Campus Access Only
All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of University of the Pacific. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.
Date of Award
1988
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Department
Graduate School
First Advisor
Esther A. Cohen
Abstract
A number of studies have investigated the factors that lead to peer acceptance in children. Particularly, the problem-solving skills of accepted and unaccepted children have been examined, with differences being substantiated. The present study investigated the possibility that problem-solving skill differences may be attributed to varying self-efficacy levels in children. Further, the communication styles of parents of high vs. low self-efficacy children were examined by observing parent/child interactions in a problem-solving situation. The results indicated that children did not differ in their ability to identify effective solutions to problems; rather, they did differ in their perceived ability to engage in effective solutions, with high self-efficacy children choosing more appropriate solutions as those that they would actually enact. Low self-efficacy children, on the other hand, chose less appropriate solutions as those that they would engage in. Finally, it was discovered that parents of high self-efficacy children utilized more positive types of messages (praise and modeling) than did those parents of low self-efficacy children. Low self-efficacy children had parents who utilized more controlling and negative types of communication styles. This study supports the motion that parents may be a significant contributing factor in the development of their child’s self-efficacy, which in turn affects the social problem-solving skills of children.
Pages
162
Recommended Citation
Wolfersberger-Melcher, Deborah Rae. (1988). Children's self-efficacy and perceived problem-solving skills, an investigation of parental communication styles. University of the Pacific, Thesis. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2164
Rights Statement
No Known Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NKC/1.0/
The organization that has made the Item available reasonably believes that the Item is not restricted by copyright or related rights, but a conclusive determination could not be made. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.
