex t s i x w e e k s . Fo r any p a r t i c u l a r s i x - w e e k p e r i o d , an a d u l t l e a d e r behaved i n one o f t h r e e p a t t e r n s . These p a t t e r n s were d e s i g n a t e d as d e m o c r a t i c , a u t o c r a t i c , and l a I s s e z - f a i r e . The d e m o c r a t i c p a t t e r n was c h a r a c t e r i z e d by g roup d i s c u s s i o n and d e c i s i o n m a k i n g , c l a r i t y o f g o a l s and a l t e r n a t i v e s i n t h e i r a t t a i n m e n t , f r eedom o f a s s o c i a t i v e c h o i c e , and o b j e c t i v e p r a i s e and c r i t i c i s m by the a d u l t . The a u t o c r a t i c p a t t e r n was c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the a d u l t l e a d e r d e t e r m i n i n g a l l p o l i c y , d i c t a t i n g each s t e p toward g o a l s w h i c h were g e n e r a l l y u n c e r t a i n , d i c t a t i n g work t a s k s and c o m p a n i o n s , and g i v i n g p e r s o n a l p r a i s e and c r i t i c i s m . The l a i s s e z - f a i r e p a t t e r n was c h a r a c t e r i z e d by c o m p l e t e f r eedom f o r t he g roup o r i n d i v i d u a l d e c i s i o n m a k i n g , a minimum o f adu. l t l e a d e r p a r t i c i p a t i o n , m a t e r i a l s s u p ­p l i e d by the l e a d e r who makes i t c l e a r t h a t he w i l l s u p p l y i n f o r m a t i o n when a s k e d , n o n - p a r t i c i p a t i o n o f l e a d e r i n d e t e r m i n i n g t a s k s and c o m p a n i o n s , i n f r e q u e n t comments on member a c t i v i t i e s u n l e s s q u e s t i o n e d , and no a t t emp t t o a p p r a i s e o r r e g u l a t e t he c o u r s e o r e v e n t s .

Data was c o l l e c t e d by a g roup o f o b s e r v e r s who were p r e s e n t i n

the backg round a t a l l m e e t i n g s . Some o f t h i s d a t a i n d i c a t e d t h a t t he

o b s e r v e r s were not an o b t r u s i v e i n f l u e n c e on the b e h a v i o r o f t he boys

w h i c h t hey were o b s e r v i n g . O b s e r v a t i o n t e c h n i q u e s i n c l u d e d s t e n o g r a p h i c

r e c o r d i n g o f a l l s t a t e m e n t s o f the boys and l e a d e r s , a r u n n i n g a c c o u n t o f

t he g r o u p s ' a c t i v i t i e s by an e x p e r i e n c e d y o u t h w o r k e r , a q u a n t i t a t i v e

r e c o r d o f the s o c i a l i n t e r a c t i o n s w h i c h o c c u r r e d , a r e c o r d o f t he g roup

s t r u c t u r e f r om m inu te t o m i n u t e , and an i n t e r p r e t i v e r u n n i n g a c c o u n t o f

any i n t e r a c t i o n s t a k i n g p l a c e be tween t h e two c l u b s w h i c h we re m e e t i n g

- 7 7 -

s i m u l t a n e o u s l y . A n a l y s i s o f t h e s e k i n d s o f d a t a y i e l d e d the f o l l o w i n g s u m m a r i z a t i o n o f r e s u l t s .

" S u m m a r i z i n g , t h e n , we- can say t h a t t he s t a t i s t i c a l r e s u l t s and

o t h e r q u a l i t a t i v e t y p e s o f e v i d e n c e tend t o s u p p o r t t he f o l l o w i n g d e s c r i p

t i v e g e n e r a l i z a t i o n s .

1. L a i s s e z - f a i r e was no t t he same as d e m o c r a c y .

A / The re was l e s s work done i n i t , and p o o r e r w o r k .

B. ' I t was more, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by p l a y .

C. More d i s c o n t e n t was e x p r e s s e d d u r i n g the m e e t i n g s .

D. In I n t e r v i e w s , the boys e x p r e s s e d p r e f e r e n c e f o r t h e i r d e m o c r a t i c l e a d e r .

2 . Democracy can be e f f i c i e n t .

A . The q u a n t i t y o f work done i n a u t o c r a c y was somewhat g r e a t e r .

B. On the o t h e r h a n d , work m o t i v a t i o n was s t r o n g e r i n democracy as shown f o r i n s t a n c e when the l e a d e r l e f t t h e room.

C. O r i g i n a l i t y was g r e a t e r i n d e m o c r a c y .

3 . A u t o c r a c y can c r e a t e much h o s t i l i t y and a g g r e s s i o n , i n c l u d ­i n g a g r e s s i o n a g a i n s t s c a p e g o a t s .

A . In e x p e r i m e n t I , t he a u t o c r a t i c g roup showed more d o m i n a t i o n a s c e n d a n c e .

B. Much more h o s t i 1 i t y . ( i n r a t i o 30 t o 1 ) .

C. More demands f o r a t t e n t i o n .

D. More d e s t r u c t i o n o f own p r o p e r t y .

E. More s c a p e g o a t b e h a v i o r .

F. In e x p e r i m e n t I I , one o f t he f o u r c l u b s showed a s i m i l a r r e a c t i o n .

_ •An e a r l i e r e x p e r i m e n t w h i c h was s i m i l a r i n n a t u r e bu t l e s s e x t e n s i v e i n d e s i g n and w h i c h d i d no t i n c l u d e an a d u l t l e a d e r p a t t e r n o f l a i s s e z -faire behavior.

- 7 8 -

k. A u t o c r a c y can c r e a t e d i s c o n t e n t t h a t does no t a p p e a r on the s u r f a c e .

A . Four boys d ropped o u t , and a l l o f them d i d so d u r i n g a u t o c r a t i c c l u b p e r i o d s i n w h i c h o v e r t r e b e l l i o n d i d not o c c u r .

B. N i n e t e e n ou t o f twenty boys p r e f e r r e d t h e i r d e m o c r a t i c 1 e a d e r .

C. The re was more d i s c o n t e n t e x p r e s s e d i n a u t o c r a c y - even when t he g e n e r a l r e a c t i o n was s u b m i s s i v e - t han i n d e m o c r a c y .

5. The re was more dependence and l e s s I n d i v i d u a l i t y i n a u t o c r a c y .

A. The re was more " s u b m i s s i v e " o r " d e p e n d e n t " b e h a v i o r .

B. C o n v e r s a t i o n was l e s s v a r i e d - more c o n f i n e d t o the Immediate s i t u a t i o n .

C. In the s u b m i s s i v e r e a c t i o n t o a u t o c r a c y t h e r e was an a b s o l u t e ( though no t a r e l a t i v e ) r e d u c t i o n i n s t a t i s t i ­c a l measures o f i n d i v i d u a l d i f f e r e n c e s .

D. The o b s e r v e r s ' i m p r e s s i o n was t h a t i n a u t o c r a c y t h e r e was some 1oss o f i nd i v I d u a 1 1 t y .

6. The re was more g r o u p - m i n d e d n e s s , and a l s o more f r i e n d l i ­n e s s , i n d e m o c r a c y .

A. In e x p e r i m e n t 1, t he p ronoun " 1 " was r e l a t i v e l y l e s s f r e q u e n t i n the d e m o c r a t i c g r o u p .

B . . Spon taneous sub g roups were l a r g e r .

C. In e x p e r i m e n t I I , g r o u p - m i n d e d remarks were much more f r e q u e n t i n d e m o c r a c y .

D. . F r i e n d l y remarks were s l i g h t l y more f r e q u e n t .

E. In e x p e r i m e n t I, mutua l p r a i s e was more f r e q u e n t i n t he d e m o c r a t i c g r o u p .

F. In e x p e r i m e n t I I , f r i e n d l y p l a y f u l n e s s was more f r e q u e n t In d e m o c r a c y .

G. In e x p e r i m e n t I, t he d e m o c r a t i c g roup showed more r e a d i n e s s t o s h a r e g roup p r o p e r t y . "

( W h i t e , L i p p i t t , i960) .

- 7 9 .

Summary o f r e s e a r c h f i n d i n g s c o n c e r n i n g r e c r e a t i o n a l p e r s o n n e l •

G o l d ' s f i n d i n g s i n d i c a t e t h e p r i m a r y i m p o r t a n c e o f " t h e human

r e s o u r c e s o f r e c r e a t iona1 1 e a d e r s h i p " i n d e t e r m i n i n g w h e t h e r r e c r e a t iona1

o p p o r t u n i t i e s i n f l u e n c e a c h i l d . The f i n d i n g s o f L i p p i t t and W h i t e ' s

s t u d y i n d i c a t e t he i n f l u e n c e on c h i l d r e n ' s b e h a v i o r o f t h r e e s t y l e s o f

r e c r e a t i o n l e a d e r b e h a v i o r . As w i t h F l a n d e r s ' s t u d i e s , one m igh t s u s ­

p e c t t h a t the model p r o v i d e d by the r e c r e a t i o n l e a d e r ' s s t y l e o f b e h a v i o r

was an i m p o r t a n t p a r t o f the i n f l u e n c e p r o c e s s . As w i t h the f i n d i n g s

c o n c e r n i n g p a r e n t s , c r i t i c i s m as w e l l as p r a i s e seems t o be I m p o r t a n t .

Data s h o u l d , t h e n , be c o l l e c t e d on how the c h i l d r e n see the r e c r e a t i o n

l e a d e r ' s b e h a v i o r as w e l l as how t hey t h i n k he wants them to behave and

on t he mean ing o f bo th h i s p o s i t i v e and n e g a t i v e s a n c t i o n s .

5. The C o m b i n i n g o f I n f l u e n c e s f r om O t h e r s

The p r e c e d i n g f o u r s e c t i o n s o f t h i s c h a p t e r have p r e s e n t e d

r e s e a r c h f i n d i n g s w h i c h i n d i c a t e t h a t t he b e h a v i o r o f c h i l d r e n i s

I n f l u e n c e d by p e r s o n s i n a v a r i e t y o f r o l e s w i t h whom they r e l a t e . In

t h i s f i n a l s e c t i o n some a d d i t i o n a l r e s e a r c h f i n d i n g s f r om s t u d i e s a l r e a d y

r e f e r r e d t o w i11 be r e v I e w e d . These f i n d i n g s i n d i c a t e t h a t t he i n f 1 u e n c e s

o f o t h e r s c o m b i n e , o r i n t e r a c t , i n p r o d u c i n g an e f f e c t on c h i l d r e n ' s

b e h a v i o r .

Voge l i n c l u d e d a v a r i a b l e o f c o h e s i v e n e s s w i t h the f a m i l i e s

o f boys d e s i g n a t e d as a n t i - s o c i a l as compared t o boys d e s i g n a t e d as w e l l

a d j u s t e d . Her d e f i n i t i o n and f i n d i n g s c o n c e r n i n g t h i s v a r i a b l e a r e as

f o l l o w s . " C o h e s i v e n e s s In t h i s s t u d y r e f e r s t o a ha rmon ious r e l a t i o n s h i p

and an a b s e n c e o f i n t e n s e d i s a g r e e m e n t between members o f the f a m i l y g r o u p .

Mo thers i n the a n t i - s o c i a l g roup r e p o r t e d much q u a r r e l i n g among the c h i l d r e n

- 8 0 -

i n t he f a m i l y . No o t h e r d i f f e r e n c e s were shown between t he m o t h e r s .

F a t h e r s i n t he w e l l - a d j u s t e d g roup r e p o r t e d g r e a t e r agreement w i t h t h e i r

w i v e s on c h i l d r ea r i . ng t e c h n i q u e s and p o l i c i e s , t hey more o f t e n saw an

a f f e c t i o n a t e bond between t he mother and the boy and t hey i n d i c a t e d a

g r e a t e r deg ree o f s a t i s f a c t i o n w i t h the p a r e n t a l r o l e . However , i t Is

t he f e e l i n g o f t h i s i n v e s t i g a t o r t h a t the s c a l e s f o r m e a s u r i n g the d i m e n ­

s i o n o f c o h e s i v e n e s s o f t h e f a m i l y were no t d e f i n e d c l e a r l y enough f o r

adequa te c o n c l u s i o n s t o be drawn f o r t h i s d i m e n s i o n " ( V o g e l , 1 9 6 2 ) .

S e a s h o r e e x p l o r e d the r e l a t i o n s h i p o f p a r e n t a l p a t t e r n s o f

r e l a t i n g and c o n g r u e n c e o f c h i l d r e n w i t h t h e i r p a r e n t s . As n o t e d e a r l i e r ,

c o n g r u e n c e was f ound t o r e l a t e t o c i t i z e n s h i p g rades a t s c h o o l . Two

d i m e n s i o n s i n p a r e n t a l p a t t e r n s o f r e l a t i n g were c o n s i d e r e d . O n e - i n v o l v e d

w h e t h e r t h e f a t h e r was dominan t i n d e c i s i o n mak ing on i s s u e s r e l e v a n t t o

t he f a m i l y , o r whe the r each p a r e n t had e q u a l i n f l u e n c e i n such d e c i s i o n

m a k i n g . The l a t t e r s i t u a t i o n was termed an " e q u a 1 i t a r I a n 1 1 f a m i l y s t r u c ­

t u r e . T h i s d i m e n s i o n d i d no t e x t e n d t o s i t u a t i o n s o f mother dominance as

no such c a s e s were r e p o r t e d by r e s p o n d e n t s i n the s t u d y . The o t h e r

d i m e n s i o n c o n c e r n e d the deg ree t o w h i c h t h e r e was agreement be tween the

p a r e n t s on "how c h i l d r e n s h o u l d be h a n d l e d . "

S e a s h o r e r e p o r t s t h a t , " h i g h c o n g r u e n c e i s s i g n i f i c a n t l y

a s s o c i a t e d w i t h (a) f a t h e r dominance and low p a r e n t a l a g r e e m e n t , o r (b)

e q u a l i t a r i a n s t r u c t u r e and h i g h p a r e n t a l a g r e e m e n t . " "The f i n d i n g s show

t h a t t he f a m i l y s t r u c t u r e i s e ven more i n f l u e n t i a l when t h e r e i s h i g h

agreement between p a r e n t s on how t o h a n d l e the c h i l d . Fo r bo th d e l i n ­

q u e n t s and n o n - d e l i n q u e n t s , where t h e r e i s h i g h p a r e n t a l a g r e e m e n t , t he

e q u a l i t a r i a n f a m i l y s t r u c t u r e i s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h h i g h c o n g r u e n c e and f a t h e r

- 8 1 -

dominance i s a c o r r e l a t e o f low c o n g r u e n c e . In o n l y the n o n - d e l i n q u e n t g roup i s t he e x p e c t e d r e s u l t f ound w i t h the c a s e s where t h e r e i s low p a r e n t a l agreement - t h a t f a t h e r dominance w o u l d p r o d u c e h i g h e r c o n g r u e n c e than t he e q u a l i t a r i a n s t r u c t u r e " ( S e a s h o r e , i960).

Wormel1 e x p l o r e d whe the r c h l l d r e n who were h i gh u t l 1 i z e r s o f

t h e i r a c a d e m i c a b i l i t i e s , and c h i l d r e n who were low u t i l i z e r s , t end to

see and r e a c t t o t e a c h e r s i n a f a s h i o n s i m i l a r t o t he way t hey see and

r e a c t t o p a r e n t s . She r e p o r t s t h a t , " H i g h u t i l i z e r s t end t o i n t e r p r e t

bo th s e t s o f a d u l t s as m o d e r a t e , s u p p o r t i v e , and no t u n d u l y r e s t r i c t i v e .

Low u t i l i z e r s more o f t e n f i n d a d u l t s i n t h e i r w o r l d d e n y i n g them t h e i r

p o i n t o f v i e w and a r b i t r a r i l y e x e r c i s i n g a u t h o r i t y o v e r t h e m . " "When

r esen tmen t a r i s e s a g a i n s t r e s t r i c t i v e n e s s , e s p e c i a l l y among l o w - u t i l i z e r s ,

i t i s d i r e c t e d more a g a i n s t p a r e n t s t han t e a c h e r s . " Wormel l c o n c l u d e s

t h a t he r a n a l y s i s o f t he p a t t e r n s o f r e p l i e s f r om the two g roups o f

c h i l d r e n , " s u p p o r t s t he h y p o t h e s e s t h a t bo th h i g h and low u t i l i z i n g g roups

can t r a n s f e r p e r c e p t i o n s c o n c e r n i n g a u t h o r i t y r e l a t i o n s h i p s and u t i l i t y

o f c o m m u n i c a t i o n f r om p a r e n t s to t e a c h e r s " * (Wormel 1 , 19&3) ••

Bu tman ' s v a r i a b l e o f " s i m i l a r i t y " was d e r i v e d f r om d a t a c o n ­

c e r n i n g the c h i l d ' s p e r c e p t i o n s o f , " h i s t e a c h e r s as b e i n g l i k e h i s

p a r e n t s , i f he sees h i m s e l f a c t i n g much the same i n t he two s i t u a t i o n s ,

and i f he f e e l s t h a t h i s p a r e n t ' s i d e a s and w i s h e s i n f l u e n c e what he does

i n s c h o o l . " To the e x t e n t t h a t t h e s e t h i n g s were t r u e , a c h i l d was d e s i g ­

n a t e d as p e r c e i v i n g h i g h s i m i l a r i t y between h i s home s i t u a t i o n and h i s

s c h o o l s i t u a t i o n . I t was f ound t h a t g i r l s see more s i m i l a r i t y t han b o y s .

Fo r g i r l s i n g e n e r a l , p e r c e p t i o n o f s i m i l a r i t y i n c r e a s e d the l i k e l i h o o d

o f r o l e c o n t i n u i t y f r o m the f a m i l y t o t he s c h o o l s i t u a t i o n . T h i s was not

t r u e f o r boys i n g e n e r a l .

- 8 2 -

When t he d a t a was l o o k e d a t i n terms o f w h e t h e r t he boy o r g i r l was h i g h o r low i n i n f l u e n c e on l i k e - s e x p a r e n t , and w h e t h e r he o r she was h i g h o r low i n i n f l u e n c e w i t h p e e r s , f u r t h e r f i n d i n g s emerged . Fo r LH g i r l s ( t he f i r s t l e t t e r r e f e r s t o h i g h -H o r low - L i n f l u e n c e on p a r e n t s , the s e c o n d l e t t e r r e f e r s t o h i g h -H o r low- - L i n f l u e n c e on p e e r s - i n t h i s c a s e t he r e f e r e n c e i s t o g i r l s low on I n f l u e n c e w i t h l i k e - s e x p a r e n t s and h i g h In I n f l u e n c e on p e e r s ) who p e r c e i v e h i g h s i m i l a r i t y , 73£ a r e r a t e d h i g h on bo th f r i e n d l i n e s s and p r o c e d u r a l s k i l l s by t h e i r t e a c h e r s . Fo r LH g i r l s who p e r c e i v e low s i m i l a r i t y , o n l y k5% a r e so r a t e d by t e a c h e r s .

Among LL b o y s , 12% who saw l i t t l e s i m i l a r i t y were r a t e d be low

a v e r a g e i n t h e i r c l a s s r o o m s on i n f l u e n c e a t t e m p t s but much above a v e r a g e

on use o f p h y s i c a l f o r c e as compared t o k0% o f t h o s e who saw some s i m i ­

l a r i t y . For LH b o y s , 15% o f t h o s e who saw l i t t l e s i m i l a r i t y a r e above

a v e r a g e on a l l t h r e e a s s e r t I v e n e s s measures ( i n f l u e n c e a t t e m p t s , a g g r e s ­

s i v e n e s s , and use o f p h y s i c a l f o r c e ) as compared to 35% o f t h o s e who see

some s i m i l a r i t y . The LH boys who see l i t t l e s i m i l a r i t y a l s o tend t o be

r a t e d h i g h e r on f r i e n d l i n e s s and p r o c e d u r a l s k i l l s . (Bu tman , 1964).

E p p e r s o n , L u s z k i , and Schmuck combined t he way a p u p i l t h o u g h t

h i s t e a c h e r f e e l s abou t h im w i t h the way he t hough t h i s c l a s s r o o m p e e r s

f e l t abou t h im t o f o rm a s i n g l e i n d e x o f "how o t h e r s v a l u e h i m . " They

f ound t h a t t h i s i n d e x w h i c h combined " t e a c h e r and the o t h e r p u p i l s "

r e l a t e d s i g n i f i c a n t l y t o bo th the measure o f s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t o f t he

c h i l d and the measure o f t he c h i l d ' s a c t u a l i z a t i o n o f h i s a cadem ic

p o t e n t i a l . ( E p p e r s o n , L u s z k i , Schmuck , 1961).

- 8 3 -

Summary o f r e s e a r c h f i n d i n g s c o n c e r n i n g t he c o m b i n i n g o f i n f l u e n c e s f r om o t h e r s

R e s e a r c h f i n d i n g s f r om s t u d i e s c o n c e r n i n g f a m i l i e s , p e e r s , s c h o o l

p e r s o n n e l , and r e c r e a t i o n a l p e r s o n n e l i n d i c a t e t h a t p e o p l e i n each one

o f t h e s e c a t e g o r i e s do i n f l u e n c e the s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r o f c h i l d ­

r e n . V o g e l ' s f i n d i n g s i n d i c a t e t h a t agreement between p a r e n t s i s i m p o r ­

t a n t . S e a s h o r e i n d i c a t e s even more c l e a r l y t h a t agreement between p a r e n t s

i s p a r t o f t he i n f l u e n c e p r o c e s s on c h i l d r e n . W o r m e l 1 ' s f i n d i n g s i n d i c a t e

t h a t c h i l d r e n " c a n t r a n s f e r p e r c e p t i o n s " f r om p a r e n t s to t e a c h e r s . T h i s

wou ld s u g g e s t t h a t c h i l d r e n t end no t t o p e r c e i v e t he i n f l u e n c e s d i f f e r ­

e n t i a l l y . Bu tman ' s f I n d i n g s I n d I c a t e c i r c u m s t a n c e s under w h i c h t he d i f f e r ­

e n t i a t i o n t ends to be made. When d i f f e r e n c e i s p e r c e i v e d , t h i s d i f f e r e n c e ,

i n I t s e l f , seems t o have a n e g a t i v e e f f e c t on b e h a v i o r . T h i s i n d i c a t e s

t h a t p e r c e i v e d l a c k o f agreement between o t h e r s may be an i m p o r t a n t k i n d

o f d a t a to g a t h e r i n i t s own r i g h t . E p p e r s o n , L u s z k i , and S c h m u c k ' s

f i n d i n g s i n w h i c h they combined how the c h i l d t hough t h i s t e a c h e r and

o t h e r p e e r s f e l t abou t h im p r e s e n t s the c l e a r e s t examp le o f the i m p o r ­

t a n c e o f e x p l o r i n g c o m b i n a t i o n s o f i n f l u e n c e . A n o t h e r r a t i o n a l e f o r

e x p l o r i n g s u c h c o m b i n a t i o n s i s t h a t c o m p a r a t i v e l y l i t t l e a p p e a r s t o have

been done a l o n g t h e s e l i n e s .

CHAPTER 4

CRITERION BEHAVIOR, THEORY AND HYPOTHESES

T h i s s t u d y e x p l o r e s t he r e l a t i o n s h i p between c h i l d r e n ' s p e r ­

c e p t i o n s and f e e l i n g s t owards o t h e r s and t h e i r s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r .

The c r i t e r i o n b e h a v i o r , t h e " s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r , " o f the s t u d y

were d e r i v e d f r om a c o m b i n a t i o n o f c o n s i d e r i n g t he i m p l i c a t i o n s f r om

r e s e a r c h f i n d i n g s used to d e v e l o p t he EPEH p r o j e c t and c o n s i d e r i n g

w r i t t e n q u e s t i o n n a i r e r e s p o n s e s o f t he s t a f f members In the two e l e ­

mentary s c h o o l s where the p rog ram was c a r r i e d o u t . The f o rmer were r e ­

v i ewed In the summary o f each s e c t i o n i n c h a p t e r 3- Fo r t he l a t t e r ,

r e s p o n s e s t o the q u e s t i o n , "What a r e some s p e c i f i c changes w h i c h you

wou ld l i k e t o see i n the b e h a v i o r o f e m o t i o n a l l y d i s t u r b e d c h i l d r e n t h a t

you work w i t h o r know o f i n the s c h o o l ? " were c o n s i d e r e d . The r e s p o n s e s

seemed t o f a 11 i n t o t h r e e major c a t e g o r i e s ( J u n g , 1962 ) . I m p l i c i t i n

e s t a b l i s h i n g the EPEH p r o j e c t f o r s o c i o - e m o t i o n a l l y h a n d i c a p p e d c h i l d r e n

was the a s s u m p t i o n t h a t some a s p e c t s o f the r e l a t i o n s h i p s o f t h o s e i n

the p rog ram w i t h t h e s e c h i l d r e n w o u l d i n f l u e n c e improvement o f t h e s e

t h r e e k i n d s o f b e h a v i o r s . E x p l i c i t l y , t h e s e k i n d s o f b e h a v i o r w e r e :

1. The c h i l d ' s r a t e o f a c a d e m i c a c h i e v e m e n t .

2 . The p o s i t i v e n e s s o f t he c h i l d ' s b e h a v i o r a l i n t e r a c t i o n s

w i t h t e a c h e r s i n terms o f h i s , and t h e i r , b e h a v i o r a l

i n i t i a t i o n s and r e s p o n s e s when they a r e r e l a t i n g w i t h

each o t h e r .

3 . The p o s i t i v e n e s s o f t he c h i l d ' s b e h a v i o r a l i n t e r a c t i o n s

w i t h p e e r s i n terms o f h i s , and t h e i r , b e h a v i o r a l i n i t i a ­

t i o n s and r e s p o n s e s when they a r e r e l a t i n g w i t h each o t h e r .

- 8 4 -

- 8 5 -

The a s p e c t s o f r e l a t i o n s h i p s w h i c h o t h e r s have w i t h a c h i l d t h a t were assumed t o r e l a t e t o h i s s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r as now d e f i n e d were d e r i v e d f r o m a c o m b i n a t i o n o f two s o u r c e s . One was a t h e o r e t i c a l model o f a c i r c u l a r p r o c e s s o f i n t e r p e r s o n a l r e l a t i o n s h i p s c o n c e i v e d by L i p p i t t and h i s a s s o c i a t e s ( L i p p i t t , 1964). The o t h e r was a r e v i e w o f some o f the r e s e a r c h s t u d i e s c o n s i d e r e d by L i p p i t t and h i s a s s o c i a t e s i n d e v e l o p i n g t h e i r m o d e l . T h i s r e v i e w was p r e s e n t e d i n c h a p t e r 3-

L i p p i t t ' s model i m p l i e s t h a t t he c h i l d ' s b e h a v i o r In r e l a t i o n

t o any p a r t i c u l a r o t h e r i s a f u n c t i o n o f h i s p e r c e p t ! o n s ' o f t he o t h e r ' s

b e h a v i o r , h i s f e e l i n g s abou t h i m s e l f and the o t h e r , and h i s b e h a v i o r a l

i n t e n t i o n s i n r e l a t i o n to the o t h e r . These t h r e e p r o c e s s e s p r e s u m a b l y

combine t o i n f l u e n c e h i s b e h a v i o r . They a r e assumed t o be i n f l u e n c e d , i n

t u r n , by t he a c t u a l b e h a v i o r o f the o t h e r w h i c h i s i n f l u e n c e d by s i m i l a r

i n t e r n a l p r o c e s s e s o f the o t h e r . D iagram 5 i l l u s t r a t e s the ma jo r p a r t s

o f t h i s c i r c u l a r p r o c e s s . On the b a s i s o f t h e i r awareness o f r e s e a r c h ,

L i p p i t t and h i s a s s o c i a t e s go on to p r o p o s e a number o f d i m e n s i o n s w h i c h

have major i m p o r t a n c e i n each p a r t o f t h i s c i r c u l a r p r o c e s s . D iag ram 6

p r e s e n t s t h e s e d i m e n s i o n s .

The c o n c e r n o f t h i s s t u d y i s t o e x p l o r e the r e l a t i o n s h i p between

c e r t a i n o f t he i n t e r n a l p r o c e s s e s o f t he c h i l d ' s p e r c e p t i o n s and f e e l i n g s

towards o t h e r s t o the c r i t e r i o n b e h a v i o r as d e f i n e d . L i p p i t t ' s model

s u g g e s t s many k i n d s o f d a t a w h i c h m igh t be c o n s i d e r e d i n o b t a i n i n g a

s c o r e w h i c h r e p r e s e n t s the c h i l d ' s i n t e r n a l p r o c e s s e s . The r e v i e w o f

r e s e a r c h s t u d i e s p r e s e n t e d i n c h a p t e r 3 r e s u l t e d i n s e l e c t i n g f o u r k i n d s

o f d a t a . S e v e r a l g u i d e l i n e s were used in mak ing t h e s e s e l e c t i o n s . One

was that t hey i nc lude t h e t h r e e i n t e r n a l a s p e c t s o f the c i r c u l a r p r o c e s s

- 8 6 -

DIAGRAM 5

THE CIRCULAR PROCESS OF INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS

P a r t s o f t he Ci r c l e

t he c h l I d has a c e r t a i n o r i e n t a t i o n

t owards the o t h e r

the chi Id has inner f ee l ings and thoughts

the chi Id has a pattern of.ways

that he acts towards the other

t he c h i I d e x p e c t s and sees c e r t a i n t h i ngs abou t the

way the o t h e r a c t s

the other has a pattern of ways that

he acts toward the c h i l d

t he o t h e r e x p e c t s and sees c e r t a i n t h i n g s abou t t he way t he c h i Id a c t s

t he o t h e r has i n n e r f e e l i n g s and t h o u g h t s

t he o t h e r has a It? c e r t a i n

o r i e n t a t i o n t owards the ch i 1d

-87 -

DIAGRAM 6

THE CIRCULAR PROCESS OF INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS

D imens ions i n Each P a r t o f t he C i r c l e

Chi Id I n t e r p e r s o n a l O r i e n t a t i o n

t r u s t - d i s t r u s t e o n t r o I - s h a r e - d e p e n d

Chi Id I nner P e r s o n a l P r o c e s s s e l f - c o n c e p t i o n o f own

r e s o u r c e s p e r c e p t i o n o f e v a l u a t i o n

o f s e l f by o t h e r s e v a l u a t i o n and need f o r

r e s o u r c e s o f o t h e r s -A

Chi Id E x p e c t a t i ons and

P e r c e p t i ons f r i e n d l y - u n f r i e n d l y h e l p f u l - r e s t r i c t i n g sugges t i ng-demand i ng a c c e p t i n g - r e j e c t i ng

O t h e r

Chi Id A c t i o n P a t t e r n s a c t i v e - p a s s i ve I n i t i a t e - w i thdraw-

a v o i d h o s t i l e - f r i e n d l y s e e k - o f f e r a c c e p t - r e j e c t

O t h e r E x p e c t a t i o n s and

P e r c e p t i ons f r i e n d l y - u n f r i e n d l y , h e l p f u l - r e s t r i c t i n g s u g g e s t i ng-demandi ng a c c e p t i n g - r e j e c t i ng

A c t i o n P a t t e r n s a c t i v e - p a s s i v e i n i t i a t e - w i t h d r a w - a v o i d hos t I 1 e - f r i e n d l y a c c e p t - r e j e c t

O the r I n t e r p e r s o n a l O r i en t a t i on

t r u s t - d i s t r u s t c o n t r o l - s h a r e - d e p e n d

O t h e r I nner P e r s o n a l P r o c e s s s e l f - c o n c e p t i o n o f own

r e s o u r c e s P e r c e p t i o n o f e v a l u a t i o n

o f s e l f Eva 1ua t i on and need f o r

r e s o u r c e s o f o t h e r s

- 8 8 -

m o d e l . How does t he c h i l d p e r c e i v e t h e o t h e r ' s b e h a v i o r and d e s i r e s c o n c e r n i n g t h e c r i t e r i o n b e h a v i o r ? How does t h e c h i l d f e e l abou t t he o t h e r as c o n c e r n s the c r i t e r i o n b e h a v i o r ? How does t he c h i l d i n t e n d t o behave i n te rms o f what t he o t h e r i s p e r c e i v e d as d e s i r i n g c o n c e r n Ing the c r i t e r i o n b e h a v i o r ? A second g u i d e l i n e was t o i n c l u d e as few k i n d s o f d a t a as were guessed to be n e c e s s a r y i n o r d e r t h a t a f a i r l y s i m p l e i n s t r u m e n t c o u l d be d e v e l o p e d . A t h i r d g u i d e l i n e was t o make the s e l e c t i o n s f r om t he r e v i e w o f r e s e a r c h s t u d i e s o f k i n d s o f d a t a w h i c h seemed to be most r e l e v a n t and r e c u r r e n t . These g u i d e l i n e s a r e a d m i t t e d l y vague as a p p l i e d to t he r e s e a r c h s t u d i e s w h i c h were r e v i e w e d and t he s e l e c t i o n s were c o r r e s p o n d i n g l y somewhat a r b i t r a r y .

The f o u r k i n d s o f d a t a s e l e c t e d f o r d a t a c o l l e c t i o n In c r e a t i n g

i n d e p e n d e n t v a r i a b l e s o f t he s t u d y were as f o l l o w s :

1. What does t he c h i l d see o t h e r s d o i n g , o r d e s i r i n g t o d o ,

as c o n c e r n s the t h r e e c r i t e r i o n b e h a v i o r s ?

2 . What does the c h i l d s e e o t h e r s w a n t i n g h im t o do as r e g a r d s

the t h r e e c r i t e r i o n b e h a v i o r s ?

3 . To what e x t e n t does t he c h i l d want to p l e a s e o t h e r s by

d o i n g what he sees them d e s i r i n g o f h im as c o n c e r n s the

t h r e e c r i t e r i o n b e h a v i o r s ?

4 . To what e x t e n t does the c h i l d see o t h e r s as b e i n g mad a t

h im i f he does no t do what he sees them as d e s i r i n g o f

h i m c o n c e r n i ng the t h r e e c r i t e r i on b e h a v i o r s ?

The f i r s t two k i n d s o f d a t a a r e c o n s i d e r e d t o be d i r e c t i o n a l

i n t e rms o f o t h e r s b e i n g seen as p e r f o r m i n g and d e s i r i n g b e h a v i o r , whi ch

i s e i t h e r i n a p o s i t i v e o r n e g a t i v e d i r e c t i o n . The c h i l d may see o t h e r s

- 8 9 -

as d o i n g w e l l o r p o o r l y on r e a d i ng, w r i t i ng o r a r i t h m e t i c . He may see o t h e r s as w a n t i n g h im t o behave good o r bad i n g e t t i n g a l o n g w i t h h i s t e a c h e r . The second two k i n d s o f d ^ t a a r e c o n s i d e r e d t o be m o t i v a t i o n a l i n c o m b i n i n g w i t h t he d i r e c t i o n o f i n f l u e n c e he p e r c e i v e s coming f r o m a n o t h e r . The i n f l u e n c e o f a n o t h e r on h im to do what t h a t o t h e r does o r wants w i l l depend on the e x t e n t t o w h i c h t he c h i l d d e s i r e s t o p l e a s e t h a t o t h e r o r sees t h a t o t h e r as g e t t i n g mad a t h im i f he d o e s n ' t do what t he o t h e r w a n t s .

I t was assumed t h a t a p e r s o n whom the c h i l d wants t o p l e a s e

v e r y much was h a v i n g a much g r e a t e r p r o p o r t i o n a l I n f l u e n c e t han a p e r s o n

whom t he c h i l d d i d n ' t want t o p l e a s e o r wan ted t o p l e a s e o n l y a l i t t l e

b i t . T h e r e f o r e , t he r e l a t i o n s h i p between t he d i r e c t i o n a l k i n d s o f d a t a

and the m o t i v a t i o n a l k i n d s o f d a t a , as t hey combined w i t h i n the c h i l d ,

was assumed t o be m u l t i p l i c a t i v e , g i v i n g much g r e a t e r w e i g h t t o t h o s e

t owards whom he f e l t t he s t r o n g e s t " w a n t i n g t o p l e a s e " and " g e t t i n g

mad" k i n d s o f m o t i v a t i o n . A t h e o r e t i c a l l y based i n f l u e n c e f o r m u l a f o r

h a n d l i n g t h e s e k i n d s o f d a t a , as r e p o r t e d by a c h i l d abou t a p e r s o n ,

c o n c e r n i n g a c r i t e r i o n b e h a v i o r , i s p r e s e n t e d i n d i a g r a m 7-

The c h i l d ' s p e r c e p t i o n and a f f e c t t owards o t h e r s a r e c h o s e n as

the k i n d s o f d a t a f o r t h i s f o r m u l a t i o n r a t h e r t h a n t he b e h a v i o r o f t he

o t h e r as o t h e r w i s e d e t e r m i n e d . The g u i d e l i n e f o r t h i s c h o i c e was L e w i n '

t h e o r e t i c a l l i f e s p a c e model i n w h i c h t he i n d i v i d u a l ' s b e h a v i o r i s a

f u n c t i o n o f h i s s e l f and h i s p s y c h o l o g i c a l e n v i r o n m e n t w h i c h i s , f o r h im

as i t i s p e r c e i v e d by h i m . As C a r t w r i g h t s t a t e s i t , "The l i f e s pace i s

d e f i n e d s o t h a t a t any g i v e n t ime i t i n c l u d e s a l l f a c t s t h a t have e x i s ­

t e n c e and e x c l u d e s t h o s e t h a t do no t have e x i s t e n c e f o r t h e i n d i v i d u a l

o r group under s t u d y " (Ca r twr igh t , 1951)-

- 9 0 -

DIAGRAM 7

INFLUENCE FORMULA

Chi I d 's percep­t i o n of how o ther does behave on a c r i t e r i on behavior

pi us

Chi I d ' s percep­t i on of how o ther wants c h i I d to behave on that c r i t e r i on behavior

t i mes

Chi I d 's des i re to p lease o ther by doi ng what o ther wants him to do

p 1 us

C h i 1 d 1 s percep-t i on of how mad o ther gets i f ch I1d does not behave as the o ther wants

equa I s ence on the ch i 1 d 1 s behav-

o r , w r i t t e n in a more abbrev ia ted manner:

(do + want) x (p lease + mad) « behav io ra l i n f l uence of o ther

The i n f l uence formula w i l l be used to p rov ide scores which

w i l l then be used in more encompassing formulas to t es t the f i r s t two

hypotheses o f t h i s s tudy . It i s assumed that the i n f l uences of a num­

ber o f persons in a c h i l d ' s l i f e combine w i t h i n the c h i l d as a s i g n i f i ­

cant determinant of h i s behav io r . It i s t he re fo re proposed that an

average of these i n f l uences of o t h e r s , as s p e c i f i e d by the i n f l uence

f o rmu la , w i l l be p r e d i c t i v e of the c h i l d ' s school adjustment behav io r .

This average i n f l uence score p r e d i c t i v e of behav io r , as presented in

diagram 8, i s the f i r s t independent v a r i a b l e of the s tudy .

- 9 1 -

DIAGRAM 8

FORMULA FOR AN AVERAGE INFLUENCE SCORE PREDICTIVE OF BEHAVIOR

Sum (sum o f behav i o ra1 i n f1uences of each o ther) • Average i n f l uence score Number o f o thers repor ted on by the ch i 1 d p r e d i c t i v e of behavior

T h e a v e r a g e I n f l u e n c e s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r i s p r o p o s e d

to represent d i s f u n c t i o n a 1 aspects of a c h i l d ' s i n te rpe rsona l r e l a t i o n ­

sh ips in terms of t h e i r e f f e c t on h i s school adjustment behav io r . S o c i o -

emot ional maladjustment Is seen here as based in the c h i l d ' s i n t e r p e r ­

sonal r e l a t i o n s h i p s . A c h i l d may be behaving nega t i ve l y by s o c i e t y ' s

s tandards f o r one, o r more, o f severa l reasons based in h is r e l a t i o n s h i p s

w i th o t h e r s . The o thers who he cares about may behave n e g a t i v e l y . He

may have negat ive f e e l i n g s about o thers who are key f i gu res In h i s l i f e

a t tempt ing to i n f l uence him. He may pe rce i ve competing and c o n f l i c t i n g

k inds of i n f l uence attempts coming from others which make him angry and/or

bewi lder h im, having a r e su l t an t negat ive e f f e c t on h i s behav io r . An

e s p e c i a l l y important cha l lenge f o r f u tu re research w i l l be to exp lo re the

v a r i e t y o f coping mechanisms which d i f f e r e n t c h i l d r e n use in r eac t i ng

to such aspects of i n te rpe rsona l r e l a t i o n s h i p s .

A major cha l lenge f o r t h i s study is c r e a t i n g a methodology

which w i l l i d e n t i f y such d i s c repanc ies which each of a group of c h i l d r e n

exper iences w i th one or more persons in h i s l i f e . An instrument is

needed which w i l l de tec t these d i sc repanc ies so that they may be combined

In the proposed fo rmu las .

- 9 2 -

The f i r s t hypothes is o f t h i s study i s concerned w i th the r e l a ­t i o n s h i p o f the average i n f luences score p r e d i c t i v e of behavior to the c h i l d ' s school adjustment behav io r .

Hypothesis 1 : The more p o s i t i v e the c h i l d ' s average i n f l uence score p r e d i c t i v e of behav io r , the more p o s i t i v e w i l l be the c h i l d ' s school adjustment behav io r .

It i s assumed that when a c h i l d pe rce ives lack of congruence

among o thers about how to behave on the c r i t e r i o n behaviors that t h i s

w i l l have a negat ive i n f l uence on h i s behav io r . It i s t he re fo re p ro ­

p o s e d t h a t t h e a v e r a g e v a r i a n c e b e t w e e n t h e sum of b e h a v I o r a 1 i n f 1 u e n c e s

of each o ther w i l l be p r e d i c t i v e of the c h i l d ' s school adjustment behav­

i o r . Th is congruence score p r e d i c t i v e o f the c h i l d ' s school adjustment

behav io r , as presented in diagram 9 , Is the second independent v a r i a b l e

of the s tudy .

DIAGRAM 9

FORMULA FOR THE CONGRUENCE SCORE PREDICTIVE OF BEHAVIOR

Sum (the squared d i f f e rences from the mean of the Congruence score sums of behav io ra l i n f luences of each o ther) = p r e d i c t i v e of

Number of o thers reported on by the c h i l d behavior

The second hypothes is is concerned w i th the r e l a t i o n s h i p o f the

congruence score p r e d i c t i v e o f behavior to the c h i l d ' s school adjustment

behav io r . The lower the va r iance which the c h i l d pe rce ives between o t h e r s ,

the " h i g h e r " h is congruence score p r e d i c t i v e of behav io r .

Hypothesis 2 : The h igher the c h i l d ' s congruence score p r e d i c ­t i v e of behav io r , the more p o s i t i v e w i l l be the c h i l d ' s school adjustment behav io r .

- 9 3 -

If these f i r s t two hypotheses are s u b s t a n t i a t e d , i t w i l l be

p o s s i b l e to t es t three a d d i t i o n a l hypotheses which have e v a l u a t i v e

i m p l i c a t i o n s fo r the a c t i o n design o f the EPEH p r o j e c t . Some of the

persons reported on by some of the c h i l d r e n were inc luded in the a c t i o n

design o f the EPEH p r o j e c t . Some were not so i n c l u d e d . The f ac t of

o t h e r s , being reported on by the c h i l d r e n , having been inc luded in the

a c t i o n design is the t h i r d independent v a r i a b l e o f the s tudy .

If the p o s i t i v e n e s s o f o t h e r ' s i n f l uence r e l a tes to the

p o s i t i v e n e s s o f c h i l d r e n ' s s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r , t h e n p e r s o n s

s e l e c t e d and/or t r a i ned in the a c t i o n design of EPEH to i n f l uence c h i l d r e n

to behave more p o s i t i v e l y should be seen by the c h i l d r e n as having more

p o s i t i v e i n f l uence than persons not invo lved in the a c t i o n des ign .

Hypothesis 3 : Persons invo lved in the a c t i o n design o f EPEH w i l l be seen by the c h i l d r e n as e x e r t i n g more p o s i t i v e i n f l u e n c e , in terms of t h e i r c o n t r i ­but ion to the score p r e d i c t i v e of behav io r , than persons not so i n v o l v e d .

If congruence perce ived among o thers r e l a t e s to the c h i l d ' s

school adjustment behav io r , then congruence between o thers invo lved in

the a c t i o n design of EPEH should be seen by each c h i l d as h igher than

that perce ived between o thers who were not so i n v o l v e d .

Hypothesis k: The i n f l uences of persons invo lved in the a c t i o n design of EPEH, in terms of t h e i r c o n t r i b u t i o n to the score p r e d i c t i v e of behav io r , w i l l be seen by the c h i l d r e n as more congruent w i th each o ther than the i n f luences o f persons not so i n vo l ved .

If p o s i t i v e n e s s o f o t h e r s ' i n f l u e n c e , and congruence among

the i n f l uences of o t h e r s , r e l a t e to school adjustment behav io r , then

c h i l d r e n invo lved in the a c t i o n design o f EPEH should be see ing more

p o s i t i v e i n f l uences from o t h e r s , more congruence among o t h e r s , and should

- 9 4 -

be more p o s i t i v e in t h e i r behavior than comparable c h i l d r e n who were not

so i n v o l v e d . The f a c t of c h i l d r e n having been invo lved in the a c t i o n

design o f EPEH is the f ou r th independent v a r i a b l e o f the s tudy.

Hypothesis 5- Ch i l d ren invo lved in the a c t i o n des ign o f EPEH w i l l have h igher average i n f l uence scores p r e d i c t i v e of behav io r , h igher congruence scores p r e d i c t i v e of behav io r , and w i l l be more p o s i t i v e in t h e i r school adjustment behavior than compa­rab le c h i l d r e n who were not i nvo lved in the a c t i o n design o f EPEH.

CHAPTER 5

METHODOLOGY AND DESI GN

The study exp lo res the r e l a t i o n s h i p between percep t ions and

fee 1 i ngs wh i ch soc i o-emot i ona11y hand I capped ch i1dren have towards o ther

persons concern ing school adjustment behavior and observa t ions o f the

c h i l d r e n ' s behav io ra l i n t e r a c t i o n s w i th o t h e r s . It a l s o exp lo res whether

persons who were i nvo lved in s p e c i a l programs designed to improve the

c h i l d ' s school adjustment behavior were perce ived by the c h i l d r e n as

having more p o s i t i v e i n f l uence than persons not so i n vo l ved . F i n a l l y , i t

compares the pe rcep t ions ancj behav io ra l i n t e r a c t i o n s of a group o f c h i l d r e n

who were invo lved in exper imental e f f o r t s to improve t h e i r behavior w i th

a con t ro l group of c h i l d r e n who were not so i n v o l v e d .

There are three par ts to the s tudy . The f i r s t pa r t i s con­

cerned w i th deve lop ing a methodology and is presented in t h i s chap te r .

The research design f o r c a r r y i n g out the second and t h i r d par ts o f the

study are a l s o presented in t h i s chap te r . The second par t o f - t h e study

is de r ived from t h e o r e t i c a l and research based assumpt ions. I t . t e s t s

two hypotheses concern ing the r e l a t i o n s h i p between c h i l d r e n ' s pe rcep t ions

and f e e l i n g s towards o thers and observa t ions o f t h e i r behav io ra l i n t e r ­

a c t i o n s . The t h i r d par t i s de r i ved from a d e s i r e to take an e v a l u a t i v e

look at the EPEH a c t i o n program. It t e s t s two hypotheses concern ing the

persons invo lved in c a r r y i n g out the program and one hypothes is concern ing

the c h i l d r e n who were supposed to be changed by the program. Resu l ts o f

the second and t h i r d par ts of the study are repor ted In chapter 6 .

- 9 5 -

- 9 6 -

The Va r iab les

There are s i x v a r i a b l e s in the s tudy . They are used d e f e r ­

e n t i a l l y as Independent o r dependent v a r i a b l e s in t e s t i n g the f i v e

hypotheses. The i r d i f f e r e n t i a l use w i l l be s p e c i f i e d when the research

design i s presented l a t e r in t h i s chap te r . The s i x v a r i a b l e s a r e :

( 1 ) the o t h e r ' s i n f l uence on the c h i l d ' s behavior as a r r i v e d at by the

i n f l uence f o rmu la ; ( 2 ) the average i n f l uence score p r e d i c t i v e o f behav­

i o r ; ( 3 ) the congruence score p r e d i c t i v e of behav io r ; (k) o thers repor ted

on by the ch i ldren who are included in the act ion team of E P E H ; ( 5 ) ch i ldren

having been inc luded as u l t ima te t a rge ts f o r change in the a c t i o n design

o f EPEH; and ( 6 ) the p o s i t i v e n e s s o f c h i l d r e n ' s behav io ra l i n t e r a c t i o n s

w i th peers and teacher in the c l ass room.

O thers ' In f luence on the C h i l d ' s Behavior

The i n f l uence formula c a l l s f o r c o l l e c t i n g four k inds o f data

from the c h i l d r e n as concerns o thers and combining i t in ways that g ive

i t s p e c i a l we igh t i ngs . These four k inds of data a r e :

1 . what does the c h i l d see o thers do i ng , or d e s i r i n g to do ,

as concerns the three c r i t e r i o n behav io rs7

2 . what does the c h i l d see o thers d e s i r i n g him to do as

regards the three c r i t e r i o n behav iors?

3 . to what ex tent does the c h i l d want to p lease o thers by

do ing what he sees them d e s i r i n g o f him as concerns the

three c r i t e r i o n behav iors?

k. to what ex tent does the c h i l d see o thers as being mad a t

him i f he does not do what he sees them as d e s i r i n g o f him

concern ing the three c r i t e r i o n behav iors?

- 9 7 -

Th e three c r i t e r i o n behaviors were e s t a b l i s h e d in deve lop ing

the a c t i o n design of EPEH. They i n c l u d e :

1 . the c h i l d ' s ra te o f academic achievement.

2 . the p o s i t i v e n e s s o f the c h i l d ' s behav io ra l i n t e r a c t i o n s

w i th teachers in terms of h i s , and t h e i r , behav io ra l

i n i t i a t i o n s and responses when they are r e l a t i n g w i th

each o the r .

3 . the p o s i t i v e n e s s of the c h i l d ' s behav iora l i n t e r a c t i o n s

w i th pee rs in terms of h i s , and the! r , behav 10 ra 1 I n J-t I a -

t fons and responses when they are r e l a t i n g w i th eacfcu.other.

Each of the four k inds o f data was o p e r a t i o n a l i z e d by a ques t ion

to be responded to on a s c a l e w i th s i x p o s s i b l e a l t e r n a t i v e s . Each o f

the four k inds o f quest ions was asked concern ing each of the th ree c r i t e r i o n

behav io rs . Each c h i l d then responded to these twelve quest ions a p p l i e d

to each of seven to e leven o t h e r s . The other persons about whom ..these

se ts o f quest ions were asked inc luded mother, f a t h e r , b ro thers and s i s t e r s ,

good f r i e n d s , o ther k ids in your c l ass room, o l d e r k i d s , regu 1 ar -teacher

(by name), s p e c i a l teacher (by name) , v i s i t i n g teacher (by name)., p r i n ­

c i p a l (by name), and c lub leader (by name). Some c h i l d r e n d id not have

contac t w i th one or more of the f o l l o w i n g : a f a t h e r , s p e c i a l t eacher ,

v i s i t i n g t eacher , o r , a c lub l eader . A l t o g e t h e r , t h i r t y c h i l d r e n made

a t o t a l of 2 5 9 repor ts on o thers on the f i r s t a d m i n i s t r a t i o n of the

q u e s t i o n n a i r e s . I l l u s t r a t i o n 1 p resents a sample of the ques t i onna i re

and the number o f t imes that each category of response was checked by

the c h i l d r e n on the f i r s t a d m i n i s t r a t i o n .

It can be seen that the c h i l d r e n ' s responses tend to f avor

the r ight sides of each scale very s t rongly. Only the "mad" kind of

ques t ion shows much range o f response. I f the i n t e n t i o n had been to use

- 9 8 -

ILLUSTRATION 1

QUESTIONNAIRE

( 1 ) How good does (other) want to be a t r ead ing , w r i t i n g and a r i t h m e t i c ?

3 0 2 2 J8 21_4 doesn ' t not good not too a l i t t l e p re t t y very care at a l1 good bi t good good good

(2) How good does (other) want you to be a r ead ing , w r i t i n g and a r i t h m e t i c ?

1.0 2 0 4 53 190 doesn 1 t not good not too a 11111e p ret ty very care at a l l good b i t good good good

(3) Do you l i k e to p lease (other) by do ing what he wants you to about r ead ing , w r i t i n g and a r i t h m e t i c ?

3 2 3 19 39. 191 don ' t not at not very a l i t t l e p re t t y very ca re a l l much b i t much much

(4) Does (other) get mad at you when you don ' t do what he wants about r ead ing , w r i t i n g and a r i t h m e t i c ?

22 1J 22 41 79 82 doesn ' t not mad not too a l i t t l e p re t t y very care at a l l mad b i t mad mad mad

(5) Does (other) ac t n i ce to k ids you know?

4 4 1_0 22 53 1_66_ doesn ' t not n ice not too a l i t t l e p re t t y very care at a l l n i ce b i t n i ce n i ce n i ce about them

(6) Does (other) want you to ac t n i ce to the k ids in schoo l?

14 0 3 8 47 [8J_ doesn ' t not ni ce not too a 1i 111e p ret ty very care at a l l n i ce b i t n i ce n i ce n i ce

(cont inued on next page)

II I ust rat ion 1 contInued - 9 9 -

(7) Do you l i k e to p lease (other) by a c t i n g the way he wants you to towards k ids a t schoo l?

4 2 2 ]2 48 don ' t " not at not very a l i t t l e p re t t y very ca re a l l much b i t much much

(8) Does (other) get mad at you i f you don ' t act the way he wants you to towards the k ids a t schoo l?

17 17 17 44 82 82 doesn 1 t not mad not too care at a l 1 mad

(9) Is (other) n i ce to teachers?

6 3 1 £

doesn 1 1 care not n ice not too about at a l1 n i ce teachers

a l i t t l e p re t t y very b i t mad mad mad

13 3 ] 1_96

a l i t t l e p re t t y very b i t n i ce n i ce n i ce

(10) Does (other) want you to ac t n ice toward teachers7

17 0 2 8- 27 205 doesn ' t not n i ce not too a l i t t l e p re t t y very care at a l l n i ce b i t n ice n i ce n ice

(11) Do you l i k e to p lease (other) by a c t i n g the way she wants you to towards teachers?

3 3 4 1_5 48 [86 don ' t not at not too a l i t t l e p re t t y very care a l l much b i t much much

(12) Does (other) get mad at you i f you don ' t ac t the way he wants you to towa rds teachers?

14 7 21 37 83 92 doesn ' t not mad not too a l i t t l e p re t t y very care at a l l mad bi t mad mad mad

I 1 1 us t r a t i on 1 c o n t i nued - 9 9 -

(7) Do you l i k e t o p l e a s e ( o t h e r ) by a c t i n g t he way he wants you to t owards k i d s a t s c h o o l ?

4 I 2 12 48 191

d o r i ' t : ho t a t riot v e r y a l i t t l e p r e t t y v e r y c a r e a l l much b i t much much

(8) Does ( o t h e r ) ge t mad a t you i f you d o n ' t a c t t he way he wants you to t owards the k i d s a t s c h o o l ?

17 1_7 17 44 82 82 d o e s n ' t not mad no t t o o a l i t t l e p r e t t y v e r y c a r e a t a l l mad b i t mad mad mad

(9) ' s ( o t h e r ) n i c e t o t e a c h e r s ?

6 3 10 1_3 3J 1J)6 d o e s n ' t c a r e not n i c e not t oo a l i t t l e p r e t t y v e r y abou t a t a l l n i c e b i t n i c e n i c e n i c e t e a c h e r s

(10) Does ( o t h e r ) want you t o a c t n i c e toward t e a c h e r s ?

17 0 2 8 . 27 205. d o e s n ' t not n i c e not too a l i t t l e p r e t t y v e r y c a r e a t a l l n i c e b i t n i c e n i c e n i c e

(11) Do you l i k e t o p l e a s e ( o t h e r ) by a c t i n g the way she wants you to t owards t e a c h e r s ?

3 3 4 1_5 48 1_86 d o n ' t no t a t no t t oo a l i t t l e p r e t t y v e r y c a r e a l l much b i t much much

(12) Does ( o t h e r ) get mad a t you i f you d o n ' t a c t t he way he wants you t o towa rds t e a c h e rs ?

14 7 21 37 83 92_ d o e s n ' t no t mad no t too a l i t t l e p r e t t y v e r y c a r e a t a l l mad b i t mad mad mad

-1 0 0 -

r e s p o n s e s f r o m each k i n d o f s c a l e as d i s c r e t e v a r i a b l e s i n a m u l t i p l e

v a r i a b l e a n a l y s i s , t hen f u r t h e r work w o u l d have seemed needed t o d e v e l o p

s c a l e s w i t h c a t e g o r i e s t h a t wou ld have y i e l d e d more d i f f e r e n t i a t e d

r e s p o n s e s . What was i n t e n d e d In t h i s s t u d y was to d e v i s e an i n s t r u m e n t

w h i c h wou ld d e t e c t i n t e r p e r s o n a l p e r c e p t i o n s o f s o c i o - e m o t i o n a 1 l y h a n d i ­

capped c h i l d r e n d i s c r e p a n t f r om what wou ld be e x p e c t e d f r om most normal

c h i l d r e n . When t r i e d ou t on a s m a l l g roup o f w e l l - a d j u s t e d , m i d d l e - c l a s s

c h i l d r e n , t h e r e was a l m o s t no v a r i a n c e f r om t he mode o f r e s p o n d i n g p o s i ­

t i v e l y on each t y p e o f s c a l e . These q u e s t i o n s were t r i e d ou t w i t h a

s m a l l sample o f c h i l d r e n a t a s c h o o l s i m i l a r in l o c a t i o n and p u p i l p o p u ­

l a t i o n t o the two e x p e r i m e n t a l s c h o o l s . W h i l e t he r e s p o n s e s t ended t o

f a l l on t he r i g h t s i d e o f t h e s c a l e s , t h e r e was a range o f r e s p o n s e s

c o v e r i ng most po i n t s on a l l o f . the s e a l e s . i n re 1 a t i on t o one o r a n o t h e r

p a r t i c u l a r o t h e r .

I t was f o u n d , as had been a n t i c i p a t e d , t h a t most c h i l d r e n i n

t h i s s t u d y tended t o r e p o r t p o s i t i v e p e r c e p t i o n s and f e e l i n g s In r e l a t i o n

t o t he m a j o r i t y o f o t h e r s i n t h e i r l i v e s . In each c a s e , t h e r e were one

o r more o t h e r s whose i n f l u e n c e was d i s c r e p a n t f r o m t h i s norm o f p o s i t i v e

r e s p o n s e s . For some c h i l d r e n the n e g a t i v e d e v i a t i o n s were p r i m a r i l y i n

r e l a t i o n t o h i s f a m i l y . For o t h e r s , t hey were i n r e l a t i o n t o p e e r s . Fo r

o t h e r s , t hey were i n r e l a t i o n t o s c h o o l p e r s o n n e l . Fo r o t h e r s , t hey c u t

a c r o s s such g r o u p i n g s . The i n s t r u m e n t a p p e a r s , t h e r e f o r e , t o s e r v e i t s

p u r p o s e w e l l . The f o r m u l a s p r o v i d e a method o f c o m b i n i n g t h e s e d i s c r e p ­

a n c i e s , f r om wha teve r , s o u r c e s they may o c c u r , i n t o a s c o r e wh i ch may be

used to compare t h e c h i l d r e n w i t h each o t h e r on a rank o r d e r b a s i s .

- 1 0 1 -

C a t e g o r i e s f o r r e s p o n s e s on each s c a l e were g i v e n a p o s . i t l v e o r n e g a t i v e n u m e r i c a l s c o r e f o r use i n f o r m u l a s w h i c h y i e l d e d the- c h i l d ' s s c o r e on a v a r i a b l e . The s c o r e s used on the s c a l e s o f each o f t he f o u r k i n d s o f q u e s t i o n s a r e p r e s e n t e d i n i l l u s t r a t i o n 2 .

ILLUSTRATION 2

SCORES USED ON THE SCALES OF EACH OF THE FOUR KINDS OF QUESTIONS

1. What t he o t h e r does o r wan ts t o b e .

- 3 - 2 -1 + 1 +2 +3 d o e s n ' t no t good no t t o o a 1 i t t l e p r e t t y v e r y c a r e a t a l 1 good b i t good good good

2 . What t he o t h e r wants t he ch i 1 d to d o .

- 3 - 2 -1 + 1 +2 +3 d o e s n ' t not good no t t oo a i ; i t t l e p r e t t y v e r y c a r e a t a l 1 good b i t good good good

3 . W a n t i n g t o p l e a s e the o t h e r .

+ 1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 d o n ' t no t a l no t v e r y a l i i t t l e p r e t t y v e r y ca re a l l much b i t much much

4 . The o t h e r ge t s mad.

-1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 -6 doesn 1 1 not mad no t t oo a 1 i i t t l e p r e t t y v e r y c a r e a t a 11 mad b i t mad mad mad

1t can be seen t h a t t he f i r s t two k i nds o f q u e s t i o n s were

assumed t o have c a t e g o r i e s o f r e s p o n s e t h a t were d i r e c t i o n a l i n terms o f

i n f l u e n c i n g p o s i t i v e n e s s o r n e g a t i v e n e s s i n b e h a v i o r . The a f f e c t i v e

w a n t i n g t o p l e a s e k i n d o f q u e s t i o n was assumed t o r e p r e s e n t a p o s i t i v e

- 1 0 2 -

m o t i v a t i o n a l f a c t o r . The p e r c e p t i o n o f o t h e r s g e t t i n g mad was assumed t o

r e p r e s e n t a n e g a t i v e m o t i v a t i o n a l f a c t o r .

The i n f l u e n c e f o r m u l a combines t he r e s p o n s e s t o a c r i t e r i o n

b e h a v i o r s e t o f f o u r q u e s t i o n s c o n c e r n i n g a p a r t i c u l a r o t h e r . I t adds

the do and want s c o r e s o f t he f i r s t two k i n d s o f q u e s t i o n s and m u l t i p l i e s

them by summed s c o r e s o f t he p l e a s e and mad k i n d s o f q u e s t i o n s . An

i l l u s t r a t i o n o f how a c h i l d m igh t have r esponded t o t he f o u r k i n d s o f

q u e s t i o n s as a p p l i e d t o good f r i e n d s i s p r e s e n t e d i n i l l u s t r a t i o n 3 .

ILLUSTRATION 3

EXAMPLE OF HOW A CHILD MIGHT HAVE RESPONDED TO THE FOUR KINDS OF QUESTIONS

Do y o u r good f r i e n d s a c t n i c e t o k i d s you know?

X

d o n ' t c a r e no t n i c e no t t oo a" l i t t l e p r e t t y v e r y abou t them a t a l l n i c e b i t n i c e n i c e n i c e

Do you r good f r i e n d s want you t o a c t n i c e t o t he k i d s i n s c h o o l ?

X d o n ' t c a r e no t n i c e no t t oo a l i t t l e p r e t t y v e r y

a t a 11 n i ce b i t n I ce n I ce n i ce

Do you l i k e t o p l e a s e you r good f r i e n d s by a c t i n g the way they want you to t owards k i d s i n s c h o o l ?

X _ d o n ' t not a t n o t v e r y a l i t t l e p r e t t y v e r y ca re a l l much b i t much much

Do y o u r good f r i e n d s get mad a t you i f you d o n ' t a c t t he way t hey want you t o t owards the k i d s a t s c h o o l ?

X d o n ' t no t mad no t t oo a l i t t l e p r e t t y v e r y c a r e a t a l l mad b i t mad mad mad

The i n f l u e n c e f o r m u l a , as p r e s e n t e d i n c h a p t e r 4 , i s (do + want ) x ( p l e a s e + mad) = b e h a v i o r a l i n f l u e n c e o f o t h e r .

A p p l y i n g t he f o r m u l a t o t h i s i l l u s t r a t i o n wou ld a p p e a r as f o l l o w s .

(-1+2) x ( 6 -3 ) = 1 x 3 = 3

- 1 0 3 -

Four f u r t h e r a s s u m p t i o n s embod ied i n t h i s method o f h a n d l i n g the d a t a need to be made e x p l i c i t . F i r s t i s t h a t " d o n ' t c a r e " i s a l w a y s the most n e g a t i v e k i n d o f r e s p o n s e . I t i s assumed t h a t when a c h i l d does no t c a r e abou t a n o t h e r whom he has r e g u l a r c o n t a c t w i t h i n h i s l i f e , o r p e r c e i v e s them as no t c a r i n g abou t h i m , t h i s has a m a x i m a l l y n e g a t i v e e f f e c t upon h i s b e h a v i o r . I t was l a t e r f ound t h a t when " d o n ' t c a r e " was s c o r e d as the t h i r d r e s p o n s e f r om the l e f t r a t h e r t han t he e x t r e m e l e f t o f each s c a l e , the r e s u l t i n g c o r r e l a t i o n s w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r were s l i g h t l y l owe r than when i t was scored as has been presented. A second a s s u m p t i o n i s t h a t when a c h i l d p e r c e i v e s o t h e r s as b e i n g mad a t h im f o r no t b e h a v i n g as they w i s h , t h i s i n f l u e n c e s h im t o behave n e g a t i v e l y . Data w i l l be p r e s e n t e d l a t e r i n t h i s c h a p t e r w h i c h i n d i c a t e s t h a t t h i s was no t a g e n e r a l l y a c c u r a t e a s s u m p t i o n . The t h i r d a s s u m p t i o n i s t h a t any r e s p o n s e t o the " p l e a s e " k i n d o f q u e s t i o n i n f l u e n c e d b e h a v i o r more p o s i t i v e l y t han any k i n d o f r e s p o n s e on the "mad" k i n d o f q u e s t i o n . No e f f o r t was made t o e x p l o r e the v a l i d i t y o f t h i s a s s u m p t i o n .

The f o u r t h a s s u m p t i o n i s embodied i n t he m u l t i p l i c a t i o n o p e r a ­

t i o n o f the f o r m u l a . I t has the e f f e c t o f g i v i n g p r o p o r t i o n a t e l y much

g r e a t e r w e i g h t t o r e s p o n s e s towards e i t h e r e x t r eme o f t he f i r s t two

s e a l e s . I t g i ves p r o p o r t I o n a t e l y much g r e a t e r we i ght t o r e s p o n s e s

towards the r i g h t end o f the second two s c a l e s . I t g i v e s p r o p o r t i o n a t e l y

g r e a t e r w e i g h t the h i g h e r t he s c o r e s a r e w h i c h a r e m u l t i p l i e d . The g u i d e ­

l i n e f o r u s i n g t h i s o p e r a t i o n was the t h e o r e t i c a l r a t i o n a l e w h i c h has

been p r e s e n t e d . T h i s s t u d y does no t i n c l u d e an e x p l o r a t i o n o f what t h e

b e s t w e i g h t i n g s m igh t have b e e n . A t h o r o u g h e x p l o r a t i o n o f t h e v a l i d i t y

o f a s s u m p t i o n s embodied i n t h i s me thodo logy i s l e f t t o f u t u r e r e s e a r c h .

- 1 0 4 -

Ave rage I n f l u e n c e S c o r e P r e d i c t i v e o f B e h a v i o r A mean o f t he i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s f r om the o t h e r s whom a c h i l d

r e p o r t e d o n , a s d e t e r m i n e d by u s i n g the i n f l u e n c e f o r m u l a , was used as an a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e 1 p r e d l c t i ve o f b e h a v i o r . The f o r m u l a f o r t h i s i s :

Sum (sum o f b e h a v i o r a l i n f l u e n c e s o f each o t h e r ) - A v e r a g e I n f l u e n c e s c o r e Number o f o t h e r s r e p o r t e d on by the c h i l d p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r

In the i l l u s t r a t i o n j u s t g i v e n , a c h i l d ' s r e s p o n s e s c o n c e r n i n g

p e e r r e l a t i o n s as a p p l i e d to h i s good f r i e n d s were combined u s i n g the

i n f l u e n c e f o r m u l a . The r e s u l t was a s u b - s c o r e o f 3- L e t ' s suppose t he

"good f r i e n d s " d a t a c o n c e r n i n g r e a d i n g , w r i t i n g and a r i t h m e t i c r e s u l t e d

i n a s u b - s c o r e o f 12. Suppose the good f r i e n d s d a t a c o n c e r n i n g t e a c h e r

r e l a t i o n s was - 6 . The sum o f b e h a v i o r a l i n f l u e n c e s o f good f r i e n d s f o r

t h i s c h i l d wou ld be 3 + 12 - 6 = 9 . Now s uppose t h a t he r e p o r t e d on

seven o t h e r s i n a d d i t i o n t o good f r i e n d s . L e t ' s say the r e s u l t a n t s c o r e s

were 26 , 18 , 12, 0 , 3 6 , - 4 , 17, and 9 . U s i n g t h e s e d a t a i n t he f o r m u l a

w o u l d g i v e the f o l l o w i n g r e s u l t s as an a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e

o f b e h a v i o r .

26 + 1 8 + 1 2 + 36 - 4 + 1 7 + 9 M 4 g = - g - = 14 .25

The a s s u m p t i o n t o be t e s t e d i s t h a t when t h e s e d i f f e r e n t k i n d s

o f d a t a a r e combined In the manner p r o p o s e d t hey w i l l be found to r e l a t e

s i g n i f i c a n t l y to o b s e r v a t i o n s o f the c h i l d r e n ' s s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r .

I t i s t he c o n c e p t o f c o m b i n i n g o f i n f l u e n c e s o f o t h e r s , a l o n g w i t h the

c o n c e p t o f c o n g r u e n c e p e r c e i v e d among o t h e r s , w h i c h i s o f ma jo r c o n c e r n

i n the f i r s t two h y p o t h e s e s o f t he s t u d y . The same k i n d s o f d a t a h a n d l e d

in t he same way , as a p p l i e d to each r e f e r e n t o t h e r r e p o r t e d on by the

c h i l d , were needed! i n order to ge t th is sort o f average o f influences

-10-5-

sco re , . The q u e s t i o n a r o s e o f w h e t h e r any one o f t he f o u r k i n d s o f d a t a ,

o r any o f t he s e v e r a l o p e r a t i o n s on the d a t a w h i c h make up the i n f l u e n c e

f o r m u l a , w o u l d p r o d u c e a s e t o f s c o r e s w h i c h c o r r e l a t e b e t t e r w i t h o b s e r ­

v a t i o n s o f b e h a v i o r t han the use o f t he t o t a l f o r m u l a . The answer t u r n e d

ou t t o be y e s . The " p l e a s e " t i m e s " d o e s " p a r t o f the f o r m u l a by i t s e l f

p r o d u c e d a s l i g h t l y h i g h e r c o r r e l a t i o n . None o f t he f o u r k i n d s o f d a t a

a l o n e , when a v e r a g e d f o r a l l r e f e r e n t o t h e r s r e p o r t e d on by each c h i l d ,

p r o d u c e d a s c o r e w h i c h r e l a t e d s i g n i f i c a n t l y t o t he c h i l d ' s o b s e r v e d

b e h a v i o r . T h i s s u p p o r t s t he a s s u m p t i o n o f t he i m p o r t a n c e o f t he w e i g h t i n g

e f f e c t o f t he m u l t i p l y i n g o p e r a t i o n i n the f o r m u l a . These c o r r e l a t i o n s

w i l l be p r e s e n t e d l a t e r i n t h i s c h a p t e r .

The " p l e a s e " t i m e s " d o e s " s c o r e r e t a i n s t h e b a s i c t h e o r e t i c a l

a s s u m p t i o n s o f t he t o t a l i n f l u e n c e f o r m u l a . I t i n c l u d e s a p o s i t i v e n e s s

o f b e h a v i o r component i n t he " d o e s " k i n d o f d a t a . I t i n c l u d e s a m o t i v a ­

t i o n a l component i n the " p l e a s e " d a t a . I t i n c l u d e s the w e i g h t i n g embod ied

in the m u l t i p l i c a t i o n o p e r a t i o n . I t was t h e r e f o r e d e c i d e d t h a t t he h y p o ­

t h e s e s s h o u l d be t e s t e d by u s i n g o n l y the " p l e a s e " t i m e s " d o e s " d a t a as

the b e h a v i o r a l i n f l u e n c e o f o t h e r s component o f t he f o r m u l a s f o r the

a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r and the c o n g r u e n c e s c o r e

p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r .

The Congruence S c o r e P r e d i c t i v e o f B e h a v i o r

The v a r i a n c e of the i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s f r om o t h e r s whom a c h i l d

r e p o r t e d on was used as a c o n g r u e n c e s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r . The

f o r m u l a f o r t h i s i s :

Sum ( the s q u a r e d d i f f e r e n c e s f r om the mean o f t he Congruence s c o r e sums o f b e h a v i o r a l i n f l u e n c e s o f each o t h e r ) = p r e d i c t i v e o f

Number o f o t h e r s r e p o r t e d on by the c h i l d b e h a v i o r

- 1 0 6 -

The i l l u s t r a t i o n a l r e a d y p r e s e n t e d w i l l be used a g a i n h e r e . Le t us say t h a t t h e c h i l d ' s i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s f r o m e i g h t o t h e r s were 2 6 , 18 , 12, 0 , 3 6 , - 4 , 17 , and 9 . The mean o f t h e s e s c o r e s i s 1 4 . 2 5 . The d i f f e r e n c e s o f the s c o r e s f r om the mean a r e , r e s p e c t i v e l y , 1 1 . 7 5 , 3 - 7 5 , 2.25, 1 4 . 2 5 , 2 1 . 7 5 , 1 8 . 2 5 , 2 . 7 5 , and 5 - 2 5 . The s q u a r e s o f t h e s e a r e , r e s p e c t i v e l y , 1 3 8 . 0 6 , 1 4 . 0 6 , 5 .06 , . 2 0 3 . 0 6 , 4 7 3 . 0 6 , 3 3 3 - 0 6 , 7 - 5 6 , and 2 7 . 5 6 . U s i n g t h e s e d a t a i n t he f o r m u l a w o u l d g i v e t he f o l l o w i n g r e s u l t s as a c o n g r u e n c e s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r .

1 3 8 . 0 6 + 1 4 . 0 6 + 5 • 0 6 + 2 0 3 • 0 6 + 4 7 3 . 0 6 + 3 3 3 . 0 6 * 7 • 5 6 + 2 7 . 5 6 1201.48 . c n l f t g = — 5 = 1 5 0 . l b

The a s s u m p t i o n to be t e s t e d i s t h a t ' d i s c r e p a n c i e s w h i c h a c h i l d

p e r c e i v e s between o t h e r s , o r l a c k o f c o n g r u e n c e , has a n e g a t i v e e f f e c t on

h i s b e h a v i o r . These v a r i a n c e s w i l l be- used as a c o n g r u e n c e s c o r e p r e d i c ­

t i v e o f b e h a v i o r . The l ower t he v a r i a n c e , the " h i g h e r " t he c o n g r u e n c e

s c o r e .

The V a r i a b l e o f R e f e r e n t O t h e r s I n c l u s i o n i n t he A c t i o n Des ign o f EPEH

The f o u r p rog ram a r e a s o f t he a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH were d e s ­

c r i b e d in c h a p t e r 2 . E v a l u a t i v e d a t a were r e f e r r e d t o w h i c h i n d i c a t e d

t h a t t h o s e who were i n c l u d e d i n the o p e r a t i o n o f t he p rog ram a r e a s t ended

to have p o s i t i v e l y i n f l u e n c e d t h e s o c i o - e m o t i o n a l l y h a n d i c a p p e d c h i l d r e n

who were t he change t a r g e t s o f t he p r o j e c t . These p e r s o n s were s e l e c t e d

a n d / o r t r a i n e d i n ways w h i c h were assumed wou ld r e s u l t i n t h e i r i n f l u e n c i n g

t he t a r g e t c h i l d r e n more p o s i t i v e l y and c o n g r u e n t l y t han had been g e n e r a l l y

t r u e o f o t h e r s i n t h e i r l i v e s . T h e r e f o r e , i t was assumed t h a t t h e s e p rog ram

i n v o l v e d r e f e r e n t o t h e r s w o u l d t end t o be seen by . s o c i o - e m o t i o n a l l y h a n d i ­

capped c h i l d r e n as i n f l u e n c i n g them p o t e n t i a l l y more p o s i t i v e l y t han n o n - p r o g r a m

- 1 0 7 -

i n v o l v e d r e f e r e n t o t h e r s i n te rms o f t he d a t a c o l l e c t e d and used in the f o r m u l a s w h i c h have been d e s c r i b e d . Those c o n s i d e r e d as i n v o l v e d In o p e r a t i o n o f t he a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH w e r e : t h e s p e c i a l t e a c h e r In the s o c i a l a d j u s t m e n t room; the v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r ; p a r e n t s whom the v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r wo rked w i t h ; r e g u l a r t e a c h e r s who were a c t i v e i n the c l a s s r o o m human r e l a t i o n s p r o g r a m ; the p r i n c i p a l o f one o f t he s c h o o l s who became a c t i v e l y i n v o l v e d ; l e a d e r s o f c l u b s w h i c h were p a r t o f EPEH d e s i g n ; good f r i e n d s when t hey were i n e i t h e r an EPEH a c t i v i t i e s c l u b o r a c l a s s r o o m whose teacher was act ive i n t he c l a s s r o o m human r e l a t i o n s program; and o t h e r c l a s s r o o m p e e r s whose t e a c h e r s were a c t i v e i n t he c l a s s r o o m human r e l a t i o n s p r o g r a m .

The V a r i a b l e o f C h i l d r e n H a v i n g Been I n c l u d e d in t he EPEH P r o j e c t

I t was assumed t h a t c h i l d r e n who had been i n c l u d e d as the

p r i m a r y t a r g e t s f o r change o f t h e EPEH p r o j e c t w o u l d have more p o s i t i v e

p e r c e p t i o n s and f e e l i n g s t owards o t h e r s , and wou ld be o b s e r v e d t o behave

more p o s i t i v e l y , t han compa rab le c h i l d r e n who were no t s o i n c l u d e d . A

g roup o f f i v e c h i l d r e n who were i n v o l v e d in a l l f o u r a c t i o n p rograms o f

EPEH had been matched p r i o r t o t h e i r i n v o l v e m e n t In t he p rog ram w i t h f i v e

o t h e r s o c i o - e m o t i o n a l l y h a n d i c a p p e d c h i l d r e n . A l l ten c h i l d r e n were i n

t he same s c h o o l b u i l d i n g . The g roups a p p e a r e d t o be c o m p a r a b l e as to

s o c i o - e c o n o m i c b a c k g r o u n d . They were c l o s e l y matched on v a r i a b l e s o f

s e x , a g e , g r a d e , I .Q. as d e t e r m i n e d by the W e c h s l e r I n t e l l i g e n c e S c a l e

f o r C h i l d r e n , r e a d i n g a c h i e v e m e n t l e v e l , and a r i t h m e t i c a c h i e v e m e n t

l e v e 1.

- 1 0 8 -

The P o s i t i v e n e s s o f C h i l d r e n ' s B e h a v i o r a l I n t e r a c t i o n s

An o b s e r v a t i o n i n s t r u m e n t and p r o c e d u r e were d e v e l o p e d f o r

a s s e s s i n g each c h i l d ' s r e l a t i o n s w i t h t e a c h e r s and p e e r s . The i n s t r u m e n t

was a m o d i f i c a t i o n o f one d e v i s e d by Peggy and R o n a l d L i p p i t t f o r use i n

e v a l u a t i n g t he e f f e c t s o f human r e l a t i o n s t r a i n i n g w i t h n u r s e r y s c h o o l

c h i l d r e n . I t i s p r e s e n t e d as i l l u s t r a t i o n 4 .

P r o c e d u r e f o r u s i n g t h i s " O b s e r v a t i o n S c h e d u l e " I n s t r umen t

( h e r e a f t e r OS) was as f o l l o w s . The co lumn on the l e f t r e p r e s e n t s c a t e ­

g o r i e s i n t o w h i c h a l l b e h a v i o r i n i t i a t e d by t he c h i l d may p r e s u m a b l y be

p l a c e d . The co lumn on the r i g h t r e p r e s e n t s c a t e g o r i e s i n t o w h i c h the

b e h a v i o r i n i t i a t e d by anyone w i t h whom the c h i l d i s r e l a t i n g may p r e s u m a b l y

be p l a c e d . The co lumn in t he c e n t e r r e p r e s e n t s c a t e g o r i e s i n t o w h i c h any

b e h a v i o r a l r e s p o n s e o f the c h i l d o r o f t he o t h e r may p r e s u m a b l y be p l a c e d .

The o b s e r v e r s used the OS t o o b s e r v e t he b e h a v i o r a l i n t e r a c t i o n

between a p a r t i c u l a r c h i l d and any s p e c i f i e d o t h e r o r o t h e r s . When t he

c h i l d i n i t i a t e d a b e h a v i o r , t he o b s e r v e r drew a l i n e between the c a t e g o r y

i n t o w h i c h he p l a c e d t h a t b e h a v i o r i n t he l e f t hand co lumn and the c a t e ­

go ry t o w h i c h he a s s i g n e d t he b e h a v i o r a l r e s p o n s e o f t he o t h e r i n t he

c e n t e r c o l u m n . When an o t h e r i n i t i a t e d a b e h a v i o r , t he o b s e r v e r drew a

l i n e between the c a t e g o r y t o w h i c h the o b s e r v e r a s s i g n e d I t i n t he r i g h t

hand co lumn and the a p p r o p r i a t e c a t e g o r y o f r e s p o n s e o f t he c h i l d i n the

c e n t e r c o l u m n . I f a b e h a v i o r a l i n i t i a t i o n and r e s p o n s e c o m b i n a t i o n were

r e p e a t e d d u r i n g the use o f a p a r t i c u l a r OS i n s t r u m e n t , t h i s was no ted by

p l a c i n g a s m a l l c i r c l e on t he l i n e drawn t o d e s i g n a t e t h a t p a r t i c u l a r

comb i na t i o n .

I f an o b s e r v e r was c l e a r abou t t he c a t e g o r i z a t i o n o f a p a r t i c u ­

lar i n i t i a t i o n but uncertain about the response, he s i m p l y pu t a small

-109-

I L L U S T R A T I O N 4 O B S E R V A T I O N S C H E D U L E

D a t e

C h i 1d T a r g e t

C h i I d O b s e r v e d

T i me

Who W i t h

R e s p o n s e

O b s e r v e r

A c t i v i t y

O t h e r I n i t i a t o r

O f f e r s H e l p O f f e r s H e l p

R e q u e s t A c t i o n

a n d / o r h e l p

a c c e p t s R e q u e s t s A c t i o n

a n d / o r h e l p

O f f e r s I d e a s O f f e r s I d e a s

A s k s I n f o r m a t i o n r e j e c t s A s k s I n f o r m a t i o n

O f f e r s I n c l u s i o n

a n d / o r a t t e n t i o n

O f f e r s I n c l u s i o n

a n d / o r a t t e n t i o n

R e q u e s t I n c l us i o n

a n d / o r a t t e n t i o n

i g n o r e s

R e q u e s t s I n c l u s i o n

a n d / o r a t t e n t i o n

E x c l u s i o n A c t w i t h d r a w s E x c l u s i o n A c t

n t e r r u p t i v e A c t I n t e r r u p t i v e A c t

Wi t h d r a w s Wi t h d r a w s

C o m m e n t s :

-110-

c i r c l e u n d e r t h e a p p r o p r i a t e c a t e g o r y o f i n i t i a t e d b e h a v i o r . I f u n s u r e

a b o u t t h e c a t e g o r i z a t i o n o f t h e i n i t i a t i o n o f a n o t h e r ' s b e h a v i o r , b u t

c l e a r a b o u t t h e c h i l d ' s r e s p o n s e , t h e o b s e r v e r s i m p l y p u t a s m a l l c i r c l e

a b o v e t h e a p p r o p r i a t e r e s p o n s e c a t e g o r y . I f t h e o b s e r v e r w a s u n s u r e

a b o u t t h e c h i l d ' s I n i t i a t e d b e h a v i o r , b u t was c l e a r a b o u t t h e o t h e r ' s

r e s p o n s e , t h e s m a l l c i r c l e was p l a c e d b e l o w t h e a p p r o p r i a t e r e s p o n s e

c a t e g o r y . E x p e r i e n c e i n u s e o f t h e OS r e s u l t e d i n t h e d e c i s i o n t h a t a n

o p t i m a l t i m e i n t e r v a l f o r t h e u s e o f a n y p a r t i c u l a r OS i n s t r u m e n t w a s

4 m i n u t e s .

D e f i n i t i o n s o f e a c h c a t e g o r y w e r e a r r i v e d a t by c o n s e n s u s

b e t w e e n t h e t h r e e o b s e r v e r s a s p a r t o f t h e i r t r a i n i n g i n t h e u s e o f t h e

O S . T h e o b s e r v e r s c h a n g e d t h e w o r d i n g o f some o f t h e L i p p i t t s ' c a t e g o r i e s .

T h e s e c h a n g e s s e e m e d t o make t h e r e s u l t a n t c a t e g o r i e s m o r e a p p r o p r i a t e

t o t h e a g e r a n g e o f c h i l d r e n i n t h i s s t u d y . T h i s c o n t r i b u t i o n o f t h e

o b s e r v e r s was a l s o s e e n t o be v a l u a b l e a s p a r t o f t h e i r t r a i n i n g i n t h e

u s e o f t h e i n s t r u m e n t . A s t u d y by H e a r n i n d i c a t e s t h a t s u c h a c t i v i t y

i s v a l u a b l e i n i n c r e a s i n g t h e . i n v o l v e m e n t a n d e f f i c i e n c y o f p e r s o n s t r a i n ­

i n g t o be o b s e r v e r s o f i n t e r p e r s o n a l i n t e r a c t i o n ( H e a r n , 1947).

T h e o b s e r v e r s e x p l i c i t l y d e f i n e d t h e t o p 6 c a t e g o r i e s In t h e

i n i t i a t i o n c o l u m n s a s h a v i n g p o s i t i v e c o n n o t a t i o n s In t h a t t h e y w o u l d

e x p e c t a r e c e i v e r o f t h e b e h a v i o r t o be p l e a s e d by i t . T h e b o t t o m t h r e e

i n i t i a t i o n c a t e g o r i e s w e r e d e f i n e d a s h a v i n g n e g a t i v e c o n n o t a t i o n s i n a s m u c h

a s t h e o b s e r v e r s w o u l d e x p e c t t h a t a r e c e i v e r o f s u c h b e h a v i o r w o u l d b e

d i s p l e a s e d by i t . T h e t o p r e s p o n s e c a t e g o r y w a s s i m i l a r l y d e f i n e d a s

h a v i n g p o s i t i v e c o n n o t a t i o n s i n t h e s e n s e t h a t t h e o b s e r v e r s a w t h e

r e c i p i e n t " a c c e p t s " t h e b e h a v i o r w i t h n o a p p a r e n t q u a l i f i c a t i o n s o r

- I l l -

i m m e d i a t e n e g a t i v e r e t a l i a t i o n . T h e b o t t o m t h r e e c a t e g o r i e s i n t h e

r e s p o n s e c o l u m n w e r e d e f i n e d a s h a v i n g n e g a t i v e c o n n o t a t i o n s i n a s m u c h a s

t h e o b s e r v e r s w o u l d e x p e c t t h a t t h e i n i t i a t o r w o u l d v i e w t h a t r e s p o n s e

w i t h d i s p l e a s u r e . No e f f o r t s w e r e made t o a s c e r t a i n t h e v a l i d i t y o f

o b s e r v e r s ' d e f i n i t i o n s o r c a t e g o r i z a t i o n o f o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r s f r o m t h e

p o i n t o f v i e w o f t h o s e b e i n g o b s e r v e d .

T h e t h r e e o b s e r v e r s p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t e n , t w o - h o u r t r a i n i n g

s e s s i o n s . In e a c h s e s s i o n , t h e y s i m u l t a n e o u s l y r e c o r d e d t h e b e h a v i o r a l

i n t e r a c t i o n s o f o n e c h i l d a t a t i m e as he i n t e r a c t e d w i t h a g r o u p o f

o t h e r c h I 1 d r e n . A b o u t ha 1f o f t h e t i m e , o n e adu11 was a l s o I n . t h e g r o u p

b e i n g o b s e r v e d . A t s ome t i m e s , t h e o b s e r v e r t r a i n e e s r e c o r d e d o n l y t h e

i n t e r a c t i o n s b e t w e e n t h e c h i l d a n d h i s p e e r s . A t o t h e r t i m e s , t h e o b s e r v e r

t r a i n e e s r e c o r d e d o n l y t h e i n t e r a c t i o n s b e t w e e n t h e c h i l d a n d t h e a d u l t .

The c h i l d a n d t h e o t h e r s w e r e a l w a y s e n g a g e d i n a t a s k o f w o r k i n g " a s a

g r o u p t o b u i l d s o m e t h i n g " o u t o f t i n k e r t o y s .

T h e o b s e r v e r t r a i n i n g s e s s i o n s w e r e h e l d i n a c l a s s r o o m i n a n

e l e m e n t a r y s c h o o l w h i c h w a s l o c a t e d i n a n e i g h b o r h o o d s i m i l a r t o . t h o s e

o f t h e two e x p e r i m e n t a l s c h o o l s . The p o p u l a t i o n o f p u p i l s w a s s i m i l a r

t o t h o s e o f t h e two e x p e r i m e n t a l s c h o o l s . T r a i n i n g s e s s i o n s w e r e h e l d i n

t h e a f t e r n o o n a f t e r r e g u l a r s c h o o l h o u r s . The c h i l d r e n v o l u n t e e r e d t o be

i n v o l v e d . D i f f e r e n t g r o u p s o f s i x t o e i g h t c h i l d r e n w e r e i n v o l v e d i n t h e

d i f f e r e n t t r a i n i n g s e s s i o n s .

T h e o b s e r v e r s ' r e c o r d i n g s on t h e OS i m p r o v e d s t e a d i l y i n a g r e e ­

ment b e t w e e n e a c h o t h e r a s t o t h e p e r c e n t a g e o f t h e o b s e r v e d c h i 1 d ' s

i n t e r a c t i o n t h a t w a s p o s i t i v e . A t t h e l a s t t h r e e t r a i n i n g s e s s i o n s . , t h e

l a r g e s t d i f f e r e n c e s b e t w e e n a n y two o b s e r v e r s w e r e k%9 k% a n d G%. P e r c e n ­

tages o f agreement between any two observers on whether the behaviors

-112-

t h e y o b s e r v e d w e r e p o s i t i v e o r n e g a t i v e d u r i n g t h e l a s t t h r e e t r a i n i n g s e s s i o n s a r e p r e s e n t e d i n t a b l e 1.

T A B L E 1

% OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN O B S E R V E R S AT L A S T 3 T R A I N I N G S E S S I O N S

2 o f A g r e e m e n t b e t w e e n O b s e r v e r s A , B & C

T r a i n i n g S e s s i o n A - B B - C A - C

3 r d / t o l a s t 632 lh% 63%

2nd/ t o l a s t 862 63% 882

l a s t 892 852 962

I t a p p e a r e d t h a t , i n 36 m i n u t e s o f c o n t i n u o u s o b s e r v a t i o n o f

o n e c h i l d , r e a s o n a b l e s t a b i l i t y o f d e s i g n a t i o n o f t h e p e r c e n t a g e o f h i s

b e h a v i o r a l i n t e r a c t i o n s w h i c h w e r e p o s i t i v e w a s r e a c h e d by t h e t i m e 20

m i n u t e s o f o b s e r v a t i o n s h a d b e e n m a d e . F o r t h e l a s t s i x o b s e r v a t i o n s o f

c h i l d r e n d u r i n g t h e t r a i n i n g s e s s i o n s , t h e a v e r a g e c h a n g e c o n t r i b u t e d

by a h m i n u t e p e r i o d a f t e r t h e f i r s t 20 m i n u t e s w a s " l e s s t h a n 22.

W h i l e t h e o b s e r v a t i o n s made d u r i n g t h e f i n a l 16 m i n u t e s o f t h e

36 m i n u t e p e r i o d c o n t r i b u t e c o m p a r a t i v e l y l i t t l e c h a n g e , i t s h o u l d be n o t e d

t h a t t h e l e v e l i n g o f f o f b e h a v i o r o f some o f - t h e i n d i v i d u a l s b e i n g o b s e r v e d

d i d n o t a p p e a r t o - h a v e b e e n c l e a r l y e s t a b l i s h e d . Two o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l s

a p p e a r e d t o be h e a d i n g f o r a s l i g h t l y h i g h e r l e v e l i n g o f f p e r c e n t a g e ,

w h i l e a t l e a s t o n e a p p e a r e d t o be h e a d i n g f o r a l o w e r l e v e l i n g o f f p e r c e n ­

t a g e . L i m i t a t i o n s o f t h e t r a i n i n g s e t t i n g t h a t w a s u s e d made i t i m p o s s i b l e

- 1 1 3 -

t o c o n d u c t l o n g e r o b s e r v a t i o n s . T h e d a t a p r e s e n t e d h e r e , h o w e v e r , i n d i ­c a t e d t h a t g r e a t e r r e l i a b i l i t y c o u l d p r o b a b l y b e a c h i e v e d d u r i n g t h e s t u d y i f t h e o b s e r v a t i o n p e r i o d s c o u l d be l o n g e r . T h e max imum o b s e r v a t i o n t i m e w h i c h p r o v e d f e a s i b l e when t h e s t u d y w a s a c t u a l l y c a r r i e d o u t was 48 mi n u t e s .

A c h i l d ' s p o s i t i v e b e h a v i o r a l i n i t i a t i o n s a n d r e s p o n s e s t o w a r d s

p e e r s a n d t e a c h e r w e r e a d d e d t o g e t h e r w i t h p e e r s ' a n d t e a c h e r s ' p o s i t i v e

i n i t i a t i o n s a n d r e s p o n s e s t o w a r d s h i m . T h e p e r c e n t a g e w h i c h t h i s r e p r e ­

s e n t e d o f t h e t o t a l o b s e r v a t i o n s made d u r i n g t h e 48 m i n u t e p e r i o d w a s

u s e d a s a s c o r e o f h i s s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r . An e x a m p l e o f t h e

o b s e r v a t i o n s o f a c h i l d i n t e r a c t i n g w i t h p e e r s a n d t e a c h e r i s p r e s e n t e d

i n t a b l e 2 .

T A B L E 2

48 MINUTES OF O B S E R V A T I O N S OF A C H I L D ' S

I N T E R A C T I O N S WITH P E E R S AND T E A C H E R

I n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h P e e r s I n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h T e a c h e r

C h i I d P e e r s C h i I d T e a c h e r

P o s i t i v e I n i t i a t i o n s by 33 2 4 19 13

P o s i t i v e R e s p o n s e s by 19 23 15 13

N e g a t i v e 1n i t i a t i o n s by 5 6 6 6

N e g a t i v e R e s p o n s e s by 11 15 4 12

T h e c h i l d i n t a b l e 2 made 3 3 p o s i t i v e i n i t i a t i o n s a n d 19

p o s i t i v e r e s p o n s e s t o w a r d s p e e r s . T h e y made 2 4 p o s i t i v e i n i t i a t i o n s

a n d 23 p o s i t i v e r e s p o n s e s t o w a r d s h i m . T h e c h i l d made 19 p o s i t i v e

- 1 1 4 -

i n i t l a t i o n s a n d 15 p o s i t i v e r e s p o n s e s t o w a r d s t h e t e a c h e r . T h e t e a c h e r made 13 p o s i t i v e i n i t i a t i o n s a n d 13 p o s i t i v e r e s p o n s e s t o w a r d s h i m . T h i s a d d s up t o 159 p o s i t i v e b e h a v i o r s o u t o f a t o t a l o f 2 2 4 b e h a v i o r s o b s e r v e d . 7 0 . 1 2 o f t h e t o t a l b e h a v i o r s o b s e r v e d w e r e p o s i t i v e . 7 0 . 1 i s th. i s c h i l d ' s s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r s c o r e f o r t h i s 48 m i n u t e p e r i o d o f o b s e r v a t i o n .

R e l i a b i l i t y o f t h e I n s t r u m e n t a t i o n

Two r o u n d s o f o b s e r v a t i o n a n d q u e s t i o n n a i r e d a t a w e r e c o l l e c t e d

on e a c h o f 30 c h i l d r e n . T h e d e s i g n f o r c o l l e c t i n g t h e d a t a w i 1 1 be d e ­

s c r i b e d i n d e t a i l l a t e r i n t h i s c h a p t e r . On e a c h r o u n d , a c h i . l d was

o b s e r v e d f o r 48 m i n u t e s a n d i n t e r v i e w e d o n t h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e i m m e d i a t e l y

t h e r e a f t e r . T h e r e w a s a p p r o x i m a t e l y a two w e e k i n t e r v a l b e t w e e n - t h e two

r o u n d s o f d a t a c o l l e c t i o n o n e a c h c h i l d . T h e p r i m a r y r e a s o n f o r . co-11 e c t i n g

t h e d a t a t w i c e w a s t o be a b l e t o t e s t t h e r e l i a b i l i t y o f t h e s c o r e s p r o ­

v i d e d by t h e s e n e w l y d e v e l o p e d i n s t r u m e n t s .

T h e c h i l d r e n w e r e r a n k o r d e r e d a c c o r d i n g t o t h e i r a v e r a g e -

i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r u s i n g t h e " p l e a s e " t i m e s - " d o e s "

d a t a a s t h e i n f 1 u e n c e - c o m p o n e n t as d e r i v e d f r o m t h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e d a t a

on t h e f i r s t r o u n d o f c o l l e c t i o n , a n d a g a i n on t h e s e c o n d r o u n d o f

c o l l e c t i o n . T h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n t h e s e two r a n k o r d e r i n g s w a s d e t e r ­

m i n e d u s i n g S p e a r m a n ' s Rho r a n k o r d e r c o r r e l a t i o n w i t h c o r r e c t i o n f o r

t i e s . T h e S p e a r m a n ' s Rho was . 8 1 9 w h i c h i s s i g n i f i c a n t a t t h e . 01 l e v e l

a n d a c c o u n t s f o r a p p r o x i m a t e l y 6 7 2 o f t h e v a r i a n c e .

T h e c h i l d r e n w e r e r a n k o r d e r e d a c c o r d i n g t o t h e i r c o n g r u e n c e

s c o r e s u s i n g t h e " p l e a s e " t i m e s " d o e s " d a t a o n e a c h o f t h e t w o . r o u n d s .

The S p e a r m a n ' s Rho c o r r e l a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e t w o r o u n d s o f c o n g r u e n c e s c o r e s

w a s . 7 1 8 w h i c h i s s i g n i f i c a n t a t t h e . 01 l e v e l a n d a c c o u n t s . f o r 5 2 2 o f

t h e v a r i a n c e .

- 1 1 5 -

Th e c h i l d r e n w e r e r a n k o r d e r e d a c c o r d i n g t o t h e p o s i t i v e n e s s

o f t h e i r b e h a v i o r a l i n t e r a c t i o n s as o b s e r v e d on e a c h r o u n d o f d a t a

c o l l e c t i o n . A S p e a r m a n ' s Rho c o r r e l a t i o n o n t h e s e two r a n k o r d e r i n g s

w a s . 6 9 5 w h i c h i s s i g n i f i c a n t a t t h e . 01 l e v e l a n d a c c o u n t s f o r a p p r o x i ­

m a t e l y 4 8 2 o f t h e v a r i a n c e .

The c h i l d r e n w e r e a l s o r a n k o r d e r e d i n t e r m s o f t h e a m o u n t a n d

d i r e c t i o n o f c h a n g e o n t h e i r a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s f r o m t h e f i r s t t o •

t h e s e c o n d r o u n d o f d a t a c o l l e c t i o n a n d t h e a m o u n t a n d d i r e c t i o n o f c h a n g e

i n t h e p e r c e n t a g e o f t h e i r b e h a v i o r w h i c h was p o s i t i v e f r o m t h e . f i r s t t o

t h e s e c o n d r o u n d o f d a t a c o l l e c t i o n . T h e S p e a r m a n ' s Rho c o r r e l a t i o n

b e t w e e n t h e s e two r a n k o r d e r i n g s o f c h a n g e w a s . 4 0 9 w h i c h i s a - l s o - s - i g n i f i -

c a n t a t t h e . 0 2 l e v e l a n d a c c o u n t s f o r a p p r o x i m a t e l y 172 o f t h e . v a r i a n c e .

T h e i n s t r u m e n t s a n d d a t a g a t h e r i n g p r o c e d u r e s w e r e t h u s f o u n d

t o p r o v i d e s c o r e s w h i c h w e r e q u i t e r e l i a b l e , a n d a p p r o p r i a t e l y s e n s i t i v e

t o v a r i a t i o n s , f r o m o n e . r o u n d o f a p p l i c a t i o n t o a n o t h e r .

V a l i d i t y o f t h e I n s t r u m e n t a t i o n

No w o r k w a s d o n e t o v a l i d a t e t h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e d a t a o r t h e

o b s e r v a t i o n d a t a i n r e l a t i o n t o d a t a f r o m i n s t r u m e n t s w h i c h h a v e e s t a ­

b l i s h e d v a l i d i t y . Two f u r t h e r e x p l o r a t i o n s w h i c h r e f l e c t o n t h e q u e s t i o n

o f v a l i d i t y w e r e m a d e .

T h e q u e s t i o n w a s r a i s e d o f w h e t h e r n e g a t i v e n e s s o f t h e c h i l d r e n ' s

p e r c e p t i o n s o f o t h e r s , o r . n e g a t i v e n e s s o f t h e i r b e h a v i o r a 1 " i n t e r a c t i o n s i n

r e l a t i n g w i t h o t h e r s , m i g h t be a f u n c t i o n o f t h e i r e m o t i o n a l d i s t u r b a n c e

a s d i a g n o s e d i n c 1 i n i c a 1 , p s y c h o 1 o g i c a 1 t e r m s . Th i s d i d n o t a p p e a r t o

be t h e c a s e . As w a s m e n t i o n e d i n c h a p t e r 2 , e a c h o f t h e 30 c h i l d r e n was

a d m i n i s t e r e d a b a t t e r y o f p s y c h o l o g i c a l t e s t s b o t h b e f o r e a n d a f t e r t h e

- 1 1 6 -

y e a r a n d a h a l f o p e r a t i o n o f t h e a c t i o n p r o g r a m o f EPEH. . A t t h e . c o n e 1 us I o n

o f t h i s p e r i o d , two c l i n i c i a n s e a c h d i d b l i n d r a t i n g s o n . t h e . - a f t e r , r o u n d

o f t h e s e t e s t b a t t e r y r e s u l t s i n t e r m s o f t h e d e g r e e o f p a t h o l o g y , s h o w n .

None o f t h e r a n k o r d e r i n g s o f t h e c h i l d r e n on t h e ' b a s i s o f t h e s e . . r a t i n g s

o f e a c h o f t h e c l i n i c i a n s c o r r e l a t e d s i gn i f i c a n t l y w i t h r a n k , o r d e r i n g s

o f t h e s c o r e s o b t a i n e d f r o m e i t h e r t h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e d a t a • r e c e . I v e d f r o m

t h e c h i l d r e n o r t h e o b s e r v a t i o n s o f t h e i r b e h a v i o r w i t h t e a c h e r s , a n d -

p e e r s . H o w e v e r , t h e s e r e s u l t s s h o u l d n o t be c o n s i d e r e d c o n c l u s i v e a s t h e

i n t e r - r a t e r r e l i a b i l i t y b e t w e e n t h e c l i n i c i a n s w a s q u i t e Vow, 1- t-was

s i g n i f i c a n t a t t h e . 1 0 l e v e l a c c o u n t i n g f o r o n l y a p p r o x i m a t e l y 6% o f t h e

v a r i a n c e .

On t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h e p o s i t i v e n e s s o f t h e c h i l d ' s b e h a v i o r - I n

r e l a t i n g t o t e a c h e r s a n d p e e r s d i d r e l a t e s i g n i f i c a n t l y w i t h , t h e p o s i t i v e ­

n e s s o f t h e i r b e h a v i o r i n r e l a t i n g w i t h h i m . T h e s e S p e a r m a n ' s - Rho-

c o r r e l a t i o n s f o r b o t h r o u n d s o f d a t a c o l l e c t i o n a r e p r e s e n t e d • I n t a b - l e . 3-

T h e s e f i n d i n g s s u p p o r t t h e t h e o r e t i c a l c o n c e p t i n L i pp i t t ' S'. e l r c u . l a r p r o c e s s

m o d e l o f i n t e r p e r s o n a l b e h a v i o r p r e s e n t e d i n c h a p t e r 4 . P o s i t i v e b e h a v i o r

o f t h e c h i l d t o w a r d s o t h e r s d o e s a p p e a r t o i n f l u e n c e t h e i r b e h a v i o r t o be

p o s i t i v e t o w a r d s h i m a n d v i c e v e r s a .

D e s i g n s o f t h e S e c o n d a n d T h i r d P a r t s o f t h e S t u d y .

T h e f i r s t p a r t o f t h e s t u d y i s c o n c e r n e d w i t h d e v e l o p i n g

m e t h o d o l o g y a n d i s r e p o r t e d i n t h i s c h a p t e r . T h e s e c o n d p a r t t e s t s two

t h e o r e t i c a l l y d e r i v e d h y p o t h e s e s c o n c e r n i n g t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p . b e t w e e n

c h i l d r e n ' s p e r c e p t i o n s a n d f e e l i n g s t o w a r d o t h e r s a n d o b s e r v a t i o n s o f

t h e i r b e h a v i o r a l I n t e r a c t i o n s . T h e t h i r d p a r t l o o k s e v a l u a t i v e l y a t

t h e a c t i o n d e s i g n o f E P E H . I t t e s t s two h y p o t h e s e s c o n c e r n i n g t h e p e r s o n s

-117-

T A B L E 3

R E L A T I O N S H I P OF THE P O S I T I V E N E S S OF THE C H I L D ' S B E H A V I O R TO THE

P O S I T I V E N E S S OF B E H A V I O R OF THOSE HE WAS R E L A T I N G WITH

N = 30 c h i I d r e n

R o u n d V a r i a b l e s Rho S i g , V a r

#1 P o s i t i v e n e s s o f c h i l d ' s b a h a v i o r i n .354 .03 12.52

r e l a t i n g t o t e a c h e r s a n d p e e r s

w i t h

P o s i t i v e n e s s o f t e a c h e r s a n d p e e r s b e h a v i o r i n r e l a t i n g t o t h e c h i l d

#2 P o s i t i v e n e s s o f c h i l d ' s b e h a v i o r i n .793 .01 632

r e l a t i n g t o t e a c h e r s a n d p e e r s

w i t h

P o s i t i v e n e s s o f t e a c h e r s a n d p e e r s

b e h a v i o r i n r e l a t i n g t o t h e c h i l d

i n v o l v e d i n c a r r y i n g o u t t h e a c t i o n p r o g r a m o f EPEH a n d o n e h y p o t h e s i s

c o n c e r n i n g t h e c h i l d r e n who w e r e s u p p o s e d t o be c h a n g e d by t h a t p r o g r a m .

T h e d e s i g n s f o r c a r r y i n g o u t t h e s e c o n d a n d t h i r d p a r t s o f t h e s t u d y w i l l

now be d e s c r i b e d .

D e s i g n f o r t h e S e c o n d P a r t o f t h e S t u d y

T h e p o p u l a t i o n f o r t h e s e c o n d p a r t o f t h e s t u d y w e r e 30 c h i l d r e n

who w e r e s e l e c t e d f r o m r e s u l t s o f a two s t e p s c r e e n i n g p r o c e d u r e a t t h e

t w o s c h o o l s t n w h i c h t h e E P E H a c t i o n d e s i g n was c a r r i e d o u t . T h e p u r p o s e

o f t h e s c r e e n i n g w a s t o i d e n t i f y s o c i o - e m o t i o n a l l y h a n d i c a p p e d p u p i l s .

In t h e f i r s t s t e p , t h e f o l l o w i n g c r i t e r i a w e r e a p p l i e d i n c a s e c o n f e r e n c e s

f o l l o w i n g d a t a c o l l e c t i o n f r o m t h i r d - , f o u r t h - a n d f i f t h - g r a d e p u p i l s a t

t w o s c h o o l s ( J u n g , 1962 A p p e n d i x L ) .

- 1 1 8 -

1. H i g h s c o r e , r e l a t i v e t o o t h e r c l a s s m a t e s , on t h e P u p i l B e h a v i o r R a t i n g S c a l e ( B o w e r , 1 9 5 9 ) .

2 . P u p i l s a r e t o be f r o m t h e t h i r d - , f o u r t h - a n d f i f t h - g r a d e

1 e v e l s .

3 . I . Q . i s t o be 80 o r a b o v e a s i n d i c a t e d by t h e h i g h e s t s c o r e

w h i c h a p u p i l h a s a c h i e v e d on t h e K u 1 m a n n - A n d e r s o n T e s t s

a s i n d i c a t e d on h i s c u m u l a t i v e s c h o o l r e c o r d .

4 . T h e r e m u s t b e a r e a s o n a b l e e x p e c t a t i o n t h a t t h e p u p i l w i l l

r e m a i n i n t h e a p p r o p r i a t e s c h o o l d i s t r i c t f o r a t l e a s t o n e

y e a r a s i n d i c a t e d by h i s c u m u l a t i v e s c h o o l r e c o r d .

5 . C o n s i d e r a t i o n w i l l be g i v e n on t h e b a s i s o f s c h o o l s t a f f

p e r c e p t i o n o f t h e p u p i l ' s n e e d f o r h e l p r e l a t i v e t o o t h e r s .

6 . C o n s i d e r a t i o n o f a p u p i l ' s i n c l u s i o n i n t h e p r o g r a m w i l l be

made p a r t l y In r e l a t i o n t o r e s e a r c h n e e d s .

7 . C o n s i d e r a t i o n w i l l be g i v e n on t h e b a s i s o f t h e n e e d s o f t h e

c h i 1 d ' s r e g u 1 a r cl a s s r o o m g r o u p a n d 1 e a d e r .

8 . C o n s i d e r a t i o n w i l l be g i v e n on t h e b a s i s o f t h e s c h o o l s t a f f

p e r c e p t i o n o f p o t e n t i a l f o r i n v o l v e m e n t o f t h e f a m i l y .

9 . C o n s i d e r a t i o n w i l l be g i v e n o n t h e b a s i s o f w h e t h e r t h e

c h i l d i s c u r r e n t l y b e i n g w o r k e d w i t h by t h e C h i l d G u i d a n c e

C l i n i c . ( N o n e w e r e . )

1 0 . C o n s i d e r a t i o n w i l l be g i v e n on t h e b a s i s o f t h e s c h o o l

p r i n c i p a l ' s j u d g m e n t o f t h e c o m p a r a t i v e g r o u p i n g s o f

p o t e n t i a l l y d i s t u r b e d c h i l d r e n i n t h e v a r i o u s c l a s s r o o m s .

1 1 . P u p i l s w i l l be s c r e e n e d o u t whom t h e t e a c h e r s p e r c e i v e a s

h a v i n g b e e n r e f e r r e d by t h e P u p i l B e h a v i o r R a t i n g S c a l e

p r i m a r i l y on the bas is o f academic d i f f i c u l t i e s which d o not

i n v o l v e e x c e s s i v e e m o t i o n a l d i f f i c u l t y .

- 1 1 9 -

The second s t e p o f t he s c r e e n i n g p r o c e d u r e i n v o l v e d a d d K t i o n a l d a t a c o l l e c t i o n and c a s e c o n f e r e n c e s i n w h i c h d e c i s i o n s were- made abou t p l a c e m e n t o f c h i l d r e n in EPEH a c t i o n p r o g r a m . The a d d i t i o n a l d a t a came f r o m a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f S t a n f o r d a c h i e v e m e n t t e s t s and a - b a t t e r y o f p s y c h o l o g i c a l t e s t s w h i c h i n c l u d e d the W e c h s l e r i n t e l l i g e n c e S c a l e f o r C h i l d r e n , Draw a P e r s o n T e s t , T h e m a t i c A p p e r c e p t i o n T e s t , and a -S e n t e n c e C o m p l e t i o n T e s t . A t t he end o f a y e a r and a h a l f o f o p e r a t i o n o f t he EPEH a c t i o n d e s i g n , 30 c h i l d r e n o f t he g roup w h i c h r e s u l t e d f r o m t h e s e s c r e e n i n g p r o c e d u r e s , were a v a i l a b l e a t t h e two s c h o o l s - fo r . i n c l u s i o n in t h i s s t u d y . T h i r t e e n o f t h e s e c h i l d r e n were i n v o l v e d i n v a r i o u s p r o ­gram a r e a s o f EPEH ( J u n g , 1962 A p p e n d i x M) .

The two h y p o t h e s e s t o be t e s t e d u s i n g t h i s p o p u l a t i o n a r e :

H y p o t h e s i s 1: The more p o s i t i v e t he c h i l d ' s a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r , t he more p o s i t i v e w i l l be the c h i l d ' s s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r .

H y p o t h e s i s 2 : The h i g h e r the c h i l d ' s c o n g r u e n c e s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r , t he more p o s i t i v e w i l l be t h e c h i l d ' s s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r .

In h y p o t h e s i s 1, t he c h i l d ' s a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e

o f b e h a v i o r i s c o n s i d e r e d t o be t he i n d e p e n d e n t v a r i a b l e . T h i s v a r i a b l e

was o p e r a t i o n a l i z e d u s i n g o n l y the "want t o p l e a s e " o t h e r s t imes the

what o t h e r " d o e s " k i n d s o f d a t a i n the a v e r a g e ' i n f l u e n c e s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e

o f b e h a v i o r . As was m e n t i o n e d , t h i s m o d i f i c a t i o n was f ound t o p r o v i d e a

s l i g h t l y b e t t e r c o r r e l a t i o n than the t o t a l f o r m u l a . In h y p o t h e s i s 2 , t he

c h i l d ' s c ong ruence s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r i s c o n s i d e r e d t o . b e t he

i n d e p e n d e n t v a r i a b l e . T h i s was o p e r a t i o n a 1 i z e d u s i n g the " p l e a s e " t i m e s

" d o e s " k i n d s o f d a t a a l s o , In bo th o f t h e s e h y p o t h e s e s , p o s i t i v e n e s s o f

t h e c h i l d ' s s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r i s t he dependent v a r i a b l e . I t was

o p e r a t i o n a l i z e d , as has been d e s c r i b e d , by combining the p o s i t i v e n e s s

- 1 2 0 -

o f h i s b e h a v i o r a l i n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h p e e r s and t e a c h e r as o b s e r v e d in the c l a s s r o o m . P r o c e d u r e s f o r g a t h e r i n g t he o b s e r v a t i o n a l and q u e s t i o n n a i r e d a t a a r e d e s c r i b e d as f o l l o w s .

P r o c e d u r e s f o r G a t h e r i n g B e h a v i o r a l O b s e r v a t i o n Data

Each c h i l d was o b s e r v e d i n t e r a c t i n g w i t h h i s p e e r s and t e a c h e r s

i n h i s r e g u l a r c l a s s r o o m s e t t i n g a t the end o f t h r e e s e m e s t e r s ' o p e r a t i o n

o f t he EPEH a c t i o n d e s i g n . Two rounds o f o b s e r v a t i o n were c a r r i e d ou t on

s e p a r a t e days w i t h i n a two week p e r i o d . P r o c e d u r e s f o r t he two rounds o f

o b s e r v a t i o n s were i d e n t i c a l . The c h i l d was o b s e r v e d f o r a t o t a l o f 48

m inu tes d u r i n g an hour and 20 m inu te p e r i o d . He was o b s e r v e d f o r 12 m i n ­

u t e s each a t f o u r d i f f e r e n t a c t i v i t y s i t e s t h a t had been s e t up i n the

room. The c l a s s r o o m group was d i v i d e d i n t o f o u r s u b - g r o u p s w h i c h worked

i n d e p e n d e n t l y , s i m u l t a n e o u s l y a t each o f t he f o u r a c t i v i t y s i t e s f o r a 12

m inu te p e r i o d .

The a c t i v i t i e s and g r o u p i n g s were as f o l l o w s . In one c o r n e r o f

the room, a g roup o f c h i l d r e n were i n s t r u c t e d to d e c i d e what to b u i l d ,

and then b u i l d i t t o g e t h e r ou t o f t i n k e r t oys on a l a r g e t a b l e w h i c h t hey

were g rouped a r o u n d . A t t he second c o r n e r s i m i l a r i n s t r u c t i o n s were

g i v e n t o a group o f c h i l d r e n and t h e i r t e a c h e r . The t e a c h e r had been

t o l d to p a r t i c i p a t e a c t i v e l y w i t h the c h i l d r e n . A t the t h i r d c o r n e r , a

g roup o f c h i l d r e n were i n s t r u c t e d to work t o g e t h e r i n p l a c i n g answer

c a r d s on a l a r g e board c o v e r e d w i t h a r i t h m e t i c p r o b l e m s . The s m a l l answer

c a r d s were p i l e d on the boa rd a t the o u t s e t . A t the f o u r t h c o r n e r , one

o f t he e x p e r i m e n t e r s was i n t r o d u c e d as a t e a c h e r i n t e r e s t e d i n how w e l l

c h i l d r e n c o u l d make up s t o r i e s . He h e l d up a s e r i e s o f p i c t u r e s and

e n c o u r a g e d the c h i l d r e n to work t o g e t h e r to v e r b a l l y t e l l a s t o r y abou t

- 1 2 1 -

each and t o g i v e t h e i r s t o r y a name. O b s e r v a t i o n s o f i n t e r a c t i o n s o f t he c h i l d w i t h h i s p e e r s were made a t t he f i r s t and t h i r d c o r n e r s . O b s e r ­v a t i o n s o f i n t e r a c t i o n s o f t he c h i l d w i t h " t e a c h e r s " were made a t t he second and f o u r t h c o r n e r s .

At the end o f each 12 m inu te p e r i o d , a l l t he c h i l d r e n r o t a t e d

t o a d i f f e r e n t c o r n e r . A l l c h i l d r e n were e v e n t u a l l y i n v o l v e d a t each

c o r n e r . No c h i l d was a t any c o r n e r t w i c e . New s u b g r o u p i n g s o f c h i l d r e n

were fo rmed each t ime a change was made. The c h i l d be i ng o b s e r v e d was

g rouped w i t h each o t h e r c h i l d i n h i s c l a s s a t some t ime w i t h the e x c e p ­

t i o n t h a t i f two o r more c h i l d r e n o f t he s t u d y were i n t he c l a s s r o o m

b e i n g o b s e r v e d , t hey were no t e v e r in the same g r o u p .

The r e g r o u p i n g s were a c c o m p l i s h e d i n the f o l l o w i n g manner . Each

c h i l d was g i v e n a number to wear a t t he b e g i n n i n g o f t he round o f o b s e r ­

v a t i o n . A l a r g e c a r d was p l a c e d in each " a c t i v i t y c o r n e r " o f t he room

w i t h the numbers o f c h i l d r e n who s h o u l d go t o t h a t c o r n e r on i t . When

i t was t i m e t o r o t a t e t o a d i f f e r e n t c o r n e r o f t h e room, new c a r d s w i t h

a p p r o p r i a t e numbers had r e p l a c e d the p r e v i o u s o n e s .

The o b s e r v e r s used an OS i n s t r u m e n t f o r f o u r m inu tes and then

s w i t c h e d to a new o n e . The " t e a c h e r " who was h o l d i n g up p i c t u r e s f o r

"mak ing up s t o r i e s " i n the f o u r t h c o r n e r a c t e d as t i m e r . He s a t f a c i n g

a c l o c k . Eve ry f o u r m inu tes he gave the s i g n a l to change o b s e r v a t i o n

i n s t r u m e n t s by s a y i n g l o u d l y , " n e x t p i c t u r e . " T h i s a l s o s e r v e d to h o l d

c o n s t a n t t he amount o f t ime t h a t h i s subg roups s p e n t on any one p i c t u r e .

P r o c e d u r e s f o r G a t h e r i n g Q u e s t i o n n a i r e Data

Immed ia te l y f o l l o w i n g a round o f o b s e r v a t i o n s i n t he c l a s s r o o m ,

t he c h i l d r e n o f t he s t u d y who were i n t h a t c l a s s r o o m went w i t h one o f t he

- 1 2 2 -

q u e s t i o n n a i r e a d m i n i s t r a t o r s t o a n o t h e r room where they met p r i v a t e l y .

The q u e s t i o n n a i r e was a d m i n i s t e r e d t o the c h i l d i n t he manner a l r e a d y

d e s c r i b e d . A l t h o u g h the t h r e e p e r s o n s who a d m i n i s t e r e d q u e s t i o n n a i r e s

were a l s o the t h r e e o b s e r v e r s , no o b s e r v e r a d m i n i s t e r e d the q u e s t i o n ­

n a i r e t o a c h i l d whom she had o b s e r v e d .

The s c o r e s w h i c h were o b t a i n e d f r om t h e s e d a t a were used t o

o b t a i n rank o r d e r i n g s o f t he c h i l d r e n on each o f t he t h r e e v a r i a b l e s f o r

each o f t he two rounds o f d a t a c o l l e c t i o n . S p e a r m a n ' s Rho rank o r d e r

c o r r e l a t i o n s t a t i s t i c , w i t h c o r r e c t i o n s f o r t i e s , was used to t e s t t he

s i g n i f i c a n c e o f t he r e s u l t s .

Des ign f o r the T h i r d P a r t o f t h e S tudy

The t h i r d p a r t o f t he s t u d y t e s t s t h r e e h y p o t h e s e s w h i c h , i f

s i g n i f i c a n t r e s u l t s emerge f r om the second p a r t , have e v a l u a t i v e i m p l i ­

c a t i o n s f o r the a c t i o n d e s i g n o f the EPEH p r o j e c t . H y p o t h e s i s 3 I s :

H y p o t h e s i s 3- P e r s o n s i n v o l v e d in t he a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH w i l l be seen by the c h i l d r e n as e x e r t i n g more p o s i t i v e i n f l u e n c e , i n terms o f t h e i r c o n t r i b u ­t i o n ' t o the s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r , t han p e r s o n s no t so i n c l u d e d .

The i ndependen t va r i a b l e i n th i s h ypo thes i s Is i nvo1vement o f

r e f e r e n t o t h e r i n the a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH. The dependen t v a r i a b l e i s

t he p o s i t i v e n e s s o f t h a t o t h e r ' s c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t he a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e

s c o r e . T h i s dependent v a r i a b l e was o p e r a t i o n a 1 i z e d by l o o k i n g a t t he

s c o r e s o f each r e f e r e n t o t h e r a r r i v e d a t u s i n g the " p l e a s e " t imes " d o e s "

d a t a i n t he i n f l u e n c e f o r m u l a w h i c h has been d e s c r i b e d .

The h y p o t h e s i s was t e s t e d i n two w a y s . The p o p u l a t i o n used in

t he f i r s t t e s t o f h y p o t h e s i s 3 was the 259 r e f e r e n t o t h e r s r e p o r t e d on

by the 30 c h i l d r e n in t he f i r s t round o f d a t a c o l l e c t i o n . 80 o f t h e s e

- 1 2 3 -

r e f e r e n t o t h e r s were i n v o l v e d i n the a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH. 179 were not so i n v o l v e d . The mean o f s c o r e s c o n t r i b u t e d by i n v o l v e d o t h e r s was com­pa red to t he mean o f s c o r e s c o n t r i b u t e d by n o n - i n v o l v e d o t h e r s . Because each o f t he 30 c h i l d r e n had r e p o r t e d on f r o m 7 t o 11 r e f e r e n t o t h e r s , and a number o f t he same r e f e r e n t o t h e r s were r e p o r t e d on by more than one c h i l d , t he e v e n t s w h i c h x o m p r i s e d t h e s e N ' s were o b v i o u s l y not i n d e p e n d e n t C o n s e q u e n t l y , t h e r e was no known s t a t i s t i c w h i c h c o u l d be used to t e s t t he s i g n i f i c a n c e o f t he r e s u l t s w h i c h were o b t a i n e d .

The p o p u l a t i o n used i n the s e c o n d t e s t o f h y p o t h e s i s 3 was

the 123 r e f e r e n t o t h e r s r e p o r t e d on i n t he f i r s t round o f d a t a c o l l e c t i o n

by the 13 c h i l d r e n who were the p r i m a r y t a r g e t s f o r change o f the a c t i o n

d e s i g n o f EPEH, 71 o f t h e s e r e f e r e n t o t h e r s were i n v o l v e d i n t he a c t i o n

d e s i g n o f EPEH. 52 were no t so i n v o l v e d . Fo r each o f t h e s e 13 c h i l d r e n ,

t he mean o f h i s i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s o f t h e r e f e r e n t o t h e r s w h i c h he r e p o r t e d

on was compu ted . Fo r each c h i l d , the number o f p rog ram i n v o l v e d r e f e r e n t

o t h e r s whose s c o r e s were above the mean f o r a l 1 r e f e r e n t o t h e r s was com­

p a r e d t o t he number o f p rog ram i nvo l ved r e f e r e n t o t h e r s whose s c o r e s were

be low t h a t mean. The s i g n i f i c a n c e o f the r e s u l t s was d e t e r m i n e d on the

b a s i s o f t he p r o b a b i l i t y o f t he number o f c h i l d r e n who had more t han h a l f

o f t h e i r p r og ram i n v o l v e d o t h e r s w i t h s c o r e s above t h e mean h a v i n g o c c u r e d

by c h a n c e .

H y p o t h e s i s 4 : The i n f l u e n c e o f p e r s o n s i n v o l v e d i n t he a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH, i n terms o f t h e i r c o n t r i b u t i o n to t he s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r , w i l l be seen b y ' t h e c h i l d r e n as more c o n g r u e n t w i t h each o t h e r than the i n f l u e n c e s o f p e r s o n s no t so f n -v o 1 v e d .

The i n d e p e n d e n t v a r i a b l e i n t h i s h y p o t h e s i s i n i n v o l v e m e n t o f

r e f e r e n t o t h e r i n t he a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH. The dependen t v a r i a b l e i s

-124-

the amount o f congruence perce ived by the c h i l d among h i s r e fe ren t o t h e r s . This dependent v a r i a b l e was o p e r a t i o n a l I z e d us ing the congruence score p r e d i c t i v e of behav io r . The " p l e a s e " t imes " does " data were used as the behav io ra l i n f l uence from o thers component of the f o rmu la . The popu la t i on used to t es t hypothes is 4 was the 123 r e fe ren t o thers repor ted on in the f i r s t round of data c o l l e c t i o n by the 13 c h i l d r e n who were the pr imary ta rge ts f o r change of the a c t i o n design o f EPEH. 71 of these o thers were Involved In the a c t i o n design and 52 were not . For each c h i l d , the va r iance among h i s program invo lved o thers was c a l c u l a t e d . The va r iance among h i s non-program invo lved o thers was a l s o c a l c u l a t e d . If the va r i ance among the c h i l d ' s program invo lved o thers was lower than that among h i s non-program invo lved o t h e r s , he'was cons idered to have perce ived more congruence among the former. The s i g n i f i c a n c e of the r e s u l t s was de te r ­mined on the bas is o f the p r o b a b i l i t y of the number of c h i l d r e n who per ­ce ived t h e i r program invo lved r e fe ren t o thers as being more congruent than t h e i r non-program invo lved o thers having occured by chance.

Hypothesis 5 : Ch i l d ren invo lved in the a c t i o n design o f EPEH w i l l have h igher average i n f l uence scores p re ­d i c t i v e of behav io r , h igher congruence scores p r e d i c t i v e of behav io r , and w i l l be more p o s i ­t i v e in t h e i r school adjustment behavior than comparable c h i l d r e n who were not invo lved in the ac t i on des ign o f EPEH.

The independent v a r i a b l e in t h i s hypothes is i s involvement of

c h i l d r e n as the pr imary t a rge ts f o r change in the a c t i o n design o f EPEH.

The es tab l ishment o f a group of f i v e non- invo lved c h i l d r e n who were

comparable to a group o f f i v e who were invo lved in a l l four program areas

has been d e s c r i b e d . These two groups were the popu la t ion used f o r

hypothes is 5. The dependent v a r i a b l e s are the c h i l d r e n ' s average i n f l uence

- 1 2 5 -

s c o r e s , c o n g r u e n c e s c o r e s , and p o s i t i v e n e s s o f b e h a v i o r a l i n t e r a c t i o n s c o r e s . These v a r i a b l e s were l o o k e d a t i n r e l a t i o n t o h y p o t h e s i s 5 i n terms o f t he sums o f t he . ranks o f t he c h i l d r e n in each g roup on each v a r i a b l e as d e t e r m i n e d by the rank o r d e r i n g they r e c e i v e d among a l l 30 c h i l d r e n i n the s t u d y . No s t a t i s t i c was used to t e s t t he s i g n i f i c a n c e o f the r e s u l t s w h i c h were f o u n d .

Some F u r t h e r M e t h o d o l o g i c a l C o n s i d e r a t i o n s

A number o f a s s u m p t i o n s have been s t a t e d c o n c e r n i n g the me thod­

o l o g y d e v e l o p e d f o r t h i s s t u d y ; Some o f t h e s e a s s u m p t i o n s were g i v e n

f u r t h e r c o n s i d e r a t i o n once the d a t a had been g a t h e r e d and s c o r e s a r r i v e d

a t u s i n g the p r o p o s e d f o r m u l a s . These f u r t h e r c o n s i d e r a t i o n s a r e p r e ­

s e n t e d h e r e .

The i n f l u e n c e f o r m u l a combines d a t a f r om f o u r k i n d s o f q u e s ­

t i o n s i n a way w h i c h r e s u l t s i n p r o p o r t i o n a t e l y d i f f e r e n t w e i g h t i n g s to

r e s p o n s e s on d i f f e r e n t p o i n t s on the s c a l e s u s e d . These d i f f e r e n t i a l

w e i g h t i n g s r e s u l t f r om the p a r t i c u l a r c o m b i n a t i o n s o f p o i n t s on the

s c a l e s t h a t were c h e c k e d due t o the m u l t i p l y i n g o p e r a t i o n o f the i n f l u e n c e

f o r m u l a . The s c a l e s were not c r e a t e d w i t h an i n t e n t i o n o f t h e i r b e i n g

used to c o n t r i b u t e t o d i s c r e t e v a r i a b l e s . Most c h i l d r e n were e x p e c t e d

t o r espond on the most p o s i t i v e p o i n t s on the s c a l e s f o r a m a j o r i t y o f

r e f e r e n t o t h e r s whom they were r e p o r t i n g a b o u t . The s c a l e s were c o n ­

s i d e r e d as a p p r o p r i a t e to t h e i r p u rpose when t h i s t u r n e d ou t to be t he

c a s e . I t was the c o m b i n a t i o n o f d i s c r e p a n c i e s f r om t h i s norm a r r i v e d a t

i n the a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e w h i c h , f o r each c h i l d , p r o v i d e d s c o r e s

assumed to be p r e d i c t i v e o f h i s b e h a v i o r a l i n t e r a c t i o n s .

- 1 2 6 -

The q u e s t i o n a r o s e w h e t h e r t he d a t a f r om any one o f t he k i n d s o f q u e s t i o n s , o r any s u b - c o m b i n a t i o n s o f o p e r a t i o n s w h i c h c o m p r i s e d t he t o t a l f o r m u l a f o r t he a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r , w o u l d c o r r e l a t e h i g h e r w i t h the p o s i t i v e n e s s o f b e h a v i o r s c o r e s t han d i d t he s c o r e s o f t he t o t a l a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e f o r m u l a . As was r e p o r t e d e a r l i e r i n t h i s c h a p t e r , t he " p l e a s e " t imes " d o e s " c o m b i n a t i o n t u r n e d ou t t o p r o v i d e t he b e s t c o r r e l a t i o n w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r . The " p l e a s e " t imes " d o e s " p l u s " m a d " t i m e s " d o e s " c o m b i n a t i o n a l s o p r o v i d e d a s l i g h t l y b e t t e r c o r r e l a t i o n t han t he t o t a l a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e f o r m u l a . The S p e a r m a n ' s Rho c o r r e l a t i o n s between each s u b - p a r t o f t he t o t a l f o r m u l a and the o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r f r o m the f i r s t round o f d a t a c o l l e c t i o n a r e p r e s e n t e d i n t a b l e h. S i g n i f i c a n c e a t b e t t e r t han the . 05 l e v e l i s no ted and t he a p p r o x i m a t e amount o f v a r i a n c e a c c o u n t e d f o r g i v e n .

The q u e s t i o n was r a i s e d o f w h e t h e r t he c h i l d r e n were mak ing

m e a n i n g f u l d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n s between t he t h r e e k i n d s o f c r i t e r i o n b e h a v ­

i o r s about w h i c h t he q u e s t i o n s were b e i n g a s k e d . The r e s u l t s o f S p e a r ­

man 's Rho c o r r e l a t i o n s between s c o r e s c o n c e r n i n g each o f t he t h r e e

c r i t e r i o n b e h a v i o r s a r e p r e s e n t e d i n t a b l e 5 . When c o n s i d e r e d i n t h i s

manner , v e r y l i t t l e d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n appea rs to have been made.

The q u e s t i o n was r a i s e d o f whe the r t he c h i l d r e n were mak ing

m e a n i n g f u l d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n s between t he f o u r k i n d s o f q u e s t i o n s t h a t were

b e i n g a s k e d . The r e s u l t s o f S p e a r m a n ' s Rho c o r r e l a t i o n s between s c o r e s

f r om each o f t he f o u r k i n d s o f q u e s t i o n s on t he f i r s t round o f d a t a a r e

p r e s e n t e d i n t a b l e 6 . I t can be seen t h a t o n l y t he "mad" k i n d o f q u e s ­

t i o n was v e r y c l e a r l y d i f f e r e n t i a t e d f r om the o t h e r s .

- 1 2 7 -

TABLE 4

CORRELATIONS BETWEEN SUB-PARTS OF THE AVERAGE INFLUENCE FORMULA AND THE OBSERVED BEHAVIOR

Va r i ab 1 es Rho S i g . Va r.

Does w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r . 250

Want w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r . 210

P l e a s e w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r . 095

Mad w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r . 007

Does p l u s Want w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r . 165

P l e a s e p l u s Mad w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r .040

P l e a s e t i m e s Does w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r .349 . 0 3 12 .22

Mad t i m e s Does w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r .107

P l e a s e t i m e s Want w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r .244

Mad t imes Want w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r .076

P l e a s e t i m e s Does p l u s Mad t i m e s Does w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r . 328 .04 1 0 . 8 2

P l e a s e t i m e s Want p l u s Mad t i m e s Want w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r .268

Comple te " i n f l u e n c e f o r m u l a " ( P l e a s e t i m e s Does p l u s Mad t i m e s Does p l u s P l e a s e t imes Want p l u s Mad t imes Want) w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r . 312 . 05 9 . 7 2

- 1 2 8 -

TABLE 5

CORRELATION BETWEEN THE THREE KINDS OF CRITERION BEHAVIORS

V a r i a b l e s Rho S i g . V a r .

a c h i e v e m e n t w i t h p e e r .729 .01 5 3 - U

a c h i e v e m e n t w i t h t e a c h e r . 636 .01 40.42

p e e r w i t h t e a c h e r .836 .01 69 .92

I t s h o u l d be no ted a g a i n t h a t t he f o r m u l a s used In c o m b i n i n g

t h e s e d a t a r e s u l t i n s c o r e s w h i c h r e f l e c t the d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n s w h i c h the

c h i l d r e n d i d make In r e s p o n d i n g to t h e s e d i f f e r e n t k i n d s o f q u e s t i o n s

c o n c e r n i n g the d i f f e r e n t k i n d s o f c r i t e r i o n b e h a v i o r s as a p p l i e d to

d i f f e r e n t r e f e r e n t o t h e r s . What i s b e i n g s a i d h e r e i s t h a t when the

k i n d s o f q u e s t i o n s o r k i n d s o f c r i t e r i o n b e h a v i o r s a r e t r e a t e d as s e p a r a t e

v a r i a b l e s the d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n s made by the c h i l d r e n appea r to have q u e s ­

t i o n a b l e m e a n i n g f u l n e s s . On t he o t h e r h a n d , when the d a t a a r e combined

i n the p r o p o s e d f o r m u l a s , t he d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n s w h i c h were made by t h e

c h i l d r e n a r e t r e a t e d as b e i n g h i g h l y m e a n i n g f u l . The c o m b i n a t i o n o f

d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n made by each c h i l d i s t he a s p e c t o f t he d a t a w h i c h p r o ­

v i d e s the s c o r e assumed to be p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r . The f o r m u l a s assume

t h a t , f o r a g roup o f s o c i o - e m o t i o n a l l y h a n d i c a p p e d c h i l d r e n , no one o f

t h e s e k i n d s o f q u e s t i o n s o r c r i t e r i o n b e h a v i o r s can be assumed to a c c o u n t

f o r n e g a t i v e b e h a v i o r i n a s i m i l a r manner f o r each o f t he d i f f e r e n t

c h i l d r e n . I t i s r a t h e r t he f a c t o f c o m b i n a t i o n s o f n e g a t i v e r e s p o n s e s

on the d i f f e r e n t s c a l e s , w h i c h w i l l have a d i f f e r e n t p a t t e r n f o r d i f f e r e n t

c h i l d r e n , w h i c h a r e c o m p a r a b l e In t h e i r n e g a t i v e e f f e c t s on t he b e h a v i o r

o f a 11 t he c h I 1 d r e n .

-129-

TABLE $

CORRELATION BETWEEN SCORES OBTAINED FROM THE FOUR KINDS OF QUESTIONS

V a r i a b l e s Rho S i g . V a r .

Does wi th Want .868 .01 75.32

Does wi th P l e a s e .746 .01 55.62

Want w i t h P i e a s e .765 .01 58.52

Does wi th Mad .289 8.42

Want wi t h Mad .447 .01 20.91

P l e a s e wi t h Mad .467 .01 21.82

The "mad" k i n d o f q u e s t i o n by i t s e l f showed v i r t u a 1 l y no

c o r r e l a t i o n w i t h t h e o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r . I t had been assumed t h a t t he

"mad" k i n d o f q u e s t i o n w o u l d a c t as a n e g a t i v e m o t i v a t i n g i i n f 1uence on

the c h i l d r e n ' s b e h a v i o r . More s p e c i f i c a l l y , t o t he e x t e n t t h a t ch i I d r e n

saw o t h e r s g e t t i n g mad a t them f o r no t d o i n g what t he o t h e r s w a n t e d , t he

c h i l d ' s b e h a v i o r was e x p e c t e d t o be n e g a t i v e . T h i s wou ld r e p r e s e n t a

s o r t o f c o u n t e r dependen t b e h a v i o r a l r e a c t i o n o f c h i l d r e n toward n e g a t i v e

s a n c t i o n s f r om o t h e r s . As a p p l i e d s i m i l a r l y t o a l l r e f e r e n t o t h e r s

r e p o r t e d o n , t h i s was c l e a r l y no t a c o r r e c t a s s u m p t i o n . A c a r e f u l l ook

a t p a t t e r n s o f r e s p o n s e s o f d i f f e r e n t c h i l d r e n and some l a t e r d i s c u s s i o n s

w i t h them i n d i c a t e d t h a t t he "mad" q u e s t i o n had d i f f e r e n t meanings f o r

d i f f e r e n t ch i 1 d r e n and d i f f e r e n t mean i n g i n r e l a t i o n to t h e i r r e p o r t i ng

on d i f f e r e n t r e f e r e n t o t h e r s . G e t t i n g mad was somet imes seen as an

i n d i c a t i o n t h a t t he o t h e r was show ing p o s i t i v e c a r e . Somet imes i t was

-130-

seen as r e j e c t i o n . T h i s l ed to c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f w h e t h e r some s u b - p a r t s o f t he t o t a l a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e f o r m u l a wou ld c o r r e l a t e b e t t e r w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r f o r some r e f e r e n t o t h e r s , w h i l e d i f f e r e n t s u b - p a r t s c o r r e l a t e d b e t t e r f o r d i f f e r e n t r e f e r e n t o t h e r s .

T a b l e 7 p r e s e n t s the s u b - p a r t s o f t he t o t a l i n f l u e n c e s c o r e on

the f i r s t round o f d a t a w h i c h p r o v i d e d t he b e s t c o r r e l a t i o n s w i t h

p o s i t i v e n e s s o f o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r s c o r e s f o r each o f t he e l e v e n k i n d s o f

r e f e r e n t o t h e r s . The N o f c h i l d r e n r e p o r t i n g on each r e f e r e n t o t h e r i s

n o t e d . The P e a r s o n r s t a t i s t i c was used t o o b t a i n t h e s e c o r r e l a t i o n s .

The S p e a r m a n ' s Rho s t a t i s t i c was used i n o b t a i n i n g c o r r e l a t i o n s i n a l l

o t h e r i n s t a n c e s in t he s t u d y b e c a u s e t he w e i g h t i n g s i n the f o r m u l a s

r e s u l t i n g f r om m u l t i p l i c a t i o n change the i n t e r v a l n a t u r e o f the s c a l e

s c o r e s . I t s h o u l d be no ted t h a t use o f t he P e a r s o n r i n t a b l e 7 on t hose

c o r r e l a t i o n s w h i c h i n v o l v e a s c o r e a r r i v e d a t u s i n g m u l t i p l i c a t i o n i s

q u e s t i o n a b l e . I t s h o u l d a t l e a s t be s t a t e d t h a t i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f t he

meaning o f t h e s e c o r r e l a t i o n s wou ld be v e r y comp lex and Is no t a t t e m p t e d

h e r e . The P e a r s o n r was used a t a t ime when m u l t i p l e v a r i a b l e a n a l y s i s

o f t h e s e d a t a was b e i n g c o n s i d e r e d i n c l u d i n g m u l t i p l e r e g r e s s i o n e q u a t i o n s

t o d e t e r m i n e t he c o m p a r a t i v e w e i g h t o f d i f f e r e n t r e f e r e n t o t h e r s , u s i n g

d a t a most r e l e v a n t to e a c h , i n a r r i v i n g a t a b e s t c o r r e l a t i o n w i t h the

o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r a 1 i n t e r a c t I o n s .

M u l t i p l e v a r i a b l e a n a l y s i s was no t p e r s u e d u s i n g t hese d a t a .

The c o r r e l a t i o n s p r e s e n t e d in t a b l e 7 i n d i c a t e t h a t a s t u d y u s i n g t h e s e

k i n d s o f d a t a i n a m u l t i p l e v a r i a b l e a n a l y s i s c o u l d be v e r y w o r t h w h i l e .

I t a p p e a r e d o b v i o u s t h a t t he s c a l e s used in the i n s t r u m e n t s o f t h i s s t u d y

c o u l d be g r e a t l y improved f o r use i n c o l l e c t i n g d a t a f o r a s t u d y u s i n g

- 1 3 1 -

TABLE 7.

VARIABLES WHICH PROVIDE BEST CORRELATIONS WITH OBSERVED BEHAVIOR FOR EACH REFERENT OTHER

N R e f e r e n t O t h e r

30 mother

23 f a t h e r

29 b r o t h e r s £ s I s t e r s

30 r egu l a r t e a c h e r

7 s p e c i a l t e a c h e r

30 good f r i e n d s

7 v i s i t i n g t e a c h e r

26 o l d e r k i d s

29 o t h e r k i d s i n y o u r c l a s s r o o m

29 p r i n c i p a l

V a r i a b l e s W i t h B e s t C o r r e l a t i o n s to Obse rved B e h a v i o r

Does P l e a s e t i m e s Does

Mad' t i m e s Want ( n e g a t i v e ) Mad

P l e a s e

P l e a s e Does

P l e a s e t i m e s Does

P l e a s e

P l e a s e t i m e s Does P l e a s e t imes Want

P l e a s e t i m e s Want Want

PI e a s e P l e a s e t i m e s Want P l e a s e t i m e s Does

P l e a s e t i m e s Want p l u s Mad t i m e s Want

P l e a s e t i m e s Does p l u s Mad t i mes Does

P l e a s e t i m e s Does P l e a s e

P l e a s e P l e a s e t i m e s Want P l e a s e t i m e s Does

L S j g . V a r .

. 324 .01 10.52

.321

. 337 . 20 11.42

.314

.296 .06 8 .82

.468

. 449

.436

.724

.724

. 724

.181

. 177

.797

. 778

. 752

.01 21.92

.06 52 .42

.32 3.32

.04 63.52

18 . 35 1.42

. 280 .15 7.82

. 252

.251

. 583 .01 34 .02

. 5 1 8

.464

19 c l u b l e a d e r Does p l u s Want Want P l e a s e t i m e s Want

611 .01 37-32 606 579

-132-

m u l t i p l e v a r i a b l e a n a l y s i s . A l s o , such a s t u d y s h o u l d i n v o l v e a l l c h i l d r e n r e p o r t i n g on a l l o f t he same r e f e r e n t o t h e r s . T h e r e f o r e , r e s u l t s o f u s i n g t he p r e s e n t d a t a i n such an a n a l y s i s wou ld be s u s p e c t e d t o be o n l y a poo r f o r e r u n n e r o f r e s u l t s o b t a i n e d i n a f u t u r e e f f o r t d e s i g n e d f o r t ha t p u r p o s e .

The c o r r e l a t i o n s p r e s e n t e d In t a b l e 7 make i t c l e a r t h a t a

g r e a t d e a l o f v a r i a n c e was l o s t i n t h i s s t u d y by u s i n g t he a v e r a g e

i n f l u e n c e s c o r e . For e x a m p l e , t he "mad" k i n d o f d a t a t u r n s ou t to be

Important In relation to father, but probably reduces the correlat ion In

r e l a t i o n t o some o f t he o t h e r s when used i n t he t o t a l f o r m u l a . The

advan tage o f u s i n g a f o r m u l a was t h a t c o m p a r a b l e d a t a c o u l d be a v e r a g e d

a c r o s s r e f e r e n t o t h e r s r e p o r t e d on by a c h i l d , and c o n g r u e n c e between

the r e f e r e n t o t h e r s c o u l d be l o o k e d a t . T h i s was the ma jo r i n t e n t o f

the s t u d y .

I t was o r i g i n a l l y i n t e n d e d t h a t change i n r a t e o f a c a d e m i c

a c h i e v e m e n t be s t u d i e s as one o f t he dependent v a r i a b l e s . The d e s i r e was

to d e t e r m i n e each c h i l d ' s r a t e o f a c h i e v e m e n t d u r i n g a s t a n d a r d p e r i o d

o f t ime l e a d i n g up t o t he b e g i n n i n g o f t he a c t i o n p rog ram o f EPEH. T h i s

w o u l d be compared to h i s r a t e o f a c h i e v e m e n t d u r i n g the y e a r and a h a l f

p e r i o d o f o p e r a t i o n o f t he EPEH p r o j e c t .

I t t u r n e d ou t t h a t t h e r e c o r d s o f a c h i e v e m e n t t e s t i n g o f the 30

c h i l d r e n were i n a d e q u a t e f o r c a r r y i n g o u t t he p r o c e d u r e w h i c h had been

d e s i r e d . Some c h i l d r e n had no t been i n the s y s t e m l o n g enough t o have

a c h i e v e m e n t s c o r e s . O t h e r s had been i n and o u t o f t he s y s t e m one o r more

t i m e s as t h e i r f a m i l i e s moved back and f o r t h , g e n e r a l l y between the c i t y

o f F l i n t and s t a t e s i n t he f a r s o u t h . An a t t emp t was t h e r e f o r e made t o

e s t a b l i s h t he change i n r a t e o f a cadem ic a c h i e v e m e n t i n a d i f f e r e n t manner .

-133-

Ave rage mon th ly r a t e o f a c h i e v e m e n t d u r i n g t he y e a r and a h a l f o p e r a t i o n o f t he a c t i o n p rog ram was d e t e r m i n e d as f o l l o w s . S t a n f o r d r e a d i n g and a r i t h m e t i c a ch ievemen t t e s t s were a d m i n i s t e r e d t o each c h i l d a t the b e g i n n i n g and a g a i n a t t he end o f t he y e a r and a h a l f p e r i o d . Amount o f a c h i e v e m e n t In months d u r i n g t h i s y e a r and a h a l f p e r i o d was a r r i v e d a t by s u b t r a c t i n g t he number o f months a c h i e v e m e n t a t t he b e g i n n i n g f r o m t h o s e a t t he e n d . T h i s number o f months a c h i e v e m e n t was d i v i d e d by t he number o f months o f o p e r a t i o n o f the p rog ram d u r i n g t he y e a r and a h a l f p e r i o d . T h i s f i g u r e was cons idered to be the c h i l d ' s average monthly r a t e o f a cademic a c h i e v e m e n t d u r i n g t he e x p e r i m e n t a l p e r i o d .

Ave rage mon th ly r a t e o f a c h i e v e m e n t f o r each p u p i l p r i o r t o

b e g i n n i n g o f t he p rog ram was d e t e r m i n e d as f o l l o w s . I t was assumed t h a t

t he c h i l d had a z e r o a c h i e v e m e n t s c o r e a t t he t ime o f e n t e r i n g f i r s t

g r a d e . I t was assumed t h a t each c h i l d e n t e r e d the f i r s t g rade i n S e p t ­

ember o f h i s s i x t h y e a r o f age and rema ined i n s c h o o l c o n t i n u o u s l y up

u n t i l he was t e s t e d one month p r i o r t o t he b e g i n n i n g o f t he a c t i o n

o p e r a t i o n o f the EPEH p r o j e c t . The c h i l d ' s s c o r e o f number o f months o f

a c h i e v e m e n t a t t h a t t ime was d i v i d e d by the number o f months o f s c h o o l i n g

t h a t he was assumed t o have had up u n t i l t h a t t i m e . T h i s f i g u r e was

c o n s i d e r e d t o be t he c h i l d ' s a v e r a g e mon th l y r a t e o f a c a d e m i c a c h i e v e m e n t

p r i o r t o t he p r o g r a m .

The s c o r e o f each c h i l d ' s change i n r a t e o f a cademic a c h i e v e m e n t

f r om t he p e r i o d p r i o r t o t he a c t i o n p rog ram o f EPEH t o t h a t o f t he p e r i o d

d u r i n g i t was d e t e r m i n e d by s u b t r a c t i n g h i s a v e r a g e mon th ly a c h i e v e m e n t

r a t e p r i o r to the p rog ram f r om h i s a v e r a g e mon th l y a c h i e v e m e n t r a t e d u r i n g

I t . Rank o r d e r i n g s o f t he c h i l d r e n on t h i s v a r i a b l e were c o r r e l a t e d

-134-

w i t h t h e i r rank o r d e r i n g s d e r i v e d f r o m u s i n g the q u e s t i o n n a i r e d a t a f r om o t h e r s c o n c e r n i n g r e a d i n g , w r i t i n g and a r i t h m e t i c In t he a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e f o r m u l a . The S p e a r m a n ' s Rho c o r r e l a t i o n s f r om each o f t h e two rounds o f d a t a were c l o s e t o z e r o .

R e s e a r c h r e v i e w e d in c h a p t e r 3 such as t h a t o f Schmuck and

Van Egmond, had f ound s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p s between i n t e r p e r s o n a l

p e r c e p t i o n s and a c a d e m i c p e r f o r m a n c e o f c h i l d r e n . C o n s i d e r a t i o n o f some

p o s s i b l e e x p l a n a t i o n s o f t h e d i f f e r e n t f i n d i n g s r e f e r r e d t o he re have

i m p l i c a t i o n s f o r f u t u r e r e s e a r c h w h i c h m igh t be c o n d u c t e d .

One e x p l a n a t i o n wou ld be t h a t t he r a t e o f a c a d e m i c a c h i e v e m e n t

d u r i n g one p e r i o d as compared to a n o t h e r Is a p o o r v a r i a b l e . T h i s wou ld

seem s u g g e s t e d by t he g r e a t v a r i a b i l i t y i n i n d i v i d u a l c h i l d r e n ^ r a t e s

o f a c a d e m i c a c h i e v e m e n t t h r o u g h o u t t he e l e m e n t a r y s c h o o l y e a r s . T h i s

m igh t be assumed t o be e s p e c i a l l y t r u e f o r a g roup o f s o c i o - e m o t i o n a l l y

h a n d i c a p p e d c h i l d r e n .

A n o t h e r e x p l a n a t i o n wou ld be t h a t t he r a t e s f o r t he p e r i o d s

p r i o r t o t he e x p e r i m e n t a l one were no t v a l i d . These r a t e s had t o be

c a l c u l a t e d on the b a s i s o f a s s u m p t i o n s t h a t a l l t he c h i l d r e n s t a r t e d

s c h o o l a t t h e age o f s i x and were i n c o m p a r a b l e s c h o o l i n g c o n t i n u o u s l y

f r o m t h a t t ime o n . These a s s u m p t i o n s a r e c e r t a i n l y open t o q u e s t i o n as

s e v e r a l o f t he c h i l d r e n moved back and f o r t h be tween n o r t h e r n u rban and

s o u t h e r n r u r a l s c h o o l s i t u a t i o n s d u r i n g t h e i r e a r l i e r s c h o o l y e a r s .

A n o t h e r e x p l a n a t i o n wou ld be t h a t t h e s e s o c i o - e m o t i o n a l l y

h a n d i c a p p e d c h i l d r e n ' s s c o r e s on a c a d e m i c a c h i e v e m e n t t e s t s were no t

r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f t h e i r t r u e l e v e l o f a cademic a b i l i t y . T h i s p o s s i b i l i t y

was s t r o n g l y s u p p o r t e d by t he t e a c h e r o f t he S o c i a l A d j u s t m e n t Room.

-135-

She r e p o r t e d t h a t a t l e a s t t h r e e o f t he seven c h i l d r e n were p e r f o r m i n g much above t h e l e v e l I n d i c a t e d by t h e i r S t a n f o r d t e s t s c o r e s o b t a i n e d a t t he end o f t he y e a r and a h a l f o p e r a t i o n o f t he p r o g r a m . She e x p l a i n e d the d i s c r e p a n c y In terms o f t h e s e c h i l d r e n b e i n g a c a d e m i c a l l y i m m o b i l i z e d by a n x i e t y i n a f o r m a l t e s t i n g s i t u a t i o n .

A n o t h e r e x p l a n a t i o n m igh t l i e i n t he e f f e c t s o f o t h e r , i n t e r ^

a c t i n g v a r i a b l e s . Schmuck and Van Egmond ( 1 9 6 5 ) , f o r e x a m p l e , f i n d t h a t

s e x i s an i m p o r t a n t v a r i a b l e i n u t i l i z a t i o n o f a cadem ic p o t e n t i a l . Sex

d i f f e r e n c e was no t c o n t r o l l e d f o r i n t h i s s t u d y .

A n o t h e r p o s s i b l e v a r i a b l e no t c o n t r o l l e d f o r i s t he n a t u r e o f

t he e m o t i o n a l d i s t u r b a n c e s o f t h e s e 30 c h i l d r e n . The d a t a i n t h i s s t u d y

i n d i c a t e s t h a t t y p e o f e m o t i o n a l d i s t u r b a n c e s h o u l d be c o n s i d e r e d in

f u t u r e r e s e a r c h e f f o r t s . The 30 c h i l d r e n were d i v i d e d r o u g h l y i n t o h i g h ,

m i d d l e , and low t h i r d s i n terms o f t h e i r a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s on

a c a d e m i c a c h i e v e m e n t d a t a . I t was p o s s i b l e t o d i v i d e them e v e n l y i n t o

h i g h , m i d d l e and low t h i r d s i n t e rms o f t h e i r r a t e o f a cadem ic a c h i e v e m e n t

d u r i n g t h e e x p e r i m e n t a l p e r i o d . As p a r t o f t h e p r e - s c r e e n i n g work o f the

p r o g r a m , each o f t he c h i l d r e n had r e c e i v e d a c l a s s i f i c a t i o n by h i s r e g u l a r

c l a s s r o o m t e a c h e r as t o whe the r h i s p r o b l e m was " m a i n l y one o f : A - a g g r e s -

s i v e a c t i n g ou t b e h a v i o r ; B -w i t hd rawn i n h i b i t e d b e h a v i o r ; C - b i z a r r e

I napprop r i a t e behav I o r ; D-poor s c h o o l ach i e vemen t , academi ca 1 l y r e t a r d e d . 1 1

A l l o f t he c h i l d r e n were c l a s s i f i e d as A , B o r C. The g roup o f 18 a c t i n g

ou t c h i l d r e n (A) were then compared w i t h the s m a l l e r combined g roup o f 12

w i t h d r a w n and b i z a r r e c h i l d r e n (X) i n a m a t r i x i n d i c a t i n g w h e t h e r t hey

were h i g h , medium o r low on the i n f l u e n c e and academic a c h i e v e m e n t

v a r i a b l e s . The r e s u l t s a r e p r e s e n t e d i n t a b l e

-136-

TABLE 8

TYPE OF EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE CONSIDERED IN RELATION TO RATE OF CHANGE OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND AVERAGE INFLUENCE SCORE

Academic Ach ievemen t

Ave rage I n f 1 u e n c e

S c o r e

L M H

H AAAAA A A XX

M XXXX AA A XX XX

L A AA AAAAA X X

10 10 10

11

10

A = a c t i n g ou t c h i l d r e n X = wi t hd rawn and b i z a r r e c h i l d r e n

A l l but one o f t he 1Z c h i l d r e n o f t he w i t h d r a w n - b i z a r r e g roup

f a l l i n a " c r o s s " p a t t e r n i n t he m a t r i x . T h i s i n d i c a t e d t h a t , f o r some

r e a s o n , t h e s e c h i l d r e n do no t f i n d t h e m s e l v e s in p o s i t i o n s o f e x t r eme

d i s c r e p a n c y , o r o f c o n g r u e n c e a t the e x t r e m e s , between what o t h e r s want

them t o do compared t o t h e i r a c t u a l b e h a v i o r a c a d e m i c a l l y . On t he o t h e r

h a n d , 12 o f t he 18 a c t i n g ou t c h i l d r e n a r e f ound a t t h e e x t r e m e s ! F u r t h e r ­

more , 10 o f t he a c t i n g ou t c h i l d r e n a r e f ound a t t he d i s c r e p a n t e x t r e m e s .

That i s , t hey a r e p e r f o r m i n g a c a d e m i c a l l y t he o p p o s i t e o f what they see

o t h e r s as d e s i r i n g o f them. T h i s c o u l d be i n t e r p r e t e d as an i n d i c a t i o n

t h a t t h e s e a c t i n g o u t c h i l d r e n a r e c h o o s i n g a cadem ic p e r f o r m a n c e as a

way o f e x p r e s s i n g c o u n t e r dependen t f e e l i n g s t owa rds o t h e r s . Academic

- 1 3 7 -

a c h i e v e m e n t , t h e n , appea rs t o r e l a t e t o some i n t e r a c t i o n o f t he i n f l u e n c e o f o t h e r s and t he t y p e o f e m o t i o n a l d i f f i c u l t y o f a c h i l d i n a way t h a t c o u l d no t be f u r t h e r a d e q u a t e l y e x p l o r e d w i t h the s m a l l samp le o f c h i l d r e n i n t h i s s t u d y .

CHAPTER 6

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

R e s u l t s and d i s c u s s i o n o f t he d a t a c o n c e r n i n g each o f t he f i v e

h y p o t h e s e s w i l l be p r e s e n t e d i n t h i s c h a p t e r . The h y p o t h e s e s w i l l be

r e s t a t e d as n u l l h y p o t h e s e s when s t a t i s t i c a l t e s t s a r e made. R e s u l t s a t

a s i g n i f i c a n c e l e v e l o f , 0 5 , o r b e t t e r , w i l l be c o n s i d e r e d adequa te t o

r e j e c t a n u l l h y p o t h e s i s . S c o r e s used to t e s t a n u l l h y p o t h e s i s w i l l be

p r e s e n t e d . R e s u l t s o f the t e s t w i l l be g i v e n f o l l o w e d by d i s c u s s i o n o f

t he r e s u l t s .

H y p o t h e s i s 1: The more p o s i t i v e t he c h i l d ' s a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r , t he more p o s i t i v e w i l l be the ch i 1 d ' s schoo1 ad j us tment b e h a v i o r .

" P l e a s e " t i m e s " d o e s " d a t a were used as the b e h a v i o r a l i n f l u ­

ence component o f t he a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e . The 30 c h i l d r e n were rank

o r d e r e d on t h e b a s i s o f t h e s e s c o r e s f o r each round o f d a t a c o l l e c t i o n .

The h i g h e r t he a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e , t h e l ower the rank o r d e r . These

s c o r e s and rank o r d e r i n g s a r e p r e s e n t e d i n t a b l e 9- The c h i l d r e n were

rank o r d e r e d on t he b a s i s o f t he p e r c e n t a g e o f b e h a v i o r w h i c h was p o s i ­

t i v e on each round o f o b s e r v i n g t h e i r i n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h p e e r s and t e a c h e r .

T h i s was c o n s i d e r e d t o be t h e i r s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r . The more

p o s i t i v e t he b e h a v i o r , t he l ower t he rank o r d e r . These p e r c e n t a g e s c o r e s

and rank o r d e r i n g s a r e p r e s e n t e d i n t a b l e 10.

S p e a r m a n ' s r h o , w i t h c o r r e c t i o n s f o r t i e s , was used t o d e t e r ­

mine c o r r e l a t i o n s between t h e rank o r d e r s o f a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s and

the rank o r d e r s o f p o s i t i v e n e s s o f c h i l d r e n ' s b e h a v i o r a l i n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h

peers and teacher . The n u l l h y p o t h e s i s t o be t es ted is. s ta ted as f o l l o w s .

- 1 3 8 -

- 1 3 9 -

TABLE 9

RANK ORDERS OF AVERAGE INFLUENCE SCORES FOR 30 CHILDREN ON EACH OF TWO ROUNDS OF DATA COLLECTION

Round 1 Round 2

Chi Id # S c o r e Rank O rde r S c o r e Rank O rde r

01 5 4 . 0 0 2 . 5 5 4 . 0 0 3

02 4 9 . 0 0 10 .5 4 7 . 8 9 16

03 4 7 . 2 5 12 3 6 . 6 2 24

04 3 0 . 2 2 26 2 4 . 6 0 25

05 3 7 . 7 0 20 31 .00 27

06 4 2 . 5 6 17 39 .67 22

07 2 8 . 0 0 27 2 3 . 1 2 29

08 5 3 . 6 2 5 5 3 . 6 2 6

09 51 . 86 6 5 3 . 1 4 7

10 36.11 22 4 0 . 5 6 21

11 3 4 . 6 7 24 5 2 . 6 7 8 . 5

12 2 4 . 8 6 28 4 4 . 8 6 17

13 5 4 . 0 0 2 . 5 5 4 . 0 0 3

14 4 9 . 0 0 10 .5 5 4 . 0 0 3

15 3 6 . 3 3 23 3 8 . 7 8 23

16 3 7 . 4 5 21 2 9 . 7 3 28

17 34 .00 25 4 3 . 5 6 19

18 39.11 19 4 4 . 6 7 18

19 4 7 . 9 0 14 4 9 . 7 3 15

20 5 4 . 0 0 2 . 5 5 4 . 0 0 3

21 4 6 . 8 7 15 5 1 . 0 0 13 .5

22 4 9 . 2 5 9 5 2 . 5 0 10

23 5 1 . 6 0 7 5 2 . 0 9 11

24 23.71 29 3 2 . 5 7 26

25 3 9 . 2 7 18 4 3 . 5 4 20

26 5 4 . 0 0 2 . 5 5 4 . 0 0 3

27 2 0 . 0 0 30 17.33 30

28 4 8 . 0 0 13 51 .00 13 .5

29 4 5 . 0 0 16 51.11 12

30 5 0 . 0 0 8 5 2 . 6 7 8 . 5

- R O ­

TABLE 10

RANK ORDERS OF POSITIVENESS OF 30 CHILDREN'S OBSERVED BEHAVIORAL INTERACTIONS WITH PEERS AND TEACHER ON TWO ROUNDS OF DATA COLLECTION

Round 1 Round 2

C h i l d # '% Pos i t rve Rank O rde r % Pos I1 i v e Rank 1

01 7 5 . 2 10 83.1 6

02 7 6 . 9 9 4 6 . 0 30

03 7 5 . 0 0 12 81.1 7

04 8 2 . 2 4 7 1 . 6 14

05 7 * . 5 13 54 .5 23

06 8 8 . 5 2 8 5 . 6 4

07 6 3 . 5 23 6 1 . 8 19

08 6 0 . 7 24 5 1 . 7 24

09 7 K 9 17 6 5 . 6 18

10 7 0 . 6 18 70.1 15

11 6 9 - 6 19 7 1 . 8 13

12 5 3 . 2 30 5 8 . 8 21

13 79 -3 8 7 2 . 8 11

14 81.1 5 8 3 . 8 5

15 8 2 . 4 3 6 6 . 5 17

16 • 5 6 . 9 27 4 6 . 9 29

17 5 9 . 8 25 4 7 . 4 28

18 7 4 . 3 14 7 6 . 9 8

19 6 6 . 2 22 4 8 . 5 26

20 7 2 . 5 16 7 6 . 0 9

21 5 4 . 7 28 5 7 . 2 22

22 6 9 . 6 19 60.1 20

23 7 5 . 2 10 7 2 . 5 12

24 7 2 . 9 15 6 7 . 2 16

25 9 5 . 5 1 8 6 . 2 3

26 80.1 7 87.1 2

27 5 4 . 2 29 4 7 . 9 27

28 5 8 . 4 26 4 9 . 5 25

29 6 8 . 8 21 7 4 . 8 10

30 8 0 . 2 6 8 9 . 2 1

- 1 4 1 -

N u l l H y p o t h e s i s 1: No s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p w i l l be f ound between rank o r d e r i n g s o f c h i l d r e n ' s a v e r ­age i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r and rank o r d e r i n g s o f t h e i r p o s i t i v e n e s s o f b e h a v i o r a l i n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h p e e r s and t e a c h e r .

The r e s u l t s , o f d e t e r m i n i n g t h e s e c o r r e l a t i o n s a r e p r e s e n t e d in

t a b l e 11 .

TABLE 11

SPEARMAN'S RHO CORRELATION BETWEEN RANK ORDERINGS OF CHILDREN'S AVERAGE INFLUENCE SCORES AND POSITIVENESS OF BEHAVIORAL INTERACTION

SCORES FOR EACH OF TWO ROUNDS OF DATA COLLECTION

Round N_ Rho SI g . V a r .

1 30 . 376 . 03 14 .12

2 30 . 380 . 03 1 4 . 4 2

T a b l e II shows t h a t t he c o r r e l a t i o n s f r o m bo th rounds o f d a t a

c o l l e c t i o n were s i g n i f i c a n t a t b e t t e r t han the .05 l e v e l . The n u l l h y p o ­

t h e s i s i s r e j e c t e d and h y p o t h e s i s 1 i s c o n s i d e r e d to be c o n f i r m e d . The

c o m b i n a t i o n o f c h i l d r e n ' s p e r c e p t i o n s and f e e l i n g s towards o t h e r s does

r e l a t e s i g n i f i c a n t l y w i t h o b s e r v a t i o n s o f t h e i r b e h a v i o r a l i n t e r a c t i o n s

w i t h p e e r s and t e a c h e r s i n t he c l a s s r o o m .

T a b l e 11 shows t h a t t he amount o f v a r i a n c e a c c o u n t e d f o r by

t h i s r e l a t i o n s h i p i s s m a l l . Use o f t he q u e s t i o n n a i r e d a t a i n t he a v e r a g e

i n f l u e n c e f o r m u l a combines the same k i n d o f d a t a i n t he same way f o r

each r e f e r e n t o t h e r r e p o r t e d on by a c h i l d . T h i s made i t p o s s i b l e t o

- 1 4 2 -

compare t h e s e 30 c h i l d r e n on rank o r d e r i n g s d e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a t no t a l l c h i l d r e n r e p o r t e d on the same r e f e r e n t o t h e r s . The c o r r e l a t i o n s p r e s e n t e d i n t a b l e 8 i n d i c a t e t h a t a g r e a t dea l o f v a r i a n c e was l o s t by u s i n g t h i s f o r m u l a . A l t h o u g h the " p l e a s e " t imes " d o e s " d a t a were b e s t when a l l t y p e s o f r e f e r e n t o t h e r s were c o n s i d e r e d t o g e t h e r , i t was no t b e s t f o r any t y p e o f r e f e r e n t o t h e r c o n s i d e r e d a l o n e . The r e s u l t s o f - t e s t i n g h y p o t h e s i s 1 show t h a t t h e r e i s a s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p , but p r o v i d e o n l y a g e n e r a l i n d i c a t i o n o f t he d i f f e r e n t i a l k i n d s o f i n f l u e n c e w h i c h

pe rcep t i o n s o f d i f f e r e n t t y p e s o f r e f e r e n t o t h e r s had upon the chI 1d r e n 1 s

s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r .

A ma jo r i m p l i c a t i o n i s t h a t f u r t h e r r e s e a r c h o f t h i s t ype c o u l d

be w o r t h w h i l e . I t s h o u l d i n c l u d e a l a r g e p o p u l a t i o n o f c h i l d r e n who a l l

r e p o r t on the same r e f e r e n t o t h e r s . Each t y p e o f r e f e r e n t o t h e r c o u l d

then be t r e a t e d as an i ndependen t v a r i a b l e u s i n g as i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s t ha t

c o m b i n a t i o n o f q u e s t i o n n a i r e d a t a most a p p r o p r i a t e t o each t y p e o f r e f e r e n t

o t h e r . M u l t i p l e r e g r e s s i o n a n a l y s i s c o u l d be used to d a t e r m i n e t he com­

p a r a t i v e i m p o r t a n c e o f each t ype o f r e f e r e n t o t h e r i n c o n t r i b u t i n g t o

v a r i a n c e a c c o u n t e d f o r i n r e l a t i o n t o t he dependent v a r i a b l e o f s c h o o l

a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r . These v a r i a b l e s wou ld be d i f f e r e n t , i n n a t u r e , f r om

t h e v a r i a b l e a r r i v e d a t by u s i n g t he a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e

o f b e h a v i o r whenever a r e f e r e n t o t h e r ' s s c o r e d i d no t i n v o l v e t he m u l t i ­

p l i c a t i v e o p e r a t i o n . A l t h o u g h the amount o f variance a c c o u n t e d f o r i n

a s t u d y w h i c h used m u l t i p l e r e g r e s s i o n a n a l y s i s m ight be l a r g e r , i t

w o u l d s t i l l no t be known w h e t h e r the d a t a used i n t h i s way were a c c o u n t i n g

f o r the same p o r t i o n o f the v a r i a n c e w h i c h was f ound i n t e s t i n g h y p o ­

t h e s i s 1.

- 1 4 3 -

I n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f the r e s u l t s o f t e s t i n g h y p o t h e s i s 1 w i l l be

c o n s i d e r e d f u r t h e r i n r e l a t i o n to t he r e s u l t s o f t e s t i n g h y p o t h e s i s 2 .

H y p o t h e s i s 2 : The h i g h e r the c h i l d ' s c o n g r u e n c e s c o r e p r e d i c ­t i v e o f b e h a v i o r , t he more p o s i t i v e w i l l be t he c h i l d ' s s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r .

" P l e a s e " t imes " d o e s " d a t a were used as t h e b e h a v i o r a l i n f l u e n c e

component o f t he c o n g r u e n c e s c o r e . These s c o r e s were t he v a r i a n c e p e r ­

c e i v e d by a c h i l d among h i s r e f e r e n t o t h e r s . The 30 c h i l d r e n were rank

o r d e r e d on the b a s i s o f t h e s e s c o r e s f o r each round o f t he d a t a c o l l e c t i o n .

The h i g h e r the c o n g r u e n c e ( e . g . , t h e " l o w e r the v a r i a n c e ) w h i c h a c h i l d

p e r c e i v e d among h i s r e f e r e n t o t h e r s , t h e lower h i s rank o r d e r . These

s c o r e s and rank o r d e r i n g s a r e p r e s e n t e d in t a b l e 12. The rank o r d e r s o f

t h e i r s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r were p r e s e n t e d in t a b l e 10 .

S p e a r m a n ' s r h o , w i t h c o r r e c t i o n s f o r t i e s , was used to d e t e r ­

mine c o r r e l a t i o n s between the rank o r d e r s o f c o n g r u e n c e s c o r e s and the

rank o r d e r s o f p o s i t i v e n e s s o f c h i l d r e n ' s b e h a v i o r a l I n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h

p e e r s and t e a c h e r . ' The n u l l h y p o t h e s i s t o be t e s t e d i s s t a t e d as f o l l o w s .

N u l l H y p o t h e s i s 2 : No s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p w i l l be f ound

between rank o r d e r i n g s o f c h i l d r e n ' s c o n g r u ­e n c e s c o r e s p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r and rank o r d e r i n g s o f t h e i r p o s i t i v e n e s s o f b e h a v i o r a l i n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h p e e r s and t e a c h e r .

The r e s u l t s o f d e t e r m i n i n g t h e s e c o r r e l a t i o n s a r e p r e s e n t e d

in t a b l e 13-

T a b l e 13 shows t h a t n e i t h e r c o r r e l a t i o n was above the a c c e p t a b l e

l e v e l o f s i g n i f i c a n c e . H y p o t h e s i s 2 was no t c o n f i r m e d . Two f u r t h e r

c o r r e l a t i o n s s h o u l d be c o n s i d e r e d b e f o r e mak ing i n f e r e n c e s abou t t h e

mean ing o f t h e s e r e s u l t s .

- 1 4 4 -

TABLE 12

RANK ORDERS OF CONGRUENCE SCORES FOR 30 CHILDREN ON EACH OF TWO ROUNDS OF DATA COLLECTION

Round 1, Round 2

C h i l d # S c o r e Rank O rde r S c o r e Rank O rde r

01 0 . 0 0 2 . 5 0 . 0 0 3

02 4 3 . 5 6 11 9 6 . 1 0 19

03 6 7 - 9 4 13 2 4 2 . 9 8 26

04 367 -95 28 140 .02 25

05 2 6 0 . 0 2 23 370 .00 30

06 9 0 . 6 9 15 107 -78 20

07 2 3 0 . 5 0 22 3 1 7 . 8 5 28

08 0 . 9 8 5 O.98 6

09 6 . 9 8 6 4.41 8

10 102 .32 16 119 .39 22

11 1081 .29 30 6 . 2 2 9

12 2 0 6 . 12 20 75 .26 16

13 0 . 0 0 2 . 5 0 . 00 3

14 6 4 . 2 8 12 0 . 0 0 3

15 8 2 . 1 8 14 114.84 21

16 190 .79 19 81 .10 17

17 2 6 2 . 3 3 24 4 5 . 5 7 15

18 2 6 4 . 0 9 25 8 8 . 8 9 18

19 157 .69 18 137 .83 23

20 0 . 0 0 2 . 5 0 . 0 0 3

21 2 2 6 . 1 8 21 12 .86 12

22 2 0 . 6 8 8 6 . 7 5 10

23 2 7 . 6 8 9 13-54 13

24 3 5 5 . 5 6 27 330.81 29

25 3 7 6 . 9 2 29 2 9 3 . 1 6 27

26 0 . 0 0 2 . 5 0 . 0 0 3

27 3 1 4 . 2 2 26 138 .06 24

28 3 6 . 0 0 10 9 . 0 0 11

29 118 .00 17 2 6 . 7 8 14

30 8 . 00 7 2.41 7

- I N S ­

TABLE 13

SPEARMAN'S RHO CORRELATIONS BETWEEN RANK ORDERINGS OF CHILDREN'S CONGRUENCE SCORES AND POSITIVENESS OF BEHAVIORAL

INTERACTION SCORES FOR EACH OF TWO ROUNDS OF DATA COLLECTION

Round N Rho S i g V a r .

30 . 1 9 8 . 1 5 3 . 9 2

2 30 .274 . 1 0 7 . 5 2

The a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e i s a mean o f the i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s

o f each r e f e r e n t o t h e r r e p o r t e d on by t he c h i l d . The c o n g r u e n c e s c o r e

i s t he v a r i a n c e o f t hose i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s d i v i d e d by the number o f r e f e r e n t

o t h e r s r e p o r t e d o n . A c h i l d c o u l d have o b t a i n e d a low a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e

s c o r e by v i r t u e o f h a v i n g seen a l l o f h i s r e f e r e n t o t h e r s as h a v i n g

s i m i l a r l y low i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s . In f a c t , t h i s s e l d o m tended to be t h e

c a s e . As was r e p o r t e d i n c h a p t e r 5 , most c h i l d r e n t ended t o r espond

toward t he p o s i t i v e end o f most s c a l e s on the q u e s t i o n n a i r e . Low a v e r a g e

i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s t ended to be t he r e s u l t o f c h i l d r e n h a v i n g seen a few

o f t h e i r r e f e r e n t o t h e r s n e g a t i v e l y w h i l e s e e i n g the m a j o r i t y p o s i t i v e l y .

A low a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e does no t o n l y r e p r e s e n t a low a v e r a g e o f

p o s i t i v e n e s s i n p e r c e p t i o n s and f e e l i n g s t owards o t h e r s . I t a l s o t ends

to r e p r e s e n t a l a c k o f c o n g r u e n c e in t he c h i l d ' s p e r c e p t i o n s and f e e l i n g s

towards h i s r e f e r e n t o t h e r s . T a b l e 14 shows t h a t t he c o r r e l a t i o n s a r e

v e r y h i g h between rank o r d e r i n g s o f a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s and c o n ­

g ruence s c o r e s on b o t h rounds o f d a t a c o l l e c t i o n . The r e s u l t s o f t e s t i n g

h y p o t h e s i s 1 e s t a b l i s h the f a c t t h a t t h e r e i s a s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p

- 1 4 6 -

between the c h i l d r e n ' s p e r c e p t i o n s and f e e l i n g s t owards o t h e r s and t h e i r b e h a v i o r a l i n t e r a c t i o n s i n the c l a s s r o o m . I t i s i n f e r r e d t h a t t h e s e i n t e r n a l p r o c e s s e s o f t he c h i l d a r e i n f l u e n c i n g t h a t b e h a v i o r . I t can no t be d e t e r m i n e d f r om t h e s e d a t a w h e t h e r n e g a t i v e n e s s o f b e h a v i o r i s a r e s u l t o f t he c h i l d p e r c e i v i n g some o f h i s r e f e r e n t o t h e r s . n e g a t i v e l y , o r t he r e s u l t o f h i s p e r c e i v i n g d i f f e r e n c e s In t he n a t u r e o f i n f l u e n c e s o f h i s r e f e r e n t o t h e r s , o r a c o m b i n a t i o n o f t he two .

TABLE 14

SPEARMAN'S RHO CORRELATIONS BETWEEN RANK ORDERINGS OF CHILDREN'S AVERAGE INFLUENCE SCORES AND CONGRUENCE SCORES FOR

EACH OF TWO ROUNDS OF DATA COLLECTION

Roun d. N_ Rho S i g . V a r .

1 30 . 8 8 7 .001 7 8 . 7 2

2 30 . 922 .001 8 5 . 0 2

The i m p l i c a t i o n f o r f u t u r e r e s e a r c h o f t h i s t y p e Is t h a t s c a l e s

a r e needed on w h i c h c h i l d r e n g i v e a more v a r i e d range o f r e s p o n s e s . In

c r e a t i n g such s c a l e s , c a r e s h o u l d be g i v e n to e s t a b l i s h i n g the v a l i d i t y

o f f i n e r d i s t i n c t i o n s b e i n g made on c a t e g o r i e s w h i c h e l i c i t a b r o a d e r

range o f r e s p o n s e s . S i m i l a r l y , work i s needed on d e t e r m i n i n g t h e v a l i d i t y

o f the k i n d o f d i f f e r e n t i a l w e i g h t i n g w h i c h t h e f o r m u l a s gave t o r e s p o n s e s

on the s c a l e s used in t h i s s t u d y .

The n e x t t h r e e h y p o t h e s e s were p r o p o s e d In t h e hope t h a t t h e

d a t a f rom t h i s s t u d y c o u l d be used t o l o o k e v a l u a t i v e l y a t t he a c t i o n

- 1 4 7 -

d e s i g n o f t he EPEH p r o j e c t .

H y p o t h e s i s 3 : P e r s o n s I n v o l v e d In t he a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH w i l l be seen by t h e c h i l d r e n as e x e r t i n g more pos i t i ve i n f 1 u e n c e , i n te rms o f t h e i r c o n t r i -b u t i o n t o t h e s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r , t han p e r s o n s no t s o i n v o l v e d .

A few p e r s o n s were s e l e c t e d f o r i n v o l v e m e n t i n EPEH under the

a s s u m p t i o n t h a t t hey had s p e c i a l s k i l l s w h i c h w o u l d e n a b l e them t o

i n f l u e n c e t he t a r g e t c h i l d r e n p o s i t i v e l y . The o t h e r s were i n v o l v e d on

the b a s i s o f a c h i l d i n t h e i r c l a s s r o o m o r f a m i l y h a v i n g been s e l e c t e d as

a t a r g e t c h i l d i n t he p r o j e c t . E f f o r t s were made d u r i n g t h e y e a r and a

h a l f o p e r a t i o n o f t he p r o j e c t t o i n c r e a s e t he s k i l l s o f t h e s e o t h e r s t o

i n f l u e n c e t he t a r g e t c h i l d r e n p o s i t i v e l y . These o t h e r s were i n v o l v e d in

a v a r i e t y o f t r a i n i n g and c o n s u l t a t i o n r e l a t i o n s h i p s as d e s c r i b e d in

c h a p t e r 2 . The r e s u l t s o f t e s t i n g h y p o t h e s i s 1 show t h a t t h e r e was a

s i gn i f i c a n t r e l a t i o nsh Ip between ch i 1 d r e n 1 s p e r c e p t i ons and f e e l i ngs

t owards o t h e r s and t h e i r s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r . A t e s t o f h y p o t h e s i s

3 t h e r e f o r e has e v a l u a t i v e c o n n o t a t i o n s f o r t he EPEH p r o j e c t . I t t e s t s

w h e t h e r t he t a r g e t c h i l d r e n e x p e r i e n c e d the i n f l u e n c e o f p e r s o n s

s e l e c t e d a n d / o r t r a i n e d to have more t han u s u a l p o s i t i v e i n f l u e n c e as

b e i n g more p o s i t i v e t han o t h e r s no t s o s e l e c t e d a n d / o r t r a i n e d . The n u l l

h y p o t h e s i s to be t e s t e d i s s t a t e d as f o l l o w s .

N u l l H y p o t h e s i s 3 : C h i l d r e n w i l l have p e r c e i v e d no s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e in t he p o s i t i v e n e s s o f i n f l u e n c e f rom p e r s o n s i n v o l v e d i n t he a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH as compared to p e r s o n s no t so i n ­v o l v e d i n terms o f t h e i r c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o t h e s c o r e p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r .

Data c o l l e c t e d i n t he f i r s t round were used to t e s t h y p o t h e s i s 3

In two w a y s . The f i r s t t e s t i n v o l v e d c o m p a r i n g t h e mean o f i n f l u e n c e

s c o r e s o f a l l p r o j e c t i n v o l v e d o t h e r s r e p o r t e d on by t he c h i l d r e n w i t h

- 1 4 8 -

the mean o f i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s o f a l l n o n - p r o j e c t i n v o l v e d o t h e r s . T a b l e 15 p r e s e n t s t he c o m p a r i s o n o f t h e s e two means. The h i g h e r t he mean, t h e more p o s i t i v e t he i n f l u e n c e . The r e s u l t s s u p p o r t r e j e c t i o n o f t h e n u l l h y p o t h e s i s . However , no s t a t i s t i c was a v a i l a b l e t o t e s t t he s i g n i f i c a n c e o f t h e s e r e s u l t s due t o t he i n t e r d e p e n d e n c e o f t h e d a t a . Each c h i l d was r e p o r t i n g on s e v e r a l r e f e r e n t o t h e r s and some c h i l d r e n were r e p o r t i n g on some o f t he same r e f e r e n t o t h e r s .

TABLE 15

MEANS OF INFLUENCE SCORES OF ALL REFERENT OTHERS INVOLVED IN THE ACTION DESIGN OF EPEH AND ALL REFERENT OTHERS NOT SO INVOLVED

I n v o l v e d O t h e r s N o n - I n v o l v e d O t h e r s

N Mean N Mean

80 4 5 . 0 4 179 4 1 . 2 2

The second t e s t o f t h i s h y p o t h e s i s was based on t h e p e r c e p t i o n s

o f r e f e r e n t o t h e r s r e p o r t e d on by the t h i r t e e n c h i l d r e n who were t h e

p r i m a r y t a r g e t s f o r change i n t he a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH. On ly t h e s e

c h i l d r e n r e p o r t e d on bo th a c t i o n i n v o l v e d and n o n - a c t i o n i n v o l v e d r e f e r e n t

o t h e r s . Each c h i l d ' s a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e was a mean o f t he i n f l u e n c e

s c o r e s o f r e f e r e n t o t h e r s t h a t he r e p o r t e d o n . Two o f t h e s e c h i l d r e n

p e r c e i v e d a l l o f t h e i r r e f e r e n t o t h e r s as m a x i m a l l y p o s i t i v e . An a d d i ­

t i o n a l n i n e o f them saw t h e m a j o r i t y o f t h e i r a c t i o n i n v o l v e d o t h e r s as

h a v i n g i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s above t h e c h i l d ' s a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e . Thus

- 1 4 9 -

e leven out o f these t h i r t e e n c h i l d r e n saw t h e i r a c t i o n invo lved r e f e r e n t ,

o thers as maximally p o s i t i v e o r above the average o f p o s i t i v e n e s s o f

i n f l uence that he was expe r i enc ing in r e l a t i n g w i t h a l l of h i s r e fe ren t

o t h e r s . On the o ther hand, n ine o f the t h i r t e e n c h i l d r e n saw the ma jo r i t y

o f t h e ! r \ n o n - a c t i o n Involved r e fe ren t o thers as below the average of

p o s i t i v e n e s s o f i n f l uence that he was e xpe r i enc ing in r e l a t i n g w i th a l l h i s

re fe rent o t h e r s . These r e s u l t s and the p r o b a b i l i t i e s o f having ob ta ined

them by chance are presented in t ab le 16. The b inomial t e s t o f p r o b a b i -

1i ty was used.

TABLE 16

THIRTEEN CHILDREN'S PERCEPTIONS OF POSITIVENESS OF ACTION INVOLVED AND NON-ACTION INVOLVED REFERENT OTHERS

N = 13 c h i l d r e n

Ma jo r i t y o f r e fe ren t o thers maximally p o s i t i v e o r above the average f o r a l l r e fe ren t o thers reported on by a ch i 1 d

Yes No P rob .

f o r a c t i on i nvo lved re fe ren t o thers 11 2 .011

f o r non-ac t ion i n ­vo lved re fe ren t o thers 9 .133

On the bas i s of r e s u l t s p resented in t ab le 16, the n u l l hypo­

t h e s i s i s r e jec ted and hypothesis 3 Is cons idered to be conf i rmed. Ac t i on

invo lved r e fe ren t o thers were seem by ta rget c h i l d r e n of the EPEH p r o j e c t

- 1 5 0 -

more p o s i t i v e l y than non-ac t ion invo lved re fe ren t o t h e r s . Based on the

s i g n i f i c a n t r e s u l t s found in t e s t i n g hypothes is 1 , i t i s t he re fo re i n f e r r e d

that the EPEH p ro jec t increased the p o s i t i v e i n f l uence exper ienced by

c h i l d r e n in i t who were the pr imary t a rge ts o f change.

Hypothesis 4 : The i n f l uence o f persons i nvo lved in the ac t i on design of EPEH, in terms of t h e i r c o n t r i b u t i o n to the score p r e d i c t i v e o f behav io r , w i l l be seen by the c h i l d r e n as more congruent w i th each o ther than the i n f l uences o f persons not so i n vo l ved .

E f f o r t s to ach ieve c o l l a b o r a t i v e and coord ina ted i n f l uence

a t tempts f o r i m p r o v i n g the b e h a v i o r o f t a r g e t c h i l d r e n in the a c t i o n

design of EPEH were descr ibed in chapter 2 , A t e s t of the quest ion of

whether a c t i o n i nvo lved re fe ren t o thers were perce ived by ta rget c h i l d r e n

to be more congruent p rov ides an e v a l u a t i v e check on the success o f these

e f f o r t s . The n u l l hypothes is to be t es ted i s s ta ted as f o l l o w s .

Nu l l Hypotheses 4 : The c h i l d r e n w i l l have perce ived no s i g n i ­f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e between the congruence among re fe ren t o thers who were a c t i o n Involved and re fe ren t o thers who were not so i nvo lved In terms o f t h e i r c o n t r i b u t i o n to the score p r e d i c t i v e o f behav io r .

Data c o l l e c t e d in the f i r s t round were used to t es t hypothes is 4.

The t es t o f t h i s hypothes is was based on the percep t ions of r e fe ren t

o thers reported on by the t h i r t e e n c h i l d r e n who were the pr imary t a rge ts

f o r change in the a c t i o n design of EPEH. The congruence among ac t i on

invo lved r e fe ren t o thers was compared to the congruence among non-ac t ion

invo lved ' re ferent o thers f o r each c h i l d . For twelve of the t h i r t e e n

c h i l d r e n , ac t i on invo lved o thers were seen as more congruent than non­

ac t i on invo lved o t h e r s . Table 17 p resents these r e s u l t s and the p roba­

b i l i t y o f having ob ta ined them by chance. The b inomial t e s t of p r o b a b i l i t y

was used.

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TABLE 17

THIRTEEN CHILDREN'S PERCEPTIONS OF CONGRUENCE AMONG ACTION INVOLVED AS COMPARED TO NON-ACTION INVOLVED REFERENT OTHERS

N = 13 ch i1dren

Ac t i on involved 1 o thers seen as more congruent

Yes No P rob .

12 1 .002

The n u l l hypothes is Is r e j ec ted and hypothes is k Is cons idered

to be conf i rmed on the bas is o f r e su l t s presented in t a b l e 17- Hypothesis 2

concern ing the r e l a t i o n s h i p between congruence and school adjustment

behavior was not conf i rmed. The s i g n i f i c a n t r e s u l t s found in t e s t i n g

hypothes is 4 t he re fo re do not have e v a l u a t i v e connotat ions concern ing the

EPEH p r o j e c t ' s i n f l u e n c i n g more p o s i t i v e behavior as r e l a t ed to congru­

ence. Greater congruence was perce ived among a c t i o n invo lved o t h e r s . i t

i s not known whether t h i s had any b e n e f i c i a l e f f e c t s . Future research

might exp lo re whether congruence is an important v a r i a b l e f o r p a r t i c u l a r

sub-groups o f c h i l d r e n or in r e l a t i o n to o ther i n t e r a c t i n g v a r i a b l e s .

Hypothesis 5 : Ch i l d ren i nvo lved in the ac t i on design of EPEH w i l l have h igher average i n f l uence scores p re ­d i c t i v e o f behav io r , h igher congruence scores p r e d i c t i v e o f behav io r , and w i l l be more p o s i t i v e in t h e i r school adjustment behavior than compar­ab le c h i l d r e n who were not invo lved In the ac t i on des ign of EPEH.

Hypothesis 5 was t es ted by comparing the sums o f round I rank

orders f o r each of the three outcome v a r i a b l e s o f a group o f f i v e c h i l d r e n

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who were invo lved In the ac t i on design o f EPEH w i th a comparable group of f i v e c h i l d r e n who were not so i n vo l ved . The comparab i l i t y o f these two groups was descr ibed In chapter 5- The i r i n d i v i d u a l rank orders were taken from t ab les 9, 10 and 12. No s t a t i s t i c a l t e s t was made of these comparisons which are presented in t ab le 18.

The a c t i o n i nvo lved c h i l d r e n had s l i g h t l y be t t e r rank o rde r ­

ings on average i n f l uence and congruence scores than non-ac t ion invo lved

c h i l d r e n . The sum of rank orders on behav ior were the same. There does

not appear to be any mean ingfu l d i f f e r e n c e between the two g r o u p s .

Although these two groups were comparable on s i x v a r i a b l e s at the beg inn ing

o f opera t ion of the a c t i on d e s i g n , there are no data on whether they were

comparable on the th ree outcome v a r i a b l e s o f t h i s h ypo thes i s . Such com­

p a r a b i l i t y would have to be assumed in o rder to draw any e v a l u a t i v e i n ­

ferences about the e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f the EPEH p r o j e c t . One i m p l i c a t i o n

which can be de r i ved Is that such an approach could be used in e v a l u a t i n g

fu tu re programs f o r s o c i o - e m o t i o n a l l y handicapped c h i l d r e n where these

k inds o f data cou ld be gathered on a before and a f t e r b a s i s .

- 1 5 3 -

TABLE 18

SUMS OF RANK ORDERS OF FIVE ACTION INVOLVED CHILDRED COMPARED TO RANK ORDERS OF FIVE COMPARABLE NON-ACTION INVOLVED

CHILDREN ON POSITIVENESS OF BEHAVIOR, AVERAGE INFLUENCE SCORES AND CONGRUENCE SCORES

F ive Ac t ion Involved Ch i l d ren

R 0 o f R 0 o f R 0 of P o s i t i v e n e s s Average Congruence

o f Behavior 1nf1uence

13 20 23

8 2 . 5 2 . 5

22 \k 18

10 7 9

29 30 26 Sum of 8 2 7 3 . 5 7 8 . 5 RO's

F i ve Non-Act ion Involved Ch i l d ren

R 0 of R 0 o f R 0 o f Pos i t i veness Average Congruence o f Behavior Inf1uence-

12 12 13

28 15 21

15 29 27

21 16 17

6 8 7 Sum of 82 80 85 RO's

CHAPTER 7

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND IMPLICATIONS

This study i s concerned w i th s o c i o - e m o t i o n a l l y handicapped,

e lementary school c h i l d r e n . It exp lo res the r e l a t i o n s h i p between t h e i r

pe rcep t ions and f e e l i n g s about persons who p o t e n t i a l l y i n f l uence t h e i r

school adjustment behavior and observa t ions o f that behav io r . It a l s o

exp1 o res whethe r pe r sons who we re Invo1ved in spec i a 1 p rograms d e s I g n e d

to improve the c h i l d ' s school adjustment behavior were pe rce ived by the

c h i l d as having more p o s i t i v e i n f l uence than persons not so i n v o l v e d .

F i n a l l y , i t compares the pe rcep t ions and behaviors o f a group o f c h i l d r e n

who were Involved In exper imental e f f o r t s to improve t h e i r behavior w i th

a s i m i l a r group of c h i l d r e n who were not so I nvo lved .

The p ro jec t in which t h i s study took p l ace developed out of

the shared concern of members o f the F l i n t P u b l i c School System, the F l i n t

Mental Hea l th Center and the U n i v e r s i t y o f Michigan based F l i n t Youth

Study. The pup i l personnel d i r e c t o r o f the school system asked , "What

can we do about the behavior o f the ' i n -be tweene rs 1 - i . e . , e lementary

school c h i l d r e n too young to be out of school in any l eg i t ima te c a p a c i t y ,

but caus ing too much t roub le f o r the schools to r e a l i s t i c a l l y con ta in

them." The p ro jec t which developed out of t h i s concern became known as

the F l i n t Schools Experimental Program f o r the Emot iona l ly Handicapped

(EPEH).

EPEH was c a r r i e d out as an a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h e f f o r t . A d e f i n i t i o n

of a c t i o n - r e s e a r c h proposed by Kurt Lewin imp l ies two r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s .

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- 1 5 5 -

One i s that i t should attempt to c on t r i bu te to increased understanding o f general laws that govern s o c i a l i n t e r a c t i o n . The second is that i t should attempt to p rov ide a v a l i d a t e d d i a g n o s t i c assessment of the dynamics opera t ing in a p a r t i c u l a r a c t i o n s i t u a t i o n .

Major g u i d e l i n e s f o r deve lop ing the EPEH a c t i o n design came

from a t h e o r e t i c a l l y based, c i r c u l a r process model o f i n te rpersona l

r e l a t i o n s and from imp l i ca t i ons der ived from resea rch . A major t h e o r e t i c a l

assumption was that c h i l d r e n ' s school adjustment behavior Is m u l t i p l y

i n f l u e n c e d by r e f e r e n t o t h e r s in the c h i l d ' s l i f e such as f a m i l y members,

peers , and school pe r sonne l . In e x p l o r i n g the v a l i d i t y o f t h i s assump­

t i o n , the study attempts to con t r i bu te to increased understanding o f

general laws that govern s o c i a l i n t e r a c t i o n of s o c i o - e m o t i o n a l l y hand i ­

capped c h i l d r e n in the school s e t t i n g . Fur ther assumptions were that

r e fe ren t o thers i nvo lved in c a r r y i n g out the a c t i o n design o f EPEH would

be seen as i n f l u e n c i n g c h i l d r e n more p o s i t i v e l y than non- Invo lved r e fe ren t

o t h e r s , and c h i l d r e n who were the t a rge ts fo r change would be p e r c e i v i n g

re fe rent o thers more p o s i t i v e l y and behaving more p o s i t i v e l y than s i m i l a r

c h i l d r e n who were not so i nvo l ved . In e x p l o r i n g the v a l i d i t y o f these

assumpt ions, the study attempts to p rov ide a v a l i d a t e d d i a g n o s i t c a ssess ­

ment of the dynamics opera t ing in t h i s p a r t i c u l a r a c t i o n s i t u a t i o n .

There are th ree par ts to the s tudy. The f i r s t par t developed

a methodology fo r c o l l e c t i n g and combining data f o r a n a l y s i s of the

re 1 a t i o n s h i p between ch i1d ren 1 s percep t ions and fee 1ings towards re fe ren t

o thers in t h e i r l i v e s and observa t ions o f the c h i l d r e n ' s school a d j u s t ­

ment behav io r . A ques t i onna i re was developed to gather data about

c h i l d r e n ' s pe rcep t ions and f e e l i n g s towards r e fe ren t o t h e r s .

- 1 5 6 -

A c h i l d answered fou r k inds o f quest ions about each o f three k inds o f school adjustment behaviors f o r each o f the r e fe ren t o thers he reported on. The four k inds o f ques t ions concerned: 1) what the c h i l d pe rce ives that the o ther does, o r wants to do; 2) what the c h i l d pe rce ives the o ther want ing him to do; 3) how much the c h i l d wants to p lease the o ther by doing what the o ther wants; and, 4) how mad the c h i l d sees the o ther as becoming i f he does not do what the o ther wants.

The three k inds o f school adjustment behaviors were: l ) r ead ing ,

w r i t i n g and a r i t h m e t i c ; 2) a c t i n g n i c e towards k i d s ; and, 3) a c t i n g n i ce

towards t eachers . Referent o thers reported on inc luded mother, f a t h e r ,

s i b l i n g s , good f r i e n d s , o l d e r k i d s , o ther k ids in your c l ass room, regu lar

t eacher , p r i n c i p a l , c lub l eader , s p e c i a l t eache r , and v i s i t i n g t eacher .

Th i r t y f o u r t h - and f i f t h - g r a d e c h i l d r e n who had been screened

and diagnosed as socio-emot iona11y handicapped each responded tw ice to

t h i s q u e s t i o n n a i r e . Each reported on from seven to e leven re fe ren t

o t h e r s . Some of the c h i l d r e n had no contac t w i th a c lub l eade r , f a t h e r ,

s p e c i a l t eacher , or a v i s i t i n g teacher . The ques t i onna i res were admin­

i s t e r e d immediately f o l l o w i n g a 48 minute pe r iod o f obse rva t i on of the

c h i l d r e n ' s behav iora l i n t e r a c t i o n s w i th peers and teacher in the c l a s s ­

room.

The ques t i onna i re data were used in two formulas to p rov ide

scores rep resen t ing two independent v a r i a b l e s o f the s tudy . A b a s i c

component o f these two fo rmula t ions was a sub- formula t i t l e d the " i n f l u e n c e

f o r m u l a . " For each o ther reported on , the data concern ing what the c h i l d

saw that that o ther " does " was m u l t i p l i e d by the data concern ing how much

the c h i l d wanted to " p l e a s e " that o ther f o r each k ind of behav io r . The

- 1 5 7 -

products fo r each o f the three k inds of behaviors as concerned that p a r t i c u l a r re fe ren t o ther were added together and termed that " o t h e r ' s i n f l uence on the c h i l d ' s b e h a v i o r . " Such scores from each re fe ren t o ther reported on by a c h i l d were then added together and d i v i ded by the number o f r e fe ren t o thers reported on. This y i e l d e d an "average i n f l uence score p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r . " The more p o s i t i v e the c h i l d ' s pe rcep t ions and f e e l i n g s towards o t h e r s , the h igher h i s average i n f l uence s c o r e .

The average i n f l uence score was a mean o f i n f l uence scores o f

o t h e r s . The var iance of these i n f l uence scores around the mean was c a l ­

cu la ted and d i v ided by the number of r e fe ren t o thers reported on by the

c h i l d . The r e s u l t was termed a "congruence score p r e d i c t i v e o f b e h a v i o r . "

The lower the average v a r i a n c e , the h igher the congruence sco re .

An observa t ion schedule was developed and used by t r a i ned ob­

servers in the r egu la r c lassroom dur ing a s p e c i a l l y arranged p e r i o d . The

c h i l d was observed f o r 12 minutes each at four d i f f e r e n t a c t i v i t y s i t e s .

The c h i l d ' s p o s i t i v e and negat ive behav io ra l i n i t i a t i o n s and responses in

r e l a t i n g towards peers and teacher , and t h e i r p o s i t i v e and negat ive behav­

i o r a l i n i t i a t i o n s and responses towards h im, were recorded on the observa­

t i on schedu les . Th is y i e l d e d a score of the percentage o f observed behav­

io rs in the i n t e r a c t i o n s between the c h i l d and h i s pee rs , and the c h i l d

and h i s t eache r , which were p o s i t i v e dur ing the 4 8 minute pe r iod o f obser ­

v a t i o n .

Two rounds of observa t ion and ques t i onna i re data were gathered.

There was approx imate ly two weeks between rounds f o r each c h i l d . The

t h i r t y c h i l d r e n were rank ordered on the bas is of t h e i r average i n f l uence

s c o r e s , t h e i r congruence s c o r e s , and t h e i r p o s i t i v e n e s s o f behav iora l

i n t e r a c t i o n s scores f o r each round o f data c o l l e c t i o n . They were a l s o rank

-158-

ordered on the bas i s of the amount and d i r e c t i o n o f change on t h e i r average i n f l uence scores from the f i r s t to the second round of data c o l l e c t i o n and the amount and d i r e c t i o n of change in the percentage of t h e i r behavior which was p o s i t i v e from the f i r s t to the second round o f data c o l l e c t i o n . Spearman's rho c o r r e l a t i o n s , w i th c o r r e c t i o n s f o r t i e s , were c a l c u l a t e d . The instruments and data ga ther ing procedures were found to have prov ided scores which were r e l i a b l e and app rop r i a t e l y s e n s i t i v e to v a r i a t i o n s from one round o f data c o l l e c t i o n to another .

Increased ra te o f academic achievement was to have been a

dependent v a r i a b l e used in hypotheses o f t h i s s tudy . The attempt to

ope rat Iona1ize t h i s v a r i a b l e y i e l d e d scores which d id not c o r r e l a t e s i g n i ­

f i c a n t l y w i th the ques t i onna i re da ta . I t was concluded that t h i s opera­

t i ona l i z a t i o n had not been me thodo log ica l l y adequate. Other exp lana t ions

o f t h i s lack of s i g n i f i c a n c e were a l s o o f f e r e d . One f u r t h e r k ind o f ex­

p l o r a t i o n o f the data i nd i ca ted that the a d d i t i o n a l v a r i a b l e o f type .of

pathology o f the c h i l d may have been i n t e r a c t i n g in a s i g n i f i c a n t manner.

The data a v a i l a b l e seemed i n s u f f i c i e n t to exp lo re t h i s f u l l y . I t must

at l eas t be noted that the conc lus ion of methodological inadequacy may

have been o ve r l y c o n s e r v a t i v e .

The second par t o f the study exp lo res the t h e o r e t i c a l l y based

assumptIon that the ch i 1 d 1 s schoo1 adjus tment behavior i s determlned to

a s i g n i f i c a n t degree by the way that h i s percept ions and f e e l i n g s towards

severa l r e fe ren t o thers combine w i t h i n him. This was more e x p l i c i t e l y

broken down in to two quest ions about which hypotheses were t e s t e d . Does

the average o f i n f l uence of o thers as reported by the c h i l d r e l a t e s i g n i ­

f i c a n t l y to observa t ions o f h i s behav io ra l i n t e r a c t i o n s ? Does the degree

-159-

o f c o n g r u e n c e w h i c h t h e c h i l d p e r c e i v e s among t h e i n f l u e n c e s o f o t h e r s r e l a t e s i g n i f i c a n t l y t o t h e o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r ?

The h y p o t h e s e s were t e s t e d u s i n g Spearman 1 s : r h o c o r r e l a t i o n s

w i t h c o r r e c t i o n s f o r t i e s u s i n g rank o r d e r s o f t h e t h i r t y c h i l d r e n ' s

a v e r a g e i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s , c o n g r u e n c e s c o r e s , and p o s i t i v e n e s s o f b e h a v i o r

s c o r e s . S i g n i f i c a n t p o s i t i v e c o r r e l a t i o n s were f o u n d between t h e a v e r a g e

i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s and t h e p o s i t i v e n e s s o f b e h a v i o r s c o r e s . I t was c o n ­

c l u d e d t h a t t h e p o s i t i v e n e s s o f c h i l d r e n ' s s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r i s

s i g n i f i c a n t l y I n f l u e n c e d by t h e e x t e n t t o w h i c h t h e y p e r c e i v e r e f e r e n t

o t h e r s b e h a v i n g p o s i t i v e l y combined w i t h t h e e x t e n t t o w h i c h t h e c h i l d

w i s h e s t o p l e a s e t h o s e o t h e r s as c o n c e r n s a c a d e m i c a c h i e v e m e n t and g e t t i n g

a l o n g w i t h p e e r s and t e a c h e r s .

P o s i t i v e c o r r e l a t i o n s between t h e c o n g r u e n c e s c o r e s and p o s i ­

t i v e n e s s o f b e h a v i o r s c o r e s were n o t a t an a c c e p t a b l e l e v e l o f s i g n i f i c a n c e .

H y p o t h e s i s 2, c o n c e r n i n g c o n g r u e n c e , was not c o n f i r m e d . However, i t was

n o t e d t h a t t h e manner In w h i c h t h e d a t a were h a n d l e d was s u c h t h a t i t

c o u l d n o t be d e t e r m i n e d w h e t h e r t h e s i g n i f i c a n t r e s u l t s f o u n d i n t e s t i n g

h y p o t h e s i s 1 were r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f low a v e r a g e p o s i t i v e n e s s o f i n f l u e n c e

f r o m o t h e r s o r l a c k o f c o n g r u e n c e among r e f e r e n t o t h e r s when a c h i l d

d e v i a t e d f r o m t h e norm o f r e s p o n d i n g on t h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e r e s p o n s e s c a l e s

p o s i t i v e l y . T h i s c o n f u s i o n was h i g h l i g h t e d by t h e f a c t t h a t t h e a v e r a g e

i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s (a s c o r e based on a mean) and t h e c o n g r u e n c e s c o r e s

(a s c o r e b a s e d on v a r i a n c e a r o u n d t h a t mean) c o r r e l a t e d v e r y h i g h l y . In

o t h e r w o r d s , t h e c h i l d ' s p o s i t i v e n e s s o f b e h a v i o r a l i n t e r a c t i o n s m i g h t

have been r e l a t i n g t o t h e p o s i t i v e n e s s o f t h e a v e r a g e o f i n f l u e n c e s he

saw f r o m o t h e r s , t h e amount o f d i s c r e p a n c y he saw i n t h e i n f l u e n c e s o f

others, or b o t h .

-160-

F u r t h e r e x p l o r a t i o n o f t h e d a t a i n d i c a t e d t h a t a more p r e c i s e u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e n a t u r e o f t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p o f c h i l d r e n ' s p e r c e p t i o n s and f e e l i n g s t o w a r d s r e f e r e n t o t h e r s and t h e p o s i t i v e n e s s o f t h e i r behav­i o r a l i n t e r a c t i o n s c o u l d be a r r i v e d a t i n a s t u d y w h i c h used a d i f f e r e n t f o r m o f a n a l y s i s . I t was f o u n d t h a t d i f f e r e n t p a r t i c u l a r c o m b i n a t i o n s o f t h e d a t a p r o v i d e d b e s t c o r r e l a t i o n s between p e r c e p t i o n s and f e e l i n g s and t h e o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r f o r e a c h t y p e o f r e f e r e n t o t h e r r e p o r t e d on. A m u l t i p l e v a r i a b l e a n a l y s i s , u s i n g e a c h t y p e o f r e f e r e n t o t h e r s b e s t d a t a as a v a r i a b l e , w o u l d maximlze, t h e amount o f v a r i a n c e w h i c h c o u l d be a c c o u n t e d f o r and i n d i c a t e t h e a p p r o p r i a t e w e i g h t i n g o f i n f l u e n c e f r o m e a c h r e f e r e n t o t h e r when r e l a t e d t o t h e o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r . T h i s f u r t h e r t y p e o f a n a l y s i s was n o t a t t e m p t e d i n t h i s s t u d y f o r f o u r r e a s o n s . Not a l l c h i l d r e n had r e s p o n d e d c o n c e r n i n g a l 1 o f t h e t y p e s o f r e f e r e n t o t h e r s . Responses t o t h e s c a l e s w h i c h had been c o n s t r u c t e d showed l i t t l e v a r i a n c e . I n t e r c o r r e l a t i o n s between t h e t y p e s o f q u e s t i o n s a s k e d i n d i c a t e d t h a t l i t t l e d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n between them was made by t h e c h i l d r e n . And, t h e m u l t i p l i c a t i v e o p e r a t i o n used i n h a n d l i n g t h e d a t a changed t h e i n t e r v a l n a t u r e o f t h e d a t a as o r i g i n a l l y g a t h e r e d on t h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e .

The t h i r d p a r t o f t h e s t u d y t u r n s t o e v a l u a t i v e q u e s t i o n s about

t h e a c t i o n d e s i g n o f t h e EPEH p r o j e c t . The a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH a t t e m p t e d

t o g i v e t a r g e t c h i l d r e n ' i n i t an e x p e r i e n c e o f b e i n g i n f l u e n c e d by t h e i r

r e f e r e n t o t h e r s t o behave more p o s i t i v e l y . P e r s o n s were s e l e c t e d t o o p e r ­

a t i o n a l i z e t h e p r o g r a m a n d / o r i n v o l v e d i n t r a i n i n g and c o n s u l t a t i o n f o r

t h i s r e a s o n . I f t h e p r o j e c t had been s u c c e s s f u l , i t w o u l d be assumed t h a t

when t h e d a t a were c o l l e c t e d a t t h e end o f t h r e e s e m e s t e r s ' o p e r a t i o n o f

t h e p r o g r a m , a c t i o n i n v o l v e d r e f e r e n t o t h e r s w o u l d have been seen as

-161-

i n f l u e n c l n g more p o s i t i v e l y and b e i n g more c o n g r u e n t i n t h e i r i n f l u e n c e t h a n n o n - a c t i o n i n v o l v e d r e f e r e n t o t h e r s .

i t t u r n e d o u t t h a t t h e mean o f i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s o f a c t i o n

I n v o l v e d o t h e r s was more, pos i t i ve t h a n t h e mean o f i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s o f

n o n - a c t i o n i n v o l v e d r e f e r e n t o t h e r s r e p o r t e d on by a l l t h i r t y o f t h e

c h i l d r e n . T h i r t e e n o f t h e s e c h i l d r e n were change t a r g e t s o f t h e a c t i o n

d e s i g n . These t h i r t e e n e a c h r e p o r t e d on b o t h a c t i o n i n v o l v e d and non­

a c t i o n i n v o l v e d r e f e r e n t . o t h e r s . E l e v e n o f t h e t h i r t e e n e a c h saw t h e i r

a c t i o n i n v o l v e d r e f e r e n t o t h e r s as m a x i m a l l y p o s i t i v e , o r a m a j o r i t y o f

them as above t h e mean o f i n f l u e n c e s c o r e s o f a l l o f t h a t c h i l d ' s r e f e r e n t

o t h e r s . N i n e o f t h e t h i r t e e n saw t h e i r n o n - a c t i o n i n v o l v e d r e f e r e n t

o t h e r s as below t h e mean o f a l l o f h i s r e f e r e n t o t h e r s . S e e i n g o t h e r s

as p o s i t i v e had r e l a t e d t o p o s i t i v e n e s s o f o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r . I t was

t h e r e f o r e c o n c l u d e d t h a t t h e a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH had been s u c c e s s f u l

i n e x p o s i n g c h i l d r e n t o p o t e n t i a l l y p o s i t i v e i n f l u e n c e s t o a g r e a t e r

d e g r e e t h a n t h e i r u s u a l o n g o i n g r e l a t i o n s h i p s a f f o r d e d .

The a s s u m p t i o n t h a t a c t i o n i n v o l v e d o t h e r s w o u l d be s e e n as

more c o n g r u e n t i n t h e i r i n f l u e n c e t h a n n o n - a c t i o n i n v o l v e d o t h e r s was

t e s t e d u s i n g t h e d a t a f r o m t h e t h i r t e e n c h i l d r e n who were change t a r g e t s

o f t h e a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH. T w e l v e o f t h e s e t h i r t e e n saw t h e i r a c t i o n

i n v o l v e d r e f e r e n t o t h e r s as more c o n g r u e n t t h a n t h e i r n o n - a c t i o n i n v o l v e d

r e f e r e n t o t h e r s . I t was t h e r e f o r e c o n c l u d e d t h a t t h e EPEH a c t i o n d e s i g n

had s u c c e e d e d i n a c h i e v i n g more c o l l a b o r a t i o n and c o o r d i n a t i o n among a c t i o n

i n v o l v e d p e r s o n n e l t h a n was g e n e r a l l y e x p e r i e n c e d by t h e s e s o c i o - e m o t i o n a l l y

h a n d i c a p p e d c h i l d r e n .

B e c a u s e t h e e a r l i e r h y p o t h e s i s c o n c e r n i n g c o n g r u e n c e had n o t

been c o n f i r m e d , t h e r e is no basis from these data for making any conclusions

-162-

a b o u t t h e meaning o f t h i s h i g h e r c o n g r u e n c e w h i c h a p p e a r s t o have been a c h i e v e d as a r e s u l t o f t h e EPEH p r o g r a m . On t h e o t h e r hand, a g r e a t d e a l o f a n e c d o t a l d a t a was r e c o r d e d d u r i n g t h e o p e r a t i o n o f t h e p r o j e c t w h i c h i n d i c a t e d t h a t c o n f l i c t i n g i n t e r p e r s o n a l p e r c e p t i o n s and i n f l u e n c e s w h i c h t h e c h i l d r e n e x p e r i e n c e d f r o m r e f e r e n t o t h e r s were c r u c i a l d e t e r ­m i n a n t s o f t h e s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r o f a t l e a s t some o f t h e s e

c h i l d r e n . It i s p r o p o s e d t h a t a f r u i t f u l avenue o f f u t u r e r e s e a r c h might be t o c o n s i d e r t h e k i n d s o f d a t a u s e d i n t h i s s t u d y a l o n g w i t h a d d i t i o n a l

d a t a c o n c e r n i n g p o s s i b l e d i f f e r e n t s ty les o f coping w i t h incongruence w h i c h d i f f e r e n t c h i l d r e n have d e v i s e d . I t m i g h t f u r t h e r be f o u n d t h a t d i f f e r e n t mechanisms f o r c o p i n g w i t h i n c o n g r u e n c e , o r r e a c t i v e b e h a v i o r s t o i t , m i g h t r e l a t e t o d i f f e r e n t t y p e s o f p a t h o l o g y .

F i n a l l y , a group o f f i v e c h i l d r e n who were m a x i m a l l y I n v o l v e d

as t a r g e t s f o r change i n t h e a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH were compared t o a

group o f f i v e c h i l d r e n who were n o t i n v o l v e d . The groups were matched

on v a r i a b l e s o f s e x , age, c l a s s r o o m g r a d e , l.Q.., and r e a d i n g and a r i t h ­

m e t i c a c h i e v e m e n t l e v e l . The sum o f t h e i r rank o r d e r s on a v e r a g e i n f l u ­

ence s c o r e s , c o n g r u e n c e s c o r e s , and p o s i t i v e n e s s o f o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r

s c o r e s were compared s u b j e c t i v e l y . The sums o f r a n k o r d e r s o f t h e a c t i o n

i n v o l v e d c h i l d r e n were s l i g h t l y more p o s i t i v e f o r t h e f i r s t two v a r i a b l e s

and e x a c t l y t h e same f o r p o s i t i v e n e s s o f o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r . T h e r e d i d

n o t a p p e a r t o be any m e a n i n g f u l d i f f e r e n c e between t h e two g r o u p s . In

o r d e r t o have made any e v a l u a t i v e i n f e r e n c e s a b o u t t h e a c t i o n d e s i g n o f

EPEH, t h e g r o u p s w o u l d have had t o have been matched on t h e s e t h r e e

v a r i a b l e s a t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f o p e r a t i o n o f t h e a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH.

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Such an a p p r o a c h c o u l d be used i n e v a l u a t i n g f u t u r e programs f o r s o c i o -e m o t i o n a l l y h a n d i c a p p e d c h i l d r e n where t h e s e k i n d s o f d a t a c o u l d be g a t h e r e d on a b e f o r e and a f t e r b a s i s .

I m p l i c a t i o n s f o r F u t u r e R e s e a r c h .

The manner i n w h i c h t h e d a t a c o n c e r n i n g c h i l d r e n ' s p e r c e p t i o n s

and f e e l i n g s t o w a r d s r e f e r e n t o t h e r s were c o l l e c t e d and a n a l y z e d i n t h i s

s t u d y y i e l d e d a s c o r e w h i c h r e l a t e d s i g n i f i c a n t l y t o o b s e r v a t i o n s o f t h e

p o s i t i v e n e s s o f t h e i r b e h a v i o r a l I n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h peer.s and t e a c h e r i n

t h e c l a s s r o o m . F u r t h e r e x p l o r a t i o n o f t h e s e data i n d i c a t e d t h a t f u t u r e -

r e s e a r c h o f t h i s t y p e c o u l d y e i l d a much c l e a r e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e

meaning o f t h i s r e l a t i o n s h i p . C e r t a i n p a r t s o f t h e d a t a , and c o m b i n a t i o n s

o f t h e d a t a , a p p e a r e d t o have more r e l e v a n c e i n r e l a t i o n t o p a r t i c u l a r

r e f e r e n t o t h e r s . F u t u r e r e s e a r c h s h o u l d e x p l o r e t h e s e d i s t i n c t i o n s more

f u l l y . Data f r o m a p o p u l a t i o n o f s o c i o - e m o t i o n a l l y h a n d i c a p p e d c h i l d r e n

a l l r e p o r t i n g on t h e same t y p e s o f r e f e r e n t o t h e r s c o u l d be used i n a

m u l t i p l e v a r i a b l e a n a l y s i s t o d e t e r m i n e t h e c o m p a r a t i v e i m p o r t a n c e o f

e a c h i n a r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h o b s e r v e d b e h a v i o r . An e f f o r t s h o u l d be made

t o d e v e l o p s c a l e s w h i c h e l i c i t more v a r i e d r e s p o n s e s t h a n t h o s e used i n

t h i s s t u d y . In c r e a t i n g more s e n s i t i v e s c a l e s , a s t u d y s h o u l d be u n d e r ­

t a k e n t o d e t e r m i n e t h e v a l i d i t y o f d i s t i n c t i o n s made between c a t e g o r i e s

o f r e s p o n s e .

The m u l t i p l y i n g o f p a r t s o f t h e d a t a a p p e a r e d t o be i m p o r t a n t

i n r e l a t i o n t o some r e f e r e n t o t h e r s , but not o t h e r s . What seems i m p l i e d

i s t h a t t h e s e r e f e r e n t o t h e r s , f o r whom t h e m u l t i p l y i n g o p e r a t i o n p r o ­

v i d e d a p o o r e r c o r r e l a t i o n , were i m p o r t a n t t o a l l o f t h e c h i l d r e n . O t h e r

r e f e r e n t o t h e r s were o n l y i m p o r t a n t t o some o f t h e c h i l d r e n . For t h e

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l a t t e r , t h e m u l t i p l y i n g o p e r a t i o n p r o v i d e d a w e i g h t i n g d i s t i n c t i o n between c h i l d r e n who saw t h a t r e f e r e n t o t h e r as i m p o r t e n t and t h o s e who d i d n o t . F u t u r e r e s e a r c h s h o u l d e x p l o r e t h i s s o r t o f t h e o r e t i c a l i n t e r p r e t a t i o n .

F u t u r e r e s e a r c h s h o u l d i n c l u d e a d d i t i o n a l v a r i a b l e s s u c h as

t y p e o f p a t h o l o g y o f t h e c h i l d and h i s c o p i n g mechanisms f o r r e a c t i n g

t o d i s c r e p a n t p e r c e p t i o n s and f e e l i n g s t o w a r d s r e f e r e n t o t h e r s . T h e r e

was i n d i c a t i o n t h a t t h e k i n d s o f d a t a used i n t h i s s t u d y m i g h t have

d i f f e r e n t i a l i m p o r t a n c e f o r c h i l d r e n s u b - g r o u p e d on t h e s e a d d i t i o n a l

va r i a b l e s .

These k i n d s o f d a t a can be used on a b e f o r e and a f t e r b a s i s t o

e v a l u a t e programs w h i c h s e e k t o improve t h e s c h o o l a d j u s t m e n t b e h a v i o r o f

s o c l o - e m o t i o n a l l y h a n d i c a p p e d c h i l d r e n . A word o f c a u t i o n i s i n o r d e r

h e r e . The s p e c i f i c b e h a v i o r s d e f i n e d as d e s i r a b l e . b y t h e s c h o o l s y s t e m

p e r s o n n e l i n t h e EPEH p r o j e c t were n o t a l w a y s s e e n by t h e c l i n i c i a n s as

d e s i r a b l e f o r t h e p r o g r e s s o f s p e c i f i c c h i l d r e n i n t h e p r o g r a m . These

d e f i n i t i o n s a r e b a s e d upon v a l u e s w h i c h a r e sometimes c o n f l i c t i n g . I f

a p r o g r a m were e v a l u a t e d as s u c c e s s f u l b e c a u s e i t s u c c e e d e d In i n f l u e n c i n g

c h i l d r e n t o a c h i e v e more a c a d e m i c a l l y and a c t n i c e r t o w a r d s p e e r s and

t e a c h e r s , i t s h o u l d s t i l l be a s k e d whose i n t e r e s t s t h a t i m m e d i a t e r e s u l t

b e s t s e r v e d and why t h a t r e s u l t was c o n s i d e r e d good.

I m p l i c a t i o n s f o r A c t i o n

Some i m p l i c a t i o n s f o r a c t i o n may be d e r i v e d f r o m t h e r e s u l t s

o f t h i s s t u d y . P e r s o n s a t t e m p t i n g t o i n f l u e n c e i m p r o v e d s c h o o l a d j u s t ­

ment b e h a v i o r o f s o c i o - e m o t i o n a l l y h a n d i c a p p e d c h i l d r e n s h o u l d a t t e m p t

t o g a t h e r d a t a f r o m t h e c h i l d r e n a b o u t t h e i r p e r c e p t i o n s and f e e l i n g s

t o w a r d s r e f e r e n t o t h e r s . Such d a t a s h o u l d be c o n s i d e r e d two ways. F i r s t , .

-165-

i t w o u l d be d i a g n o s t i c o f t h e c h i l d i n terms o f t h e m u l t i p l e i n f l u e n c e s he was e x p e r i e n c i n g . I t w o u l d f o c u s t h e p r a c t i t i o n e r ' s a w a r e n e s s on a r e a s o f t h e i n t e r p e r s o n a l r e l a t i o n s h i p s w h i c h t h e c h i l d m i g h t need h e l p i n c o p i n g w i t h . S e c o n d , t h e p r a c t i t i o n e r s h o u l d c o n s i d e r s u c h d a t a as f e e d b a c k t o h i m s e l f and o t h e r s a b o u t t h e i r p o t e n t i a l i m p a c t i n a t t e m p t i n g t o i n f l u e n c e t h e c h i l d . I t s h o u l d c a u s e t h e p r a c t i t i o n e r t o r e f l e c t upon t h e e x t e n t t o w h i c h t h e c h i l d ' s p e r c e p t i o n s were b a s e d i n f a c t . When p e r c e p t i o n s o f n e g a t i v e a s p e c t s o f r e l a t i o n s h i p s seemed v a l i d , t h e p r a c ­t i t i o n e r w o u l d become f o c u s e d on e f f o r t s t o i n v o l v e p a r t i c u l a r ones o f t h e c h i l d ' s r e f e r e n t o t h e r s i n more c o l l a b o r a t i v e , c o n s t r u c t i v e e f f o r t s .

These k i n d s o f d a t a c o u l d p r o v i d e d i f f e r e n t i a l d i a g n o s e s o f

c h i l d r e n In terms o f t h e e x t e n t t o w h i c h i n t r a p e r s o n a l h e l p o f a p s y c h o ­

t h e r a p e u t i c n a t u r e seemed c a l l e d f o r as compared t o t h e e x t e n t t o w h i c h

a more c o n s t r u c t i v e , c o l l a b o r a t i v e m u l t i p l e i n f l u e n c e a c t i o n e f f o r t were

needed. The a c t i o n d e s i g n o f EPEH s o u g h t t o m a x i m i z e t h e p o s i t i v e n e s s o f

i n f l u e n c e o f some o f t h e c h i l d ' s r e f e r e n t o t h e r s . In d o i n g s o , i t p r o ­

b a b l y a l s o m a x i m i z e d t h e d i s c r e p a n c i e s he p e r c e i v e d between t h o s e r e f e r e n t

o t h e r s and ones who were n o t i n v o l v e d i n t h e p r o j e c t . I f s u c h d a t a were

a v a i l a b l e e a r l y i n t h e c h i l d ' s p r o g r a m i n v o l v e m e n t , t h e y c o u l d be used

t o f o c u s e f f o r t on h i s most n e g a t i v e p e r c e i v e d r e l a t i o n s h i p s . The l a t t e r

a p p r o a c h m i g h t have a more c o n s t r u c t i v e end r e s u l t f o r t h e c h i l d . The

v a l i d i t y o f s u c h an i m p l i c a t i o n r e m a i n s t o be t e s t e d by t h e e v a l u a t i o n

o f f u t u r e a c t i o n e f f o r t s .

-166-

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