ASSERTION TRAINING WITH ADOLESCENTS

OVERVIEW

Assertion Training with Adolescents is a program in which adolescents are given training on assertion skills in their middle school health-science class.  Students in the intervention condition are given lessons in behavioral activities and taught consequences of assertive behavior.  Students are also provided with skills training in different areas to help their assertiveness.  Positive impacts were found for the outcome measures self-concept and intellectual achievement responsibility assessment scores within groups at post-test and at seven week follow-up.  Also, positive impacts were found for self-concept and intellectual achievement between groups at post-test. 

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: Adolescents

This program is a month-long assertion training program for adolescents.  The program is designed for implementation in a middle-school setting.  Treatment includes didactic instruction, role playing, group compliment sessions, modeling, and homework assignments.  Social and emotional consequences of assertive behavior are demonstrated and practiced through role playing and behavioral rehearsal.  The skills taught to students include appropriate eye contact, verbal volume, body posture, requests, refusals, self-praise, expression of feelings, and self disclosures. 

Students are instructed by a school counselor who does not receive any special training for this role.  The treatment involves thirteen 45-minute sessions over a period of one month, with one hour of consultation time. 

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

Waksman, S. A. (1984). Assertion Training with Adolescents. Adolescence, 19, (73), 123-130.

Evaluated population: Participants included 46 adolescent students enrolled in a health-science class in their regularly assigned middle school.  The treatment and control groups had 23 students each.  There were 27 male participants and 19 female participants.  

Approach:  Participants were randomized by a coin flip into either the treatment or control group.  Outcomes measured at pre- and post-test included self-concept and intellectual achievement responsibility. 

Results: At post-test, significant impacts were found for both self-concept and intellectual achievement responsibility compared with both pre-test scores as well as post-test control group scores.  At the seven week follow-up, the treatment group had maintained improved scores for both self-concept and intellectual achievement responsibility.

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

References:
Waksman, S. A. (1984). Assertion Training with Adolescents. Adolescence, 19, (73), 123-130.

KEYWORDS: Adolescents, Middle School, School-based, Skills Training, Self-Esteem/Self-Concept

 Program information last updated on 10/24/11.

© Child Trends 2003