A study of the effects of an alternative school program on the disruptive behavior of African American students in grades 6-12

• Main Author: Talley, Jennifer L.
• Format: Others
• Published: DigitalCommons@Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center 1996
• Subjects: Social Work
• Online Access: http://digitalcommons.auctr.edu/dissertations/1884; http://digitalcommons.auctr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3365&context=dissertations

The literature has examined alternative schools/programs, however insufficient attention has been given to an alternative school/program that has utilized a social skills curriculum and obtained significant effects on disruptive behavior. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an alternative school program, the DeKalb Life Skills Program, on the disruptive behavior of African American sixth through twelfth grade students. The teachers of the subjects were pre and posttested on a Student Evaluation Scale that measured students' degree of disruptive behavior. The students were selected based upon referrals from teachers, administrators, and relevant others. A group of 20 students, 15 male, and 5 female, received sessions of Social Skills Training for a 1 0-day session. A T -test was employed to investigate the difference in the pre and posttest scores. The pretest scores had a mean of 22.1 0, and the posttest scores had a mean of 12.15. It was concluded that the alternative program had an effect on the disruptive behavior of the students. Implications for Social Work practice and future research are discussed.