Teaching Recreational Skills to Handicapped Youths with Video Modeling and Peer Tutoring

Abstract

A video-tape modeling and peer counseling program was utilized to teach recreational skills to younger handicapped youths and employment skills to adolescent handicapped youths. Twelve video tapes were developed to teach the adolescent youths (trainer) job skills relevant to both the specific job and general skills relevant to generic jobs. The trainers then used 29 recreational video tapes to teach the younger children (trainees) specific recreational skills. Resuts indicated that, as a function of video tape modeling and peer tuspring, trainees spent approximately 80% of their time engaged in talk specific (i.e., tape-modeled) behavior. Trainers evidenced significant increases in rated behavioral scales over the 12 week course of the study. Additionally, trainers scored significantly higher than randomly matched controls on a Job Skills Inventory (JSI) over the course of the study. Predicted similar differences in self-concept, as measured by the Piers-Harris Self Concept Scale for Children, were not obtained. Results were discussed in terms of the practicality of using video tape as a means to teach recreational and job skills to handicapped youths.