2006 Study Results

Results of the 2006 Active Parenting Now and Active Parenting of Teens Field Studies

In 2005 and 2006, Active Parenting conducted field studies to measure the effect of Active Parenting Now and Active Parenting of Teens on parents who participated in these six-week/six-session programs. Both programs used the same testing procedure: The test group, consisting of parents who had completed an Active Parenting Now or Active Parenting of Teens course, answered a questionnaire about their parenting practices and their children’s behavior both before and after they took the Active Parenting course. The control group, consisting of parents who had not taken an Active Parenting course, answered the same questions as the test group. The results of these studies follow.

Active Parenting of Teens Field Test Results

Teaching parents effective and respectful ways of rearing confident and courageous teens through Active Parenting of Teens appears to be helpful based on a statistical analysis of the inventory scores of approximately 60 people who attended these classes. There are three sections (scales) —the first rates parent observation of child behavior, the second looks at parent attitudes and beliefs, and the third focuses on parent behaviors. The control groups, who did not take an Active Parenting class, did not significantly change on any of the three scales between the pre and post test. The treatment groups, who did participate in an Active Parenting of Teens class, did change between the pre and post test, with their scores on the post test being higher than the scores on the pre test. Higher scores mean that they answered the post test questions in a way that suggests they learned the concepts taught in the class. Although all three scales showed higher scores after training, only the third scale, Parent Behaviors, was statistically significant.

The internal consistency reliability (alpha) of the About My Teen scales is the following:
Scale 1 – Parent Observation of Child Behavior - .4180
Scale 2 – Parent Attitudes and Beliefs - .6535
Scale 3 – Parent Behaviors - .7553

The internal consistency of Scale 1 is low, while that of Scales 2 and 3 is mild.

Active Parenting Now Field Test Results

Approximately 170 people participated in an Active Parenting Now class. Based on a statistical analysis of the inventory scores of the people who attended these classes, it seems that the training is helpful in teaching Adlerian methods of discipline. There are three sections (scales) —the first rates parent observation of child behavior, the second looks at parent attitudes and beliefs, and the third focuses on parent behaviors. The control groups, who did not take an Active Parenting Now class, did not significantly change on any of the three scales between the pre and post test. The treatment groups, who did participate in an Active Parenting Now class, did change between the pre and post test, with their scores on the post test being higher than the scores on the pre test. Higher scores mean that they answered the post test questions in a way that suggests they learned the concepts taught in the class. Although all three scales showed higher scores after the training, the first and second scales were statistically significant.

The internal consistency reliability (alpha) of the About My Child scales is the following:
Scale 1 - Parent Observation of Child Behavior - .7884
Scale 2 - Parent Attitudes and Beliefs - .8549
Scale 3 – Parent Behaviors - .8346

The reliability of the Scale 2 and 3 on the About my Child inventory shows strong internal consistency which means that the items on each scale seem to be homogenous. Scale 1 approaches strong internal consistency.