| dc.description.abstract | Abstract: The present study examined the differences in the development of social acceptation between children from different school types, and between children with a high degree of behavioral problems and a low degree of behavioral problems. Also the effectiveness of Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategie (PATHS) in increasing social acceptation is examined. The main goal of this program is to improve social skills and social cognition in children. Children who followed PATHS are compared to children who followed a more general program for improving social behavior. There is a distinction made in school type and the initial level of behavioral problems. In this research both the opinions of the students (N=609) and the teachers (N=110) are used. The opinions of the students and the teachers didn’t match with each other. According to the students, there was more social acceptation in special elementary schools than in regular elementary schools and cluster 4-education. According to the teachers, students in cluster 4-education had more social problems than students in regular elementary schools. According to the students, the initial level of behavioral problems had no influence on social acceptation. According to the teachers, students with a high initial level of behavioral problems also had more social problems. As a consequence of a limitation in the data, it wasn’t possible to compare the pretest of social acceptation according to the students with the posttest. The opinions of the teachers at the pretest is compared to the opinions at the posttest. Following PATHS, school type and initial level of behavioral problems were not predictors of social problems at the posttest. In education on cluster 4, there was a trend observable. This trend means that the children in this schooltype have a bigger chance to show social problems at the posttest, than the other schooltypes, also when they followed PATHS. | |
