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Evaluation of a Cognitive Thinking Program

NCJ Number
211686
Journal
Journal of Correctional Education Volume: 56 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2005 Pages: 202-215
Author(s)
Lynn Bye; Debra A. Schillinger
Date Published
September 2005
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article reports on an evaluation of a modified version of the Charting a New Course Corrective Thinking curriculum by Rogie Spon (1999), which teaches irresponsible thinkers to identify nine thinking barriers and correctives and develop new behaviors based on responsible thinking.
Abstract
A major concept in this Corrective Thinking Program is the teaching of different levels of thinking, how this thinking affects the choices people make, and the outcomes that derive from the choices made. The purpose of the current study was to determine the impact of formal Corrective Thinking Training on the self-reported level of thinking of youth at-risk of not graduating from high school. The evaluation determined whether training in cognitive thinking with nine at-risk juveniles in an alternative education program improved their responsible thinking according to scores on the How I think (HIT) Questionnaire administered before and after the training. In addition to the nine participants in the program, eight participants in a control group also completed the HIT pretest and posttest. Findings indicate that formal Corrective Thinking Training had a positive impact on the level of responsible thinking of all participants in the experimental group. None of the participants reported arrests while attending the Training. Control group participants reported higher levels of criminal activity during the study. Future research might include similar studies with larger and more diverse samples studied over extended follow-up periods. 25 references