Degree Name

EdD (Doctor of Education)

Program

Educational Leadership

Date of Award

December 1979

Abstract

The problem was to determine the extent a selected parent education program influenced the oognitive and affective development of educationally deprived Appalachian pre-school children and to determine to what extent the program influenced the prime caregivers' assessment of the child's behavior. Subjects included 40 Appalachian prime caregivers and their children who participated in four intact home-based classes. They were randomly assigned to treatment by the teacher, in order to equate the home visitor case load. In the Experimental Group, prime caregivers were provided with resources developed from the Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) program. Control Group prime caregivers participated in regularly prescribed home visits. Prime caregivers and children were pre- and posttested on the same instruments. The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test was used to test the cognitive variable and the Florida Key was the instrument used to test the affective variable. The Adlerian Parental Assessment of Child Behavior Scale was the instrument used to test the prime caregiver's perception of the child's behavior. The analysis of covariance indicated that no significant differences were found between the STEP Group and the Control Group on the cognitive, affective, or parental assessment variables. Treatment sessions, for prime careglvers who participated in nine STEP sessions, did not result in a more positive perception of their child's behavior, nor did it effect significantly the cognitive or affective performances of their children.

Document Type

Dissertation - unrestricted

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