Choice theory: An investigation of the treatment effects of a choice theory protocol on students identified as having a behavioral or emotional disability on measures of anxiety, depression, locus of control and self-esteem

Existing research reveals that students who have a behavioral or emotional disability is a growing population within special education. Special education law and counseling organizations both agree that these students would likely benefit from counseling services at school. Research also reveals that this does not typically happen, that the interventions used in schools tend to have little beneficial effect and that these students are more likely than any other subgroup within public schools to drop out before graduating. This research was designed to assess what, if any, effect a tested treatment modality (Choice Theory) developed and used with children in juvenile detention centers has on students identified as having a behavioral or emotional disability in public school. This research utilized a true experimental design and assessed treatment outcomes on affective measures of Locus of Control, Anxiety, Depression and Self-Esteem in middle and high school aged students with a behavioral or emotional disability. Two groups of 15 students were randomly selected and randomly assigned to either a control or experimental group; the experimental group participated in a 6-week Choice Theory protocol. Both groups were administered the BASC-2 Self-Report at the beginning of the treatment and both groups completed the same instrument at the end of the protocol. Four two-way ANOVA's with one between subjects and one within subjects effects was used to examine differences between the groups on all four of the dependent variables. First, the measure of Locus of Control was examined and revealed a significant difference within subjects and between subjects effect. In addition, there was a significant interaction demonstrating that students in the experimental group experienced a greater sense of power over their internal world relative to external stimuli after the implementation of the protocol when compared to the control group. Second, the measure of Anxiety was examined and revealed no significant difference within subjects, or interaction, but there was a significant between subject effect. Third, the measure of Depression was examined and revealed that there was a significant difference both within and between subject effect as well as a significant interaction, revealing that students in the experimental group reported experiencing less depressive symptoms than did the control group after the implementation of the protocol. Last, the measure of Self-Esteem was examined and revealed that there was no significant within subject effect, but there was a significant between subjects effect and interaction, revealing that students in the experimental group reported more positive feelings of self worth and efficacy after the implementation of the protocol than did the student in the control group.