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Examining the Early Evidence for Self‐directed Marriage and Relationship Education: A Meta‐analytic Study
Author(s) -
McAllister Shelece,
Duncan Stephen F.,
Hawkins Alan J.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
family relations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1741-3729
pISSN - 0197-6664
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-3729.2012.00736.x
Subject(s) - meta analysis , autodidacticism , psychology , psychological intervention , blended learning , quality (philosophy) , communication skills , medical education , mathematics education , medicine , educational technology , philosophy , epistemology , psychiatry
This meta‐analysis examines the efficacy of self‐directed marriage and relationship education (MRE) programs on relationship quality and communication skills. Programs combining traditional face‐to‐face learning with self‐directed elements are also examined, and traditional programs' effectiveness is included as a comparison point. Sixteen studies focused on self‐directed interventions; 13 studies focused on programs combining self‐directed and traditional components. For self‐directed programs, the effect size for relationship quality was small and not significant ( d = .032, ns ); a small, significant effect size was found for communication skills ( d = .160, p < .05). For blended programs, effect sizes were significant for relationship quality ( d = .429, p < .01) and communication skills ( d = .715, p < .05), and blended programs produced larger effect sizes than traditional programs.