Date of Award
5-2026
Culminating Project Type
Starred Paper
Styleguide
apa
Degree Name
Special Education: M.S.
Department
Special Education
College
School of Education
First Advisor
Brian Valentini
Second Advisor
Bradley Kaffar
Third Advisor
Martin Lo
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
Social Skills, Emotional or Behavioral Disorders, interventions, Elementary
Abstract
This literature review examined the effectiveness of social skills interventions in reducing target behaviors among elementary-aged students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD). The guiding research question was: What methods or interventions targeting social skills are effective at reducing target behaviors in elementary-aged students with EBD? A search profile was created using key terms including social skills, interventions, EBD, Emotional Behavioral Disorders, target behavior reduction, elementary, and Bandura. Studies were included that involved elementary-aged students with EBD. Selected articles were chosen based on their relevance to the research question and their focus on the impact of social skills instruction on student behavior. Studies that analyzed the following interventions were included in this review: video modeling, positive strategies such as praise and rewards, group contingencies, and the Social-Emotional Learning Foundations (SELF) curriculum. Across the reviewed studies, these interventions were associated with increased prosocial behaviors and reductions in disruptive or target behaviors among students with or at risk for EBD. A consistent pattern of positive outcomes emerged, particularly when interventions were implemented with fidelity, resulting in improvements in both behavioral and academic performance. Overall, results suggest that a range of social skills interventions can be effective in decreasing problem behaviors and enhancing student success. These findings emphasize the critical role of social skills instruction in promoting positive behavioral and academic outcomes for students with EBD.
Recommended Citation
Holmgren, Sara L., "Social Skills Instruction for Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders" (2026). Culminating Projects in Special Education. 245.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/sped_etds/245
