Do They Say Thank You?
Evaluation of a Social Skills Curriculum
in a Youth Development Program
Research Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness of a brief social
skills curriculum taught to youth participating
in the Youth Impact program.
Research Questions
Does participation in the social skills curriculum
affect the social skills of the youth?

Specifically, do the scores of the youth taking the
social skills classes significantly change after
having taken the classes?

Do the scores of the youth taking the social skills
classes significantly differ from the scores of the
youth who did not take the classes?
General Principles of Albert Bandura’s
Social Learning Theory

People learn by observing the behavior of others

Learning occurs without a change in behavior

Cognition plays a role in learning

Social Learning theory can be considered a bridge
between behaviorist and cognitive learning theories
How the Environment Reinforces Modeling




The participant is reinforced by the model.
The participant is reinforced by a third
person.
The imitated behavior leads to reinforcing
consequences.
The model’s behavior affects the participant’s
behavior vicariously.
Skillstreaming Process

In Class:







Define the Skill
Model the skill
Show examples/experiences
Set up the role-play
Conduct the role-play
Provide feedback
Real World:


Apply skill at home, school, Youth Impact with
peers and surrounding adults
Complete homework and continue to apply skill
each week
Five Skills Taught





Listening
Giving a compliment
Saying thank you
Following instructions
Apologizing
Social Skills Classes




Taught once a week for five consecutive
weeks.
Each class consisted of approximately 6
youth.
Classes were age specific and an age
appropriate curriculum was taught in each
class.
Average class length was 30 to 45 minutes.
Methods – Subjects in Sample

Two groups of YI participants
 Experimental group – youth who participated in the social skills
classes (n = 42)
 Control group – youth who did not participate in the social skills
classes (n = 24)

Selection of Experimental Group
 Relied on youth who were the first to return consent forms and
attended class.

Selection of Control Group
 Chosen by default. Youth who returned consent forms but did not
attend the classes.
Demographics- Youth
Experimental (n=36)
 Average age: 12.43
 Age Range: 9 to 16
 Gender: 50% male
50% female
 Race:
26.5% Caucasian
52.9% Hispanic
20.5% other
Control Group (n=10)
 Average age: 11.6
 Age Range: 9 to 17
 Gender: 40% male
60% female
 Race:
30.0% Caucasian
40.0% Hispanic
30.0% other
Demographics- Parents
Experimental (n=36)
 Average age: 36.7
Control Group (n=10)
 Average age: 35.7

Gender: 91.7% female

Gender: 100% female

Race:
27.8% Caucasian
55.6% Hispanic
16.7% Other

Race:
30.0% Caucasian
50.0% Hispanic
20.0% Other
Demographics- Parents cont.
Experimental (n=36)
 Education Level:
22.2% less than H.S.
27.8% HS Diploma/GED
27.8% Some college
13.9% Associates
5.6% Bachelors


Employment Status:
69.4% full-time
5.6% part-time
16.7% unemployed
Household Income:
33.3% less than $20,000
Control Group (n=10)
 Education Level:
22.2% less than H.S.
22.2% H.S. Diploma/GED
44.4% some college
0% Associates
0% Bachelors
 Employment Status:
50.0% full-time
40.0% part-time
10.0% unemployed
 Household Income:
60.0% less than $20,000
Demographics- Parents cont.
Experimental (n=36)


Marital Status:
single
married
separated
divorced
cohabiting
Control Group (n=10)

Marital Status:
single
10.0%
married
30.0%
separated 20.0%
divorced
40.0%
cohabiting
0%

Relationship to Child:
biological/adopted 80.0%
legal guardian
20.0%
22.2%
41.7%
5.6%
25.0%
5.6%
Relationship to Child:
biological/adopted
legal guardian
77.8%
22.2%
Data Collection Methods
Longitudinal Study
 Using two points in time
 Pre-test and Post-test technique

Data Collection from Youth and Parents

Methods

Incentive

Pre-test and post-test
surveys from child,
parent, and staff
Surveys were collected
from both participants
and a control group.
Group Interview of staff
members at Youth Impact

Parent: Having their
child/children participate in
the social skills program.
Youth:






Learning and practicing
social skills in a nonthreatening environment.
Candy!!!
Overnight trip in a Hotel
during the summer.
Data Collection from Program Staff
 Methods



Pre-test Surveys
Post-test Surveys
Group Interview
 Incentive



Volunteer Help
Social Skills research
project to help the
participants of their
program.
Learning more about
their participants
through our
longitudinal study.
Measurement of Social Skills





Do I listen to someone who is talking to me?
Do I say thank you when someone does
something for me?
Do I tell other people when I like how they are or
something they have done?
Do I carry out instructions from other people
quickly and correctly?
Do I apologize to others when I have done
something wrong?
Measured by:

Likert Scale on a scale of 1-5





1 being almost never
2 being seldom
3 being sometimes
4 being often
5 being almost always
Results: Social Skills Overall before
Classes
Social Skills
Listening
Saying Thank You
Giving a Compliment
Following Instructions
Apologizing
Youth Mean Parent Mean
Score
Score
Staff Mean
Score
4.32
3.72
3.48
(n=59)
(n=50)
(n=47)
4.27
3.81
3.76
(n=59)
(n=50)
(n=47)
3.47
3.36
2.92
(n=59)
(n=50)
(n=47)
3.66
3.51
3.47
(n=58)
(n=49)
(n=45)
4.14
3.74
3.46
(n=59)
(n=50)
(n=46)
Results: Mean Social Skills Scores for
Experimental Group of Youth (Youth Ratings)
Youth Rating (n=27)
Before
Classes
After
Classes
Mean
Difference
Listening
4.35
4.35
0.00
Saying Thank You
4.35
4.54
0.19
Giving a Compliment
3.69
3.92
0.23
Following Instructions
3.72
4.08
0.36
Apologizing
4.19
4.46
0.27
Results: Mean Social Skills Scores for
Experimental Group of Youth (Staff Ratings)
Staff Rating (n=34)
Before
Classes
After
Classes
Mean
Difference
Listening
3.62
4.47
0.851**
Saying Thank You
3.88
4.62
0.738**
Giving a Compliment
2.91
4.09
1.178**
Following Instructions
3.79
4.35
0.563**
Apologizing
3.53
4.35
0.823**
Results: Mean Social Skills Scores for
Experimental Group of Youth (Parent Ratings)
Parent Rating (n=17)
Before
Classes
After
Classes
Mean
Difference
Listening
3.88
4.24
0.355
Saying Thank You
4.18
4.82
0.644**
Giving a Compliment
3.65
4.18
0.526*
Following Instructions
3.88
4.12
0.238
Apologizing
3.94
4.53
0.589**
Summary of Changes in Scores for the
Youth in the Experimental Group

As reported by the staff, the social skills of the youth were
significantly
better after attending the classes in each of the five skill areas.

As reported by the parents, after attending the classes the youth
significantly improved upon three of the five social skills.

As reported by the youth, after attending the classes there were
improvements in four of the five social skills, however these
improvements failed to achieve statistical significance.
Listening Skill Score
Results: Listening Skills – Youth Rating
4.42
4.4
4.38
4.36
4.34
4.32
4.3
4.28
Experimental
Control
4.26
4.24
Before Classes
After Classes
Listening Skill Score
Results: Listening Skills – Parent Rating
4.3
4.2
4.1
4
3.9
3.8
3.7
3.6
Experimental
Control
3.5
3.4
Before Classes
After Classes
Results: Listening Skills – Staff Rating *
Listening Skill Score
5
4.5
4
Experimental
Control
3.5
3
2.5
Before Classes
After Classes
Summary of Listening Skills Results


Although both the youth and parents
rated listening skills as increasing
after the classes, there was no
significant difference between the
youth who attend classes and those
who did not.
Staff rated those youth who were
participating in the classes as doing
significantly better with listening
than those who didn’t attend the
class.
Saying Thank You Skill Score
Results: Saying Thank You – Youth
Rating
4.6
4.55
4.5
4.45
4.4
4.35
4.3
4.25
4.2
4.15
4.1
4.05
4
Experimental
Control
Before Classes
After Classes
Saying Thank You Skill Score
Results: Saying Thank You – Parent
Rating **
5
4.8
4.6
4.4
4.2
4
3.8
3.6
3.4
3.2
3
Experimental
Control
Before Classes
After Classes
Saying Thank You Skill Score
Results: Saying Thank You – Staff Rating
**
4.8
4.6
4.4
4.2
Experimental
Control
4
3.8
3.6
3.4
3.2
3
Before Classes
After Classes
Summary of Saying Thank You Results

The parents and staff observed an increase
in saying thank you for the youth who
attended classes.

Overall, there was a significant difference
between the youth who participated and
those who did not.
Giving A Compliment Skill Score
Results: Giving A Compliment – Youth
Rating
4.2
4
3.8
Experimental
Control
3.6
3.4
3.2
3
Before Classes
After Classes
Giving A Compliment Skill Score
Results: Giving A Compliment – Parent
Rating
4.3
4.1
3.9
3.7
3.5
3.3
3.1
2.9
Experimental
Control
2.7
2.5
Before Classes
After Classes
Giving A Compliment Skill Score
Results: Giving A Compliment – Staff
Rating **
4.3
4.1
3.9
3.7
3.5
3.3
3.1
2.9
Experimental
Control
2.7
2.5
Before Classes
After Classes
Summary of Giving a Compliment Results

As reported by the youth, after attending the classes there were
improvements in four of the five social skills, however these
improvements failed to achieve statistical significance.

Both the youth who took the classes and those who didn't
increased in their ability to give a compliment but there was no
significant difference between the two groups at the end of the
classes.

According to the staff, the youth who took the social skills classes
were significantly higher in their giving a compliment score after
the classes than the youth who did not take the class.
Following Instructions Skill Score
Results: Following Instructions – Youth
Rating
4.2
4
3.8
Experimental
Control
3.6
3.4
3.2
3
Before Classes
After Classes
Following Instructions Skill Score
Results: Following Instructions – Parent
Rating
4.2
4
3.8
Experimental
Control
3.6
3.4
3.2
3
Before Classes
After Classes
Following Instructions Skill Score
Results: Following Instructions – Staff
Rating *
4.5
4.3
4.1
3.9
3.7
3.5
3.3
3.1
2.9
2.7
2.5
Experimental
Control
Before Classes
After Classes
Summary of Following Instructions
Results



According to the youth, the experimental
group improved and the control group
decreased.
Although the parents saw an improvement in
their kids after the classes, it was not
significant.
The youth who took the class are better at
following instructions at time two according to
staff as they noticed a significant change.
Results: Apologizing – Youth Rating
Apologizing Skill Score
4.5
4.4
4.3
Experimental
Control
4.2
4.1
4
3.9
Before Classes
After Classes
Apologizing Skill Score
Results: Apologizing – Parent Rating *
4.8
4.6
4.4
4.2
4
3.8
3.6
3.4
Experimental
Control
3.2
3
Before Classes
After Classes
Results: Apologizing – Staff Rating **
Apologizing Skill Score
4.6
4.4
4.2
4
Experimental
Control
3.8
3.6
3.4
3.2
3
Before Classes
After Classes
Summary of Apologizing Results

Student participants and non-participants
both perceived an increase in their
apologizing skills between time one and time
two tested.

Parents and Staff perceived a statistically
significant increase in apologizing for
students that attended this Skillstreaming
class.
Conclusions

There was a significant change in the social skills of
the youth who participated in the classes.

After the classes, the social skills of the youth who
participated were higher than those of the youth who
did not participate.

Overall, the skillstreaming curriculum was effective.