Recognizing Non-Verbal Social Cues Promotes Social Performance in LD Adolescents

Authors

  • Alicia Greenbank Givat Washington College of Education and The Israel Academic College in Ramat Gan, Israel
  • Assia Sharon Levinsky College of Education and The Academic College in Wingate

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11575/ajer.v59i2.55667

Keywords:

learning disabilities, emotion recognition, perception of emotion, social intervention, social skills, non-verbal communication, learning disabled adolescents

Abstract

The research examined whether an educational intervention could enhance the ability of learning disabled (LD) adolescents to recognize non-verbal emotional messages and thus their social functioning. Most LD children have problems recognizing non-verbal cues, particularly emotional ones, and have social difficulties. The study examined the validity of the theory of a link between ability to recognize non-verbal emotional cues and social functioning. According to this theory, the better the ability to recognize non-verbal emotional messages the better the social functioning. An educational intervention was devised to investigate this. The intervention included 12 lessons of 45 minutes each, twice a week for six weeks.

The study examined 77 Israeli LD, native Hebrew-speaking adolescents in grades 7-10. The results demonstrated the efficacy of the intervention in enhancing students’ ability to recognize non-verbal emotional messages. Students’ social functioning improved in two social parameters: empathy and social closeness. Students with borderline IQ benefited more from the intervention than students with normal range IQ, and boys benefited more than girls. The study suggests an effective practical tool for promoting social functioning among adolescents with LD.

 

Cette recherche a examiné dans quelle mesure une intervention éducative pouvait augmenter la capacité des adolescents ayant des problèmes d’apprentissage à détecter les messages émotionnels non verbaux et ainsi améliorer leurs comportements sociaux. La plupart des adolescents ayant des problèmes d’apprentissage éprouvent de la difficulté à reconnaitre les messages non verbaux, notamment ceux de nature émotionnelle, et ils manifestent des difficultés sociales. Cette étude a examiné la validité de la théorie selon laquelle il y aurait un lien entre la capacité à détecter les messages émotionnels non verbaux et le fonctionnement sur le plan social. La théorie soutient que mieux on reconnait les messages émotionnels non verbaux, mieux on fonctionne sur le plan social. Pour étudier cette théorie, nous avons conçu une intervention éducative impliquant 12 leçons de 45 minutes chacune, deux fois par semaine pendant six semaines.

Cette étude a porté sur 77 adolescents israéliens de langue maternelle hébraïque entre la 7e et la 10e année et ayant des difficultés d’apprentissage. Les résultats démontrent l’efficacité de l’intervention dans l’augmentation de la capacité des élèves de reconnaitre les messages émotionnels non verbaux. Le fonctionnement social des élèves s’est amélioré selon deux paramètres sociaux: l’empathie et la proximité sociale. Les élèves ayant un QI limite ont profité plus de l’intervention que ceux ayant un QI dans la gamme normale, et les garçons ont démontré plus d’amélioration que les filles. Cette recherche propose un outil pratique et efficace visant la promotion du fonctionnement social chez les adolescents ayant des difficultés d’apprentissage.

 

Author Biographies

Alicia Greenbank, Givat Washington College of Education and The Israel Academic College in Ramat Gan, Israel

Dr. Alicia Greenbank is a Lecturer of Special Education at Givat Washington College of Education and a Lecturer at the School Counseling academic program at the Academic College of Israel in Ramat-Gan. She was the head of MEITAR, a counseling and support center for LD students. Her interests include special education, school counseling, and didactic diagnosis. She focuses on social-emotional development, anti-social behavior and social skills training program intervention for children and adolescents with learning disabilities.

Assia Sharon, Levinsky College of Education and The Academic College in Wingate

Dr. Assia Sharon is the founder and manager of Assif, a publication house and a facilitator of academic and creative writing in Israel. She is also a Lecturer and the head of the digital academic literacy team at Levinsky College of Education, and a Lecturer at the Academic College at Wingate. Academic fields: education, psychology, the Hebrew language, professional editing, expository writing, and philosophy. Assi.sharon@gmail.com

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Published

2014-04-15

How to Cite

Greenbank, A., & Sharon, A. (2014). Recognizing Non-Verbal Social Cues Promotes Social Performance in LD Adolescents. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 59(2), 266–284. https://doi.org/10.11575/ajer.v59i2.55667

Issue

Vol. 59 No. 2 (2013): Summer

Section

ARTICLES

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