NCJ Number
127563
Date Published
1989
Length
26 pages
Annotation
The Second Step curriculum teaches children skills to avoid becoming abusers and victimizers, with the overall goal of curbing abuse and exploitation of children and women.
Abstract
Virtually every school classroom has students who are labeled high risk because of their impulsive and aggressive behavior. Parents of aggressive children often provide models of aggression themselves. Children who are victims at home may seek out children at school whom they perceive as vulnerable, and violence portrayed on television reinforces the message that violence and domination are acceptable. Aggressive and violent behavior is correlated with social isolation and a lack of empathy, impulse control, decisionmaking skills, anger management, assertiveness, and self-esteem. The Second Step curriculum focuses on curbing impulsive and aggressive behavior in children and on increasing their level of social competency through empathy training, interpersonal problem-solving, social skills training, and anger management. The curriculum has three goals: increase children's ability to identify other's feelings and respond empathically; decrease impulsive and aggressive behavior by applying a problem-solving strategy to social conflicts; and decrease angry behavior by recognizing anger warning signs and using anger reduction techniques. The curriculum has been designed to be integrated into the school's health and safety program. A pilot evaluation of the curriculum showed that participating students display significantly higher knowledge of violence prevention skills after exposure to the training. 37 references