Effectiveness of a short-term social problem-solving program for popular,rejected, neglected,and average fourth-grade children

The present study examined the effects of a classroom-based 5-week social problem-solving program with popular, rejected, neglected, and average fourth-grade children. Assessments of children's social problem-solving abilities were made before and after the program and included: alternative thinking, means—ends thinking, consequential thinking, and problem identification. Compared to children in an attention placebo group, children participating in the program improved in generating Alternative Solutions and anticipating Alternative Consequences. The intervention, however, did not affect the social problem-solving skills of popular, rejected, neglected, and average children differentially. Compared to rejected, neglected, and average children, popular children had higher posttest Means—Ends thinking scores. At posttest, rejected children gave more Irrelevant Solution responses than the popular, neglected, and average children. Results also showed that girls had higher posttest scores than boys in both Feeling Identification and Alternative Consequences. Implications of the study and recommendations for future studies are discussed.