Intrapersonal Development
Outcome
Social Competence
Intervention Family
Academic-Educational Interventions
EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION COMPONENTS
RESOURCE CONSIDERATIONS
Academic-Educational Interventions
Intrapersonal Development
For academic-educational interventions, content addressing intrapersonal or individual development may not be as beneficial as other content targeting social competence.
Is your program faced with tight resources and the need to prioritize which services you offer? It may be useful to weigh the costs and benefits of offering content that had smaller effects on social competence
Our analysis indicated that academic-educational interventions with intrapersonal development content tended to have smaller, though still positive, effects on social competence than interventions without this content. Examples include: building self-esteem, self-concept, self-confidence, or future orientation. Such skills, when provided in the context of an academic-educational intervention, may not have the direct or sustained focus on social skills to produce large impacts on social competence.
Programs may have other goals that require development of intrapersonal skills; however, our analysis suggests that programs with the primary goal of improving social competence may not require these skills. Thus, if resources are limited, you might consider reallocating resources to other content that the evidence shows would be more beneficial in supporting social competence.
Consider the following in examining your program:
- Assess the level of focus your intervention has on intrapersonal development, and the reasons for including this focus. If your primary reason is to improve social competence, consider shifting the emphasis to other content such as interpersonal skills or conflict resolution. However, if you include this focus to address other important outcomes besides social competence, there is likely no need to make changes.