FEASIBILITY OF PROVIDING WORK-RELATED INTERPERSONAL SKILLS TRAINING TO YOUNG ADULTS VIA VIDEODISC

MANY PEOPLE WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS ARE EITHER UN- OR UNDEREMPLOYED. A PRIMARY REASON FOR THIS IS DEFICITS IN INTERPERSONAL SKILLS WHICH AFFECT BEHAVIOR IN JOB SEEKING AND JOB PERFORMANCE. INTERPERSONAL SKILLS ARE EMPLOYED IN ALL HUMAN INTERACTIONS. THE ABSENCE OF THESE SKILLS DAMAGESRELATIONSHIPS, BOTH IN PERSONAL LIFE AND IN THE WORKPLACE. SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY SUGGESTS THAT INTERPERSONAL SKILLS ARE ACQUIRED LARGELY BY OBSERVING AND IMITATING THE BEHAVIOROF OTHERS HELD IN HIGH REGARD. ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF LEARNING DISABLED LEARNERS, VIDEODISC ADDS THE FAMILIAR DIMENSION OF VIDEO TO INSTRUCTION. VIDEODISC REDUCES THE ABSTRACT NATURE OF CONCEPTS THROUGH DEMONSTRATION AND MINIMIZES READING REQUIREMENTS, ALLOWING THE STUDENT TO FOCUS ATTENTION FULLY ON THE CONTENT OF THE INSTRUCTION. INADDITION, IT PROVIDES ALL BENEFITS OF COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION, INCLUDING IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK, REPITITION, APPROPRIATE PACING, CONSISTENT MATERIAL PRESENTATION, AND ONGOING POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT. THROUGH AN ANALYSIS OF EXISTING KNOWLEDGE, IN LITERATURE, PRODUCTS, AND EXPERT AND PRACTITIONER OPINION, MACRO WILL IDENTIFY THE SKILLS MOST CRITICAL FOR SUCCESS IN THE WORKPLACE AND DESIGN AN INTERACTIVE VIDEODISC/VIDEOTAPE PROGRAM THAT INSTRUCTS AND PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRACTICE AND SELF-EVALUATION IN THOSE SKILLS. THE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS DOCUMENT WHICH RESULTS FROM PHASE I PRESENTS THE FINDINGS OF THE DESIGN TEAM FOR PHASE II: (1) DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERACTIVE VIDEODISC TO INSTRUCT MILDLY COGNITIVELY IMPAIRED YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS IN INTERPERSONAL SKILLS RELATED TO EMPLOYMENT, AND (2) PURSUIT OF AN AGREEMENT WITH A COMMERCIAL PUBLISHER TO PRODUCE AND MARKET THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM.