The Outcomes of a Social Skills Teaching Program for Inclusive Classroom Teachers

In this study, the effectiveness of a Social Skills Teaching Program (SSTP) prepared for inclusive classroom teachers was investigated. The SSTP gauged (1) teachers' expectations related to social skills of students with special needs, (2) their knowledge levels related to teaching social skills, and (3) their use of social skills teaching techniques. Twenty-nine (29) teachers participated in this study, 12 of whom were assigned to an experimental group and the other 17 were assigned to a control group. This SSTP was prepared for teachers and comprised four sessions which lasted a total of six hours. A pretest-posttest control group design was used in order to assess the effectiveness of the SSTP as well as to collect data. To accomplish these goals, a Social Skills Rating System - Teacher Form, a Social Skills Teaching Knowledge Test, and a Teacher Behaviors Observation Form were used. The results showed that this SSTP was effective on the teachers' outcomes, and that these effects were maintained after having completed the training.