I Can Problem Solve: Impact on children’s social cognitive skills and social

competence

Deborah L. Richardson, Amanda W. Harrist, & Melanie C. Page

Oklahoma State University

BackgroundInterpersonal cognitive problem-solving skills can enhance social competence and prevent early risk behaviors (Fraser et al., 2005; Webster-Stratton & Taylor, 2001). The I Can Problem Solve program (Shure, 2000) has been shown to improve prosocial behaviors (i.e., empathy), reduce negative behaviors (i.e., impulsivity, over-emotionality, physical and verbal aggression), and decrease social withdrawal in diverse preschool and early elementary school children (Shure & Spivack, 1982).

ICPS teaches children how to think, not what to think, with daily real-life problems. Skills include generating alternative solutions, identifying consequences, and empathy. Age-specific curriculum manuals and various methods are used such as word concepts, pictures, role-play, puppets, and group interaction. Dialoguing and subject integration by teachers reinforce concepts.

ICPS has not been broadly utilized or evaluated by the Cooperative Extension Service. Further evaluation in rural communities is also needed.

Study PurposeTo evaluate effects of the ICPS program delivered by the Cooperative Extension Service in partnership with teachers of preschool and early school-age children.

MethodQuasi-experimental control group design.

County Extension Educators (FCS/4-H) recruited teachers of preschool - 2nd grade classes in Head Start, child development centers, or elementary schools.

In each location, one class implemented the ICPS intervention. A similar class served as a control group and did not receive ICPS.

Intervention ProceduresExtension educators provided training and technical support on the ICPS program to the intervention class teachers.

Teachers utilized the program in their classrooms. Some county educators also co-facilitated or directly presented lessons to the children.

Classes received 23-36 ICPS lessons over 10-12 weeks.

SampleChildren with complete pre-/post-test data

1 urban & 14 primarily rural communities

Teachers: 15 intervention, 15 control

Children: 182 intervention, 123 control51% boys, 49% girls3 to 9 years old

74% schools low income or free/reduced lunch

19%

29%

24%

28%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

2nd Grade

1st Grade

Kindergarten

Preschool

Grade Level

White67%

Am Indian12%

Latino6%

Black 4%

Multiracial9%

Measures All completed twice for each participating child in intervention and control classes, pre-/post-test

Social-Cognitive SkillsChild interviews - 10 hypothetical problem stories Coded generated solutions - intercoder α = .88-.92

Assessed # alternative solutions, relevancy ratio, and solution types % - both initial responses without probes and responses with probes.

6 solution types (with 3 probes) - manipulative, aggressive, assertive, tell-tattle, react positive, passive

Social Competence Teachers rated behavior of each individual child

Drexel Early Childhood Behavior Rating Scale (DECB; Shure, 2005) – 12 items, 9-pt scale Total α=.88; problem behaviors reverse-coded Aggression α=.93; Withdrawal α=.73

Social Competence Scale -Teacher Version (SCS-T; CPPRG, 1990) – 25 items, 5-pt scaleTotal α=.98; Prosocial skills, emotional regulation, academic skills all α=.95

Analysis & Results

ANOVA mixed design 2 (time, repeated) x 2 (group, between) tests performed on SPSS 16.0.

Significant interaction effects are presented.

Time x GroupF

Effect Sizeηρ

2

P-2nd K-2nd P-2nd K-2nd

# Alt. solutions w/3 probesa 4.91* 5.85* .08 .12

# Initial solutionsb 2.88 7.50** .01 .03

Initial relevancy ratiob 3.31 6.42** .01 .03

Manipulative solutionsc 6.14* 2.56 .08 .05

Passive solutionsc 5.96* 16.15*** .08 .24

React positive solutionsc 10.56** 21.77*** .13 .30

Tell-tattle solutionsc .95 4.56* .01 .08

adf = 1, 58; 1, 44. bdf = 1, 280; 1, 210. cdf = 1, 69; 1, 50. * p < .05 ** p < .01 ***p < .001.

Time 1 Time 216

17

18

19

20

p = .03

Control

Intervention

# Alternative Solutions with 3 ProbesPreK – 2nd

Est

imat

ed M

ean

s

Time 1 Time 28.8

9.2

9.6 p = .01

# Solutions - Initial, No ProbesK-2nd

Est

imat

ed M

ean

s

Time 1 Time 20.88

0.92

0.96p = .01

Relevancy Ratio – Initial, No ProbesK-2nd

Est

imat

ed M

ean

s

Time 1 Time 22.4

2.8

3.2

3.6

p = .02

Manipulative SolutionsPreK – 2nd

Est

imat

ed M

ean

s

Time 1 Time 25

6

7

8p = .002

React Positive SolutionsPreK – 2nd

Est

imat

ed M

ean

s

Time 1 Time 20.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6p = .02

Passive SolutionsPreK - 2nd

Est

imat

ed M

ean

s

Time 1 Time 21.4

1.8

2.2

2.6 p = .04

Tell-tattle SolutionsK-2nd

Est

imat

ed M

ean

s

Time x GroupF

Effect Sizeηρ

2

DECBa Total Competence 19.83*** .06Aggression 15.35*** .05

Social Withdrawal 3.27 .01

SCS-Tb Total Competence 34.54*** .10Prosocial Skills 27.41*** .08

Emotional Regulation 39.70*** .12

Academic Skills 21.02*** .07

adf = 1, 303. bdf = 1, 299. ***p < .001.

DECB Tot

al

Aggre

ssion

With

draw

al

SCS-T T

otal

Proso

cial

Emot

. Reg

.

Acade

mic

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7Intervention Pre

Intervention Post

Control Pre

Control Post

Est

imat

ed M

ean

s

Conclusions & ImplicationsICPS training positively impacted aspects of children’s social cognitive (problem-solving) skills and competent behavior compared to non-trained children.

Some social cognitive skills strengthened when preschoolers were removed.

ICPS may be beneficial for general populations of children in diverse school and community settings.

Cooperative Extension may be a viable delivery system for ICPS.

ReferencesConduct Problems Prevention Research Group (1990). Social competence

scale - teacher version. Retrieved November 15, 2006, from http://childandfamilypolicy.duke.edu/fasttrack/techrept/s/sct/

Fraser, M. W., Galinsky, M. J., Smokowski, P. R., Day, S. H., Terzian, M. A., Rose, R. A., & Guo, S. (2005). Social information-processing skills training to promote social competence and prevent aggressive behavior in third grade. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(6), 1045-1055.

Shure, M. B. (2000). I Can Problem Solve: An interpersonal cognitive problem-solving program. Champaign, IL: Research Press.

Shure, M. B. (2005). Drexel early childhood behavior (DECB) rating scale. Drexel University.

Shure, M. B., & Spivack, G. (1982). Interpersonal problem-solving in young children: A cognitive approach to prevention. American Journal of Community Psychology, 10, 341-356.

Webster-Stratton, C., & Taylor, T. (2001). Nipping early risk factors in the bud: Preventing substance abuse, delinquency, and violence in adolescence through interventions targeted at young children (0 to 8 years). Prevention Science, 2, 165-192.

Project support provided by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. Study was part of the principal author’s doctoral dissertation. Contact: debbie.richardson@okstate.edu or 405-744-9932.

Presented at CYFAR Conference, Baltimore, MD, May 19, 2009.