Social Psychology Theories Applied to the Classroom
There are many aspects of social psychology that apply to the classroom. Some apply to how we think about others and some apply to how we think about ourselves. When thinking about others, one cognitive error is the fundamental attribution error, which can effect students and teachers alike. Belief perseverance can also effect peer relationships and relationships between teacher and student. Social categorization is another psychological phenomena that is often observed within the education system. In regards to the way we think about ourselves, errors in self-perceptions lead to self-handicapping, self-serving bias and the overjustification effect. Understanding how these theories apply to the education system and the effect they have on student and teacher performance can help social psychologists develop educational interventions (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012).
Small interventions = Big results!
Research has found that even small interventions in an educational environment can have big effects. That is to say that even a small change in a student’s way of perceiving their social environment can lead to large academic gains. These interventions are not academic in nature rather they target “thoughts, feelings and beliefs in and about school”. There are three things that are needed for a student to learn: content, a place to learn, a teacher. These factors interact in complex ways to shape a student’s view of himself and those around him. The education system has a lot of large issues but solving these issues do not require large solutions.
A “tension system” is an elaborate set of forces that surround every attitude or behavior. Some of these forces encourage this behavior and others restrain it. In the case of education, removing some of those restraining forces can produce a large change. However the correct positive forces have to first exist. The opportunity to learn and motivation to learn must be present when these restricting forces are removed. An example of restricting forces may be negative stereotypes or self-handicapping. The theory is that all of these barriers do not have to be removed. If even one small barrier is taken away the student is more likely to experience academic success (Yeager, Walton, 2011). In the next few sections we will look at examples of removing small barriers to create big changes.
Example Intervention
One example of a narrowly focused or “small” intervention was demonstrated by researchers in a 2010 study (Kaplan, Assor). Rather than focus on a broad issue researchers focused on dialogue between teachers and students with the goal of changing student’s perceptions about their school environment. Researchers used a program that taught I-Thou dialogue to both teachers and students, training was provided in a 2 year program. I – Thou dialogue is a concept pioneered by Martin Buber. Buber defines the I-Thou relationship as a person to person relationship where “the “I” relates authentically to the “Thou” and does not take advantage of the other for personal gain” (Kaplan, Assor, 2010). The program included theoretical learning, experiential and implementation components. Overall this program was found to have a positive effect on student’s perceptions of positive feelings within the classroom. At the conclusion of the study students perceived their teachers as more engaged and teachers reported their students as being more engaged. In other words, creating meaningful relationships between teacher and student caused both the teacher and student to feel more in control and engaged in their learning (Kaplan, Assor 2010).
Increasing student success and improving classroom dynamics can be even more difficult when one or more children in the classroom have a disability.
“Small Interventions”, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Bullying
Children with ASD have negative social interactions at a greater rate than their peers due to the underlying social deficits common to the disorder. Depending on the severity of the condition children may appear, to their peers, to either be a bit different or very different. A child with higher functioning ASD that is in a mainstream classroom may be able to cope with the social demands of a school setting. They may experience the occasional social situation where there is difficulty and may have more difficulty obtaining and maintaining friendships. To the untrained observer they may just seem “a little off”. This may actually increase the incidence of bullying because the child does not have a very obvious disability. On the other hand, children who are lower functioning will have even more difficulties navigating social situations, some with the most severe symptoms may be unwilling to interact with their peers at all. This can also create a lot of negative situations and bullying because the child is no longer a bit different, they are very different than their peers.
Social Skills groups can help to reduce bullying and increase prosocial behaviors. A 2015 study (Kasari et al. ) found that social skills groups are more effective when the group consists of non-disabled peers. The study also found benefits to the social skills group being at the child’s school and with the peers that they will be interacting with on a daily basis. Under these circumstances children with ASD were found to be able to translate more of what they learned to their classroom environment due to increased confidence interacting with trusted individuals.
So, an appropriate intervention to reduce bullying specifically in a classroom with one or two children with ASD would be to create a lesson plan that models a social skills group. Encouraging appropriate social interactions is key for both the child with ASD and the child without. The child with ASD will become more confident in his interactions with peers and the child without ASD will better understand their classmate. Some suggestions for materials could include role playing or the use of social stories. It would also be helpful for a trained personnel to observe and mediate interactions to ensure that appropriate interactions are being modeled. Peer assistance can also be a helpful strategy. This would include giving one or more children the “job” of helping their peer with ASD. This can be a very effective strategy if the peer without ASD is properly trained. It allows all participants to feel positive about the interaction. The “helper” feels good about helping and is less likely to bully the child with ASD and the child with ASD is making friends and receiving needed assistance.
Interventions such as these can improve the educational experience for all children involved. However, not every classroom needs this type of intervention or has a child with a disability. Most classrooms do contain children with many different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. For this reason it is important to include diversity training in the curriculum starting as early as possible.
Diversity Training to reduce Stereotyping, Prejudice and Discrimination
On a classroom to classroom level, diversity training should be an essential part of the program. This can include simple activities that encourage acceptance of differences regardless of race, religion, sex etc. For an example of what this may look like, my 4 year old’s preschool classroom spent the entire month of February celebrating black history month. They read books about famous black inventors and other community figures, participated in a play, made a poster etc. The most important part of the black history month module in my opinion was celebration of teachers and peers who are black. We are often taught not to acknowledge or point out another parsons’ differences, It is important to talk about our differences and understand that it is something to be celebrated not something to be quiet about. Ideally a classroom curriculum would include other modules that include the same activities in regards to race, sex and disabilities. A program such as this could assist in reducing stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination in the classroom. If started at a young age and periodically reinforced, students will carry these lessons with them throughout their educational career and hopefully have a more positive learning experience as a whole.
Kasari, C., Dean, M., Kretzmann, M., Shih, W., Orlich, F., Whitney, R., Landa, R., Lord, C. and King, B. (2016), Children with autism spectrum disorder and social skills groups at school: a randomized trial comparing intervention approach and peer composition. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 57: 171–179. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12460
Kaplan, H., & Assor, A. (2012). Enhancing autonomy-supportive I-thou dialogue in schools: Conceptualization and socio-emotional effects of an intervention program. Social Psychology of Education : An International Journal, 15(2), 251-269. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1007/s11218-012-9178-2
Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A. & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA SAGE Productions, Inc.
Volkmar, F., & Rhea. (2014). Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders (1st ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,.
Yeager, D., Walton, G. (2011). Social-Psychological Interventions in Education. Review of Educational Research, 81(2), 267-301. Doi: 10.3102/0034654311405999
Thank you for your post! I agree with several of your intervention programs which could help enhance the academic performance of several individuals. The education system is where children, teens, and adults spend majority of their time. Moreover, school is a place where people learn about themselves, others, and the environment surrounding them. Student and teacher performance can be affected by the social environment, how they feel about school, and their self-serving biases. As you explained, even the smallest intervention can produce a big result. A student requires a few things necessary to learn, “content, a place to learn, and a teacher.” Students are influenced by positive and negative forces that either motivate them, or form a barrier toward academic achievement.
Interpersonal processes of theoretical learning alter how a student feels within the classroom, whether the students and teachers are more engaged with the lesson, as well as how they interact with each other. Relations among teachers and students in an educational environment can affect the development of individuals. These aspects are influenced by the improvement of basic academic skills, the ability to gain knowledge and overall academic success, as well as social and emotional advancement (Schneider, 2011, pp. 203). In addition, social skills can ‘reduce bullying and prosocial behaviors’ as you mentioned in your blog post.
By implementing social interactions that are appropriate in the classroom as a constructive intervention strategy, foreseen differences among social groups could be mediated. Additionally, the expectations of teachers can affect student’s academic performance through a self-fulfilling prophecy (Schneider, 2011, pp.204). Self-fulfilling prophecy refers to “having expectations about another person that influence how you perceive and behave toward that person. Your expectations, and the behavior based on these, in turn, affect the way in which that person behaves when interacting with you (Schneider, 2011, pp.204).” Learning to accept differences among diverse groups is essential to reduce discrimination, which could influence students’ performance in school. Schools should acknowledge other cultures, and teach about important events. In addition, I agree that teachers may involve students outside of that culture in a play, making a poster, etc. in order to ensure they have fun while learning and understanding about others’ backgrounds.
Schneider, Frank W., Gruman, Jamie A.,Coutts, Larry. M. (2011). Applied Social Psychology: Intervention And Evaluation (Second Edition., PP. 203-204).