Describes a study of the influence of social skills training on cognitive and behavioral characteristics of male juvenile offenders. Results revealed a significant main effect for treatment groups on the locus of control measure, with structured social skills training and unstructured discussion groups indicating greater internality than the…

Examined the relations among self-esteem, perceived competency to cope, and actual coping behaviors following a threat communication. Manipulated threat level of a tetanus communication and fear level of an antismoking film. Results indicated low-esteem subjects showed coping deficits in both experiments, with positive feedback reversing the…

This program offers assistance in developing a workshop on assertiveness training for students. It discusses how assertiveness helps one learn self-control and take responsibility for one's own behavior. Examples of assertive and non-assertive behavior and exercises to increase assertiveness are delineated as they relate to classroom skills,…

Determined whether attendance in a series of workshops on citizen participation in civic affairs could influence significantly locus of control, life satisfaction and anomia among older adults. The experience did enhance internal locus of control but no significant changes in anomia or life satisfaction occurred. (RC)

Low self-esteem and depressed individuals tend to have an attributional style of externalizing success and internalizing failure. To evaluate a program developed to help reverse this pattern of responses to be more similar to high self-esteem and nondepressed individuals, subjects were first tested for self-esteem, depression, and attributional…

Examined how group counseling that emphasized eliminating self-defeating behavior affected self-esteem and locus of control among learning disabled children. Indicated that participants in the group counseling sessions felt better about themselves and had more internal perception of locus of control than did control group participants. (ABB)

"Self-Discovery" is an innovative health education curriculum for secondary schools that stresses development of cognitive/affective skills and practice in self-directed behavior. Methods used to evaluate the curriculum's effect on students' self-esteem and locus of control are discussed, and evaluation problems are pointed out. (PP)

The Adventures in Attitudes (AIA) program is a 30-hour structured experiential seminar developed to help participants create positive attitudes and overcome negative ones. Effectiveness of AIA in promoting a positive self concept and moving an individual from an external to an internal locus of control was investigated. Adult subjects (N=6) in the…

Investigated changes in high school dropouts' personal attributes between 8th and 12th grade. Data on several variables (e.g., academic achievement, motivation, relationships with peers and teachers, and self-esteem) from three waves of the National Educational Longitudinal Study indicated that in 8th grade, students scored at the national average…

During the 1985-86 academic year, 13 schools throughout the State of New Mexico were served by the Youth Leadership Program (YLP). Of these, three Albuquerque schools (A. Montoya Elementary, Washington Middle School, and Albuquerque High School) were chosen for an in-depth evaluation. One hundred fifty-two students in grades 3-12 participated in…

Through an intensive 19 day outdoor experience of backpacking, hiking, rock climbing, and white water canoeing, the Connecticut Wilderness School has provided a novel therapeutic approach for problem youth referred by a wide variety of state agencies. To determine if participants in this program become more internally oriented, develop a higher…

Extending over a 14-week period, this study examined the effects of a program designed to enhance the self-esteem of at-risk students by developing an internal locus of control in the students. The program consisted of six major components: (1) a specified vocabulary and format; (2) goal identification and description by students; (3) student…