This study concerned standardization and refinement of an instrument to measure assertiveness in adolescents, and use of that instrument to compare alternative-school students with each other and with students in a traditional school. Most instruments measuring assertiveness are normed on white adult populations. Of the few designed for adolescents, only the Adolescent Assertiveness Discrimination Test provides a tripartite breakdown of subject responses into aggressive, passive, and assertive responses. The test is unpublished and is in the process of standardization and refinement. Multiple linear regression procedures were used to test the three hypotheses. Each hypothesis was tested four times on different groups (alternative versus traditional school students; dropouts versus disciplinary referrals) and on different instruments (AADT; A Scale). Hypothesis 1, which stated that demographic variables, and their interactions with school group, were related to assertiveness, was not supported. Hypothesis 2, which stated that the demographic variables were related to assertiveness, was not supported. Investigations into which of the demographic variables singly contributed to assertiveness showed that gender was significant. Females scored higher on the AADT and males scored higher on the A Scale. Hypothesis 3, which stated that school group was related to assertiveness, was supported on all comparisons except between …

This study investigates the relationship between peer group facilitation and the changes in self-concept, interpersonal relations and school interest of secondary students in an alternative school. To carry out the study, a peer group facilitation program was incorporated into the curriculum of an alternative high school.

This study investigated the effects of a home-based, audio cassette marriage enrichment course on marital communication and marital adjustment. The marriage enrichment course evaluated in this study consisted of two audio cassette tapes, each containing two sessions of approximately 45 minutes in length, and one work booklet. The course contained exercises emphasizing the development of communication skills, encouragement of self-disclosure, learning of empathy skills, and the setting of personal and mutual goals. The unique aspects of the course were the home-based setting in which the couples completed the program, and the self-enclosed audio cassette nature of the course.

This study examined perceived child-parent relationships and child adjustment in families with both adopted and natural children. Of interest was the relationship between these perceptions and the social and emotional adjustment of the children. Perceived parent-child relationships were measured by the Child Parent Relationship Scale developed by Swanson. The California Test of Personality was utilized to measure the children's adjustment.

This study was an evaluation of the effectiveness of a residential treatment program for adolescents and young adults. The purpose of the investigation was to measure the impact of residential treatment with and without family counseling on the variables of work-school adjustment and return to treatment.

The problem of this study concerns the effects of a Parent Education Program upon parents' self-esteem, parental acceptance, and perceived self-concept of children. The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of the Parent Education Program upon parents' self-esteem, parental acceptance, and children's perceived self-concept; and to investigate the relationships between parental acceptance, parents' self-esteem, children's perceived self-concept, and parents', teachers' and counselors' perception of children's self-concept.

The problem of this study concerns the effects of a parent group counseling procedure and an individual consultation procedure upon (1) the attitude of the parents, (2) the school-related behavior of the children, (3) the academic grades of the children, (4) the peer relations of the children, and (5) self-concept of the children. The results of this investigation indicated no significant differences in procedures for affecting behavior changes on the variables examined. Generally, parent group counseling appeared to generate more pervasive changes affecting multiple behaviors in their children than individual consultation with the parents.

This study examined differences in achievement over Person- Centered Therapy and Rational-Emotive Therapy taught by adjunct computer-assisted instruction tutorials (CAI) and traditional instruction (TI). The Achievement Instrument Over Person-Centered Therapy and Rational-Emotive Therapy was developed by the researcher to measure achievement. Content validity and test-retest reliability were established for the test. Analysis of covariance was utilized to test for differences in achievement gains between the CAI and TI groups. Cumulative university grade point averages and achievement pre-test scores were covariates. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to determine if the distribution of scores following instruction would be more positively skewed for the CAI group than for the TI group. This effect was expected if CAI was more effective than TI for low ability students.

This investigation identifies deterrents to the educational, social, and cultural success of Latina adolescent females. Across the nation, and especially in states such as Texas and California, the Hispanic population is fast becoming the largest minority in society. Because the adolescent Hispanic population within the United States today will comprise much of America's future economic and social base, identifying and addressing educational, cultural, and social deterrents to their success becomes important not only for personal well-being, but for the well-being of future society as a whole. A second purpose was that of determining the efficacy of group-centered psychoeducational therapy in improving self-esteem and decreasing anxiety and depression symptoms in adolescent female Hispanic high school students. The experimental groups consisted of one group of seven female Hispanic adolescents who received computer and internet training and psychoeducational group counseling twice a week for five weeks. and a second group of five female Hispanic adolescents who received computer and internet training and psychoeducational group counseling twice a week for five weeks. The control group consisted of fourteen female Hispanic students who received no treatments. The Beck Depression Inventory was used to measure pre and post test levels of depression, the Beck Anxiety Inventory …

The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the long-term effects of play therapy on social contacts, self-esteem, school-related behavior patterns, level of academic functioning, attitude toward school, and family relations. There were no significant differences between the group out of play therapy one to six years and the group out of play therapy six to ten years on social contact, self-esteem, school-related behavior patterns, or level of academic functioning. Statistically significant differences occurred at the .05 level of significance concerning the effects of time on home and family relations, with subjects in the six- to ten-year group perceiving more independence while parents in the one to six years group perceived more recreational activity occurring in the family. There were no significant differences between play therapy and non-play therapy children on social contact, self-esteem, school-related behavior patterns, or level of academic functioning. There were statistically significant differences at the .05 level of significance on home and family relations, with subjects one to six years out of play therapy perceiving more organization in their homes than their evaluation-only counterparts, while parents of the group one to six years out of play therapy perceived significantly more cohesion than did parents …

The basic purpose of this study was to investigate if placement in a cottage designated solely for juveniles involved in vocational training significantly improved the institutional adjustment and recidivism rate of institutionalized male juvenile delinquents. An additional purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of an involvement in a vocational training program on institutional and post release adjustment of institutionalized juvenile delinquents. Statistical analysis of the data supported the basic hypothesis that subjects who were involved in the vocational training, regardless of cottage placement, would adjust better to the institution. The two groups of vocational subjects had fewer admissions to the Discipline Cottage and a greater frequency of achievement of privilege-level status than did the group of subjects who did not receive vocational training. The hypothesis that vocational subjects who were housed in a separate cottage would adjust better to the institution than would the vocational subjects who were housed in the regular cottages was also supported. The vocational subjects who were housed separately had fewer escapes, fewer admissions to the Discipline Cottage, and a greater frequency of attainment of privilege-level status than either of the other two groups. The analysis also supported the hypothesis that recidivism rates …