The sustained effects of cognitive modification and informed teachers on children's communication apprehension

In an earlier study, cognitive modification (the combination of systematic desensitization and cognitive restructuring) was found to reduce communication apprehension among elementary school children significantly, whereas informed teachers did not. The present study was designed to determine whether or not the reduction of CA was sustained after the CM treatment ended. Subjects were 103 fourth‐, fifth‐, and sixth‐grade students in a large midwestern city. A 2×3×3×3 factorial design with repeated measures on the last factor was used to analyze the data. The factors in the design were sex, grade level, treatment, and time of test. Post hoc analysis indicated that the CM treatment had lost its effect for the majority of students two months after treatment was terminated. The informed teachers had no effect on children's CA scores. Main effects for sex and grade level were not significant. Suggestions are made for future research concerned with sustaining the CM treatment effect.