Browsing by Author "Hegi, Debra"
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Item Effects of Interpersonal Skills Training on Interpersonal Competence, Communication, and Need Satisfaction of College Freshmen(Texas Tech University, 1977-12) Hegi, DebraThe purpose of the present study was to determine some effects of interpersonal skills training on the interpersonal competence, communication, and need satisfaction of college freshmen. Specifically, it was hypothesized that students receiving interpersonal skills training relative to a control group of students would demonstrate a greater increase in interpersonal competence, openness of communication, and need satisfaction. The experimental group was composed of first semester Arts and Sciences freshmen (13 males, 16 females) who were selected at random and invited to enroll in a 15-week interpersonal skills training course. First semester Arts and Sciences freshmen (9 males, 14 females) enrolled in a randomly selected freshmen English course comprised the control group. Both groups completed the measures during the first and last week of class. Results indicated no significant differences between the experimental and control groups on any of the measures due to treatment. The experimental group, however, did demonstrate more absolute increase on all measures except one, though not to the point of significance. Possible reasons for lack of significance were discussed and included: the invited students who ultimately enrolled in the skills training course felt a deficit in their own competence; an increased awareness of competence among experimental group students may have influenced a lower self rating at posttest; and the measures selected for this study may not have been sensitive enough to short-term change or the treatment itself not potent enough to affect change within this time period. Although it cannot be supported from this study that interpersonal skills training enhances students' levels of interpersonal competence, communication, or need satisfaction, the investigator proposes additional research to more tightly control for extraneous variables before final conclusions are draw.Item Strengthening the interpersonal support systems of single females through relationship enhancement training(Texas Tech University, 1979-05) Hegi, DebraAccording to recent reports by the Bureau of the Census (1977, 1978), 19 million single women (i.e., never-married, divorced, or widowed) over the age of 2 4 live in the United States. Approximately 19 million American households are being maintained by single women. The 7.7 million family households headed by nonmarried women have increased by 46 percent since 1970. Within these family households, about 10 million children (16 percent of all children) are living in families with no father present. These figures have been growing steadily and appear to have increased sharply since 1970 (Bernard, 1975). This increase in the single female population has been precipitated by a variety of factors. Changing trends in population proportions and marriage patterns constitute one major source of change. Demographic data indicate a rise in the average age at which women marry, from 20.8 in 1970 to 21.6 in 1977. Higher divorce rates (a 79 percent increase since 1970) have also resulted in larger percentages of single women. Women wait longer than men to remarry after a divorce and more wom.en than men choose never to remarry (Bureau of the Census, 1977). Singlehood after the death of a spouse is also experienced more frequently by women than by men (Libby & Whitehurst, 1977). More women are now opting to remain single longer or to stay single permanently (Bernard, 197 5). Other women never marry because of the is proportionate number of men to women and the unavailability of suitable partners for many women of higher intelligence, educational background, and occupational status (Click, 1975; Spreitzer & Riley, 1974).