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Efficacy of a Summer Day Camp Program
Intervention on Social Skills.
Dickey, M.R.
Doctoral Dissertation, Boston University,
1996.
Purpose:
Determine the effect of social skills training
in a therapeutic, activity-based summer
day camp program on self-perception and
social skills deficits of children ages
5-15.
Sample:
64 children ages 5-15.
Method/Instruments:
Method: The nine-week coed day camp program
ran from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM from Monday
to Thursday and from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
on Fridays. Campers in the study attended
for at least 3 weeks. The program was designed
to improve self-confidence and social skills
while emphasizing cooperation, active participation,
and physical success. Counselors helped
campers set individual behavioral goals
each day and used a token economy to reinforce
desirable behaviors.
Instruments:
- Harter's Pictorial Scale of Perceived
Competence and Acceptance for Young Children:
measured perceived competence of 5-7 year
old campers.
- Self-Perception Profile: measured perceived
competence of 8-15 year old campers.
- Social Skills Deficit Scale: used by
mothers to rate campers' behavior (validity
and reliability not established).
- Direct Observation Scale: used by trained
observers to rate campers' behavior (validity
and reliability not established).
Design:
- Four girls and 33 boys in the treatment
group, four girls, 23 boys in the control
group.
- Pre-test/post-test design, with tests
administered during first two days and
last two days of camp session.
- SSD Testing based on videotapes of camper
behavior during cooperative games and
group discussion.
Results:
- Significant pre-test differences between
treatment and control groups on status
of parents living in subject's household.
- Significant decrease on post-test in
maternal acceptance domain for 5-7 year
old control group.
- Significant decrease in social skills
deficits on Direct Observation Scale for
camper group.
- Significant post-test increase in perceived
thinking and problem-solving ability for
5-7 year old campers.
- No significant difference in self-concept
for 8-15 year olds.
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