An Analysis Of The Frequency Duration And Teachers Perceptions Of Social Skills Instruction For Children In Kindergarten Through Grade 6

Author : Kathleen Arritola
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 76 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (16 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Increasing On-Task Behavior Through the Development of Classroom Social Skills written by Kathleen Arritola and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years teachers within the classroom have experienced an increase in the off-task behaviors of students. The purpose of this action research project was to increase on-task behavior through development of classroom social skills. The causes may be a lack of social skills, outside influences, presentation of materials, students not developmentally ready, students being asked to work beyond their ability and students are uncertain of rules and procedures. The study was conducted at two sites, which included a kindergarten class at one site, and a second grade class and an elementary resource room at the second site. The study was conducted for thirteen weeks in an effort to teach classroom social skills. The interventions used were direct instruction lessons on classroom social skills for instructional time and independent work time. The teacher researchers modeled the social skill in the lesson. The students were asked to complete role playing exercises to practice the skills. The teacher researchers introduced and continued to use verbal positive reinforcement throughout the study when students were using appropriate classroom social skills and demonstrating on-task behavior. Data were collected through three tools. The teachers completed an observation checklist. The students were given a listening assessment and a reflective survey. In reviewing the data collected from the Teacher Observation Checklist all of the observed behaviors showed no change or a minimal increase in the frequency of the behavior during the observation time. Teaching classroom social skills had a minimal affect on the on-task behavior of the students in the targeted classrooms. There was a 29% increase in the number of times students used a low voice. The Student Survey data indicated mixed results. At site A in Teacher Researcher A's classroom the majority of the results stayed the same or decreased when compared with pre-intervention data. At site B in Teacher Researcher B's classroom the results indicated an increase in positive behaviors observed by the students. An increase indicated that students felt that they themselves, as well as their classmates, are on-task more frequently. At site B in Teacher Researcher C's classroom the results show little change between pre-intervention data and post-intervention data. The teacher researchers would recommend placing the observation time during an independent working time instead of instructional time. There would be less interference in the lesson and the teacher could focus solely on the observation. The teacher researchers believe that the students were not developmentally ready to complete a reflective task such as the Student Survey. The length of the survey and the subtle differences between questions may have been challenging for the students that had not been exposed to this type of activity before. Teaching classroom social skills is an important part of increasing on-task behavior in the classroom. Appended are: (1) Teacher Observation Checklist; (2) Student Survey; (3) Listening Assessment; (4) Direct Instruction Lesson Plan; (5) Modeling Lesson Plan; and (6) Role Playing Lesson Plan. (Contains 12 figures and 34 tables.) [M.A. Thesis, Saint Xavier University.].