Abstract
Teachers’ and parents’ importance ratings of social behaviors for 95 preschoolers were examined using the Social Skills Improvement System–Rating Scales (Gresham & Elliott, 2008). Multivariate analyses were used to examine parents’ and teachers’ importance ratings at the item and subscale levels. Overall, parents assigned significantly higher importance ratings than teachers assigned on each of the seven assessed social skills domains: communication, cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, engagement, and self-control. Parents and teachers rated responsibility and cooperation as the most critical skill domains for preschoolers. At the item level, parents and teachers agreed on 4 of their top 10 critical items. The potential value of including parent and teacher importance ratings in planning interventions across home and school is discussed.
| Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Google Scholar | |
| Beelmann, A., Pfingsten, U., Losel, F. (1994). Effects of training social competence in children: A meta-analysis of recent evaluation studies. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 23, 260–271. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Beland, K. (1991). Second Step: A violence prevention curriculum - preschool/kindergarten. Seattle, WA: Committee for Children. Google Scholar | |
| Bronstein, L. (1993). The effects of a school-based parent training program on parents’ and children’s social problem solving and decision making skills. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B. Sciences and Engineering, 53(8-B), 4358. Google Scholar | |
| Chandler, L. K., Lubeck, R. C., Fowler, S. A. (1992). Generalization and maintenance of preschool children’s social skills: A critical review and analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 25, 415–428. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Diamond, K. E., Hong, S., Baroody, A. E. (2008). Promoting young children’s social competence in early childhood programs. In Brown, W. H., Odom, S. L., McConnell, S. R. (Eds.), Social competence of young children: Risk, disability, and intervention (pp. 165–184). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes. Google Scholar | |
| Domitrovich, C. E., Greenberg, M. T., Kusche, C., Cortes, R. (1999). Manual for the preschool PATHS curriculum. South Deerfield, MA: Channing-Bete Company. Google Scholar | |
| Elliott, S. N., Barnard, J., Gresham, F. M. (1989). Preschoolers’ social behavior: Teachers’ and parents’ assessments. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 7, 223–234. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
| Elliott, S. N., Roach, A. T., Beddow, P. (2008). Best practices in preschool social skills training. In Thomas, A., Grimes, J. (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology IV (pp. 1531–1546). Washington, DC: National Association of School Psychology. Google Scholar | |
| Frey, J. R., Elliott, S. N., Gresham, F. M. (2011). Preschoolers’ social skills: Advances in assessment for intervention using social behavior ratings. School Mental Health, 3, 179–190. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Frey, J. R., Kaiser, A. P. (2012). Effects of school-based social skills intervention on the social behaviors of preschoolers: Evidence from a meta-analysis. Manuscript submitted for publication. Google Scholar | |
| Gresham, F. M. (1997). Social competence and students with behavior disorders: Where we’ve been, where we are, and where we should go. Education & Treatment of Children, 20, 233–249. Google Scholar | |
| Gresham, F. M. (1998). Social skills training: Should we raze, remodel, or rebuild. Behavioral Disorders, 24, 19–25. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Gresham, F. M. (2002). Teaching social skills to high-risk children and youth: Preventive and remedial approaches. In Shinn, M., Walker, H., Stoner, G. (Eds.), Interventions for academic and behavior problems II: Preventive and remedial approaches (pp. 403–432). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists. Google Scholar | |
| Gresham, F. M., Elliott, S. N. (1990). The social skills rating system. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service. Google Scholar | |
| Gresham, F. M., Elliott, S. N. (2008). Social skills improvement system: Rating scales. Bloomington, MN: Pearson Assessments. Google Scholar | |
| Gresham, F. M., Sugai, G., Horner, R. (2001). Interpreting outcomes of social skills training for students with high-incidence disabilities. Exceptional Children, 67, 331–344. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Joseph, G. E., Strain, P. S. (2003). Comprehensive evidence-based social-emotional curricula for young children: An analysis of efficacious adoption potential. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 23, 65–76. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Ladd, G. W. (1990). Having friends, keeping friends, making friends, and being liked by peers in the classroom: Predictors of children’s early school adjustment? Child Development, 61, 1081–1100. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Ladd, G. W., Kochenderfer, B. J., Coleman, C. (1996). Friendship quality as a predictor of young children’s early school adjustment. Child Development, 67, 1103–1118. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Lane, K. L., Stanton-Chapman, T., Jamison, K. R., Phillips, A. (2007). Teacher and parent expectations of preschoolers’ behavior: Social skills necessary for success. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 27, 86–97. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Maag, J. W. (2005). Social skills training for youth with emotional and behavioral disorders and learning disabilities: Problems, conclusions, and suggestions. Exceptionality, 13, 155–172. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Maag, J. W. (2006). Social skills training for students with emotional and behavioral disorders: A review of reviews. Behavioral Disorders, 32, 155–172. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Malecki, C. K., Elliott, S. N. (2002). Children’s social behaviors as predictors of academic achievement: A longitudinal analysis. School Psychology Quarterly, 17, 1–23. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| McClelland, M. M., Morrison, F. J. (2003). The emergence of learning-related social skills in preschool children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 18, 206–224. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| McClelland, M. M., Morrison, F. J., Holmes, D. L. (2000). Children at risk for early academic problems: The role of learning-related social skills. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 15, 307–329. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Missall, K. M., Hojnoski, R. L. (2008). The critical nature of young children’s emerging peer-related social competence for transition to school. In Brown, W. H., Odom, S. L., McConnell, S. R. (Eds.), Social competence of young children: Risk, disability, and intervention (pp. 117–137). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes. Google Scholar | |
| National Research Council . (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school (Expanded Edition). Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Google Scholar | |
| Odom, S. L., McConnell, S. R., Brown, W. H. (2008). Social competence of young children: Conceptualization, assessment and influences. In Brown, W. H., Odom, S. L., McConnell, S. R. (Eds.), Social competence of young children (pp. 3–29). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes. Google Scholar | |
| Schneider, B. (1992). Didactic methods for enhancing children’s peer relations: A quantitative review. Clinical Psychology Review, 12, 363–382. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Sheridan, S. M., Knoche, L. L., Marvin, C. A. (2008). Competent families, competent children: Family-based interventions to promote social competence in young children. In Brown, W. H., Odom, S. L., McConnell, S. R. (Eds.), Social competence of young children: Risk, disability, and intervention (pp. 301–319). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes. Google Scholar | |
| Sheridan, S. M., Kratochwill, T. R. (2010). Conjoint behavioral consultation: Promoting family-school connections and intervention (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer. Google Scholar | |
| Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and human behavior. New York, NY: Free Press. Google Scholar | |
| Walker, H. M., Kavanaugh, K., Stiller, B., Golly, A., Severson, H. H., Feil, E. (1998). First Step to Success: An early intervention approach for preventing school antisocial behavior. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 62, 66–80. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Webster-Stratton, C. (1990). The incredible years parent training program manual: Effective communication, anger management and problem-solving (ADVANCE). Seattle, WA: The Incredible Years. Google Scholar | |
| Webster-Stratton, C., Reid, M. J., Hammond, M. (2004). Treating children with early-onset conduct problems: Intervention outcomes for parent, child, and teacher training. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 33, 105–124. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Weissberg, R. P. (1985). Designing effective social problem-solving programs for the classroom. In Schneider, B. H., Rubin, K. H., Ledingham, J. E. (Eds.), Children’s peer relations: Issues in assessment and intervention (pp. 225–242). New York, NY: Springer. Google Scholar | Crossref |

