Abstract
A classroom-based training program, in which children learned how to prevent deterioration of their self-efficacy and self-esteem, was developed. In this program, children were encouraged to argue against someone else's self-defeating cognitions about negative events, which were presented hypothetically. Participants in the experimental group were 59 fifth- and sixth graders. Another 61 fifth- and sixth-graders from the same school formed the control group; the training was not administered to those children. The results indicated that, in comparison to the control group, the children in the experimental group showed a stronger general attitude of denying self-defeating cognitions about negative events, and had higher scores on self-efficacy and self-esteem tests. In one of the post-tests, which was administered 3 months after the training, the children were asked how they perceived scores and results they had actually received at school. The children's responses on this post-test suggested that the training effect hadbeen maintained and had generalized to real world settings.
