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Children’s Social Behaviour for Learning (SBL): reported and observed social behaviours in contexts of school and home

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Abstract

The aim is to understand the diversity in children’s social behaviours that are vital to learning. It is proposed that a model of Social Behaviours for Learning (SBL) relies on the positions of the observers in relevant contexts. In this case, children are observed at school and at home. The alternatives are sociability as a personal trait or about the person in specific contexts. Materials based on the Rowe Behaviour Rating Inventory and ASK-KIDS Inventory were adapted for parents, teachers, children and trained observers to report children’s social behaviours at home and at school. The selected location for the project is close to the national average to control for any influence of socio-economic indicators on the social behaviours. The participants in Study 1 (\(N = 36\)) were girls and boys aged 8–12 years. Participants in Study 2 (\(N = 85\)) were 4–13 year old children, their parents and teachers, and observers. Screening suggests moderate mood, cognitive skills and abilities in a representative sample. Results of Study 1 showed the reliability and concurrent validity of children’s self concepts. Study 2 showed continua of related-yet-discrete social, attentive and settled behaviours for younger and older children. The alternative models of personal traits and persons-in-context were not satisfactory. Instead, the results support the SBL Model of discrete positions of observers of children’s social behaviours at home and school. In conclusion, useful reports by parents, teachers and children about social behaviours add meaning to systematic observations of children’s social behaviours in relevant contexts. The main applications are to the many ways that observations of social behaviours are used in programmes that support learning.

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Acknowledgments

This project is dedicated to the late Ken Rowe, in appreciation of his wise advice and support for the project. We acknowledge the children, parents and teachers for their co-operation, and Alison Elliott, Ian Fisher and anonymous reviewers for support and insightful comments. With thanks to Tracy Rhodes, Anna Piccolo, Nicki Brake, Madeline Parnell, Bree Hulme, Carly Murphy, Carolyn Storrier, Kathryn Timmis, Nicole Martin, Anna Varejlian, Therese Levins, Bronwyn Birdsall and Thelma Leonard for their assistance in the fieldwork.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Watervale Systems, PO Box 318, Potts Point, NSW , 1335, Australia

    Laurel Fisher

  2. Harrison School, Wimmera Street, Harrison, ACT , 2914, Australia

    Fiona Spencer

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  1. Laurel Fisher
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Correspondence to Laurel Fisher.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Screening general factors and profiles of social behaviours

Profiles suggest the children in Study 2 were a representative sample of the population, with few exceptions. Screening of mood, skills and abilities showed that the children express low to moderate moods (within non-clinical range) with SYSTEMS cognitive screening and DAS test scores close to the population means in literacy, numeracy and spatial skills.

See Table 4.

Table 4 Profiles of screening of cognitive functioning\(^\mathrm{b}\), mood, literacy, numeracy and spatial skills
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See Table 5.

Table 5 Influence of general mood and cognitive factors on sociable, attentive and settled behaviours
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Appendix 2: The ‘ASK-KIDS about Social Behaviour’ form is for research purposes only

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Fisher, L., Spencer, F. Children’s Social Behaviour for Learning (SBL): reported and observed social behaviours in contexts of school and home. Soc Psychol Educ 18, 75–99 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-014-9276-4

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