The purpose of this project is to design and pilot test a prototype interactive multimedia (IM) program for teaching social skills to youth with social-adjustment problems. The instructional program will be designed for use in a variety of settings, including special education classes, in-school suspension programs, group homes, foster-care homes, mental-health centers, probation programs, transition programs, and detention centers. This IM prototype will be used as a model for an expanded version of the original program plus two additional instructional programs to be developed in Phase II of this project. The three instructional programs will serve as alternatives to traditional adult-directed formats currently used in social skills instruction. To determine the feasibility of the IM format, in Phase I, a multimedia instructional program will be designed for three social skills and will be tested with adolescents with a history of social problems. The efficacy of using an IM format for teaching these social skills will be evaluated relative to: (a) youth use of the IM program, (b) youth knowledge of the skills, (c) youth use of the skills, (d) social validity of the medium, and (e) required instructional time. A multiple-probe across-skills design will be used to determine the effects of the instructional program on youth knowledge and performance of the targeted skills.
