A school-based bibliotherapy intervention for hostile attribution of intent for preschoolers
Abstract
This quasi-experimental study examined the effectiveness of a school-based bibliotherapy intervention on modifying hostile attribution of intent among preschoolers. Participants were 176 preschool-aged children (four- to five-year-olds) as well as teachers who taught both a morning and an afternoon class at a universal preschool. Teachers were trained in the bibliotherapy process and provided with specific lesson plans for a five day treatment that half of their classes received. Preschoolers' hostile attributions were measured through their responses to a hypothetical peer's intent on four vignettes depicting interactions with a peer that had negative outcomes. Controlling for language development and pre-intervention aggressive behavior, a nested analysis of covariance was applied to the data. Internal consistency issues were addressed within the outcome measure and multiple statistical approaches were executed. Results indicated no significant differences between treatment and control groups nested within each teacher. This finding may have reflected the lack of comparable groups of aggressive behavior and the use of one attribution measure as a posttest only. Feedback from participating teachers suggested that the intervention may have been more effective at the beginning of the school year.
Subject Area
Early childhood education|Developmental psychology|Cognitive psychology
Recommended Citation
Bonanno, Caitlin M, "A school-based bibliotherapy intervention for hostile attribution of intent for preschoolers" (2014). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI3627923.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI3627923
