Interpretives (confrontation, interpretation, and feedback) in preadolescent counseling groups

This study investigated verbal interactions in group counseling with children. Participants were 50 preadolescents, aged 12-14, who participated in 5 groups located in different schools in Israel. Specifically, 3 interpretives - feedback, confrontation, and interpretation - and responses to each were analyzed on the basis of transcripts of all recorded sessions. Two independent and trained researchers analyzed the interpretives with a 2-level quality rating system, as well as the member's response to the interpretive, also by means of a 2-level productivity rating system. Interrater agreement was high (κS = .74-.88). Confrontation proved to be the most frequent interpretive, but often it was of low quality, followed by more unproductive than productive responses. Feedback was the next most frequent interpretive, and when it was of high quality, it was followed by productive responses. Interpretations were quite rare. Both quality of interventions and productivity of responses increased with time in group. Girls differed from boys both in quality of intervention and in productiveness of response.