Andy Thompson, Utah Valley University
Academic Affairs
The effectiveness of relationship education, especially among predominately young college students, has been a topic of great interest. Given the diversity of family outcomes, more young individuals seek out help for their relationships. Past studies involving relationship education programs have showed that such programs are beneficial (e.g., Halford, et al., 2003). Improvement in couple communication skills was one effect of couples participating in these programs, and even increased relationship satisfaction in some instances (Halford, et al., 2003).
Research Question
This study investigates the effectiveness of a premarital education program in teaching students communication skills and relationship processes, specifically whether there is an improvement in the participants’ self-evaluation of their relationship skills and perceptions as a result of participating in the program as a college class.
Methods
The participants (n = 197) took part in a short college class (2 days) where they were taught the Within My Reach program. After completing the course, participants took a post-pre-test where they evaluated their relationship skills and perceptions, indicating their judgment of their relationship skills and perceptions before being taught the course material. Then, they completed a post-test in order to re-evaluate their skills and perceptions based on what they learned. This study will analyze any differences in the participants’ answers on the post-pre-test and the post-test to investigate the effect of the program on how the participants evaluated their relationship skills and perceptions. Given prior research, we hypothesize that students will show an increase in both their relationship skills and perceptions of their ability to succeed in their relationship.
Discussion
While this study does not follow the actual behavior of the participants beyond the classroom after completing the program, it will reveal the effect of the program on their perception of themselves and their relationship skills. Although data is based on self-analysis of the participants, and such analysis has limitations, the short time frame of the class likely demonstrates the perceived learning that has taken place. The results will provide implications for future research and classes such as this one. Such research may follow the effects of a premarital education program on the actual behavior of the participants beyond the classroom.