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Quebec's Second-Step Program Analysis

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In addition, The Second Step program is designed to decrease aggressive behaviours and increase empathetic social behaviour. Unique to this program is that it affects all individuals within the school context even those who are not considered as at-risk (Frey, Nolen, Van & Hirchstein, 2004). To this extent, universal implementation can strengthen resilience of at-risk students without stigmatizing them. The intervention introduces three different units presented through situations, which include empathy training, impulse control and problem solving and anger management strategies (Frey, et al., 2004). This prevention program can be used in preschools and care programs in order to reduce aggression among students at an early age. Another resilience …show more content…

Quebec needs to initialize the process of removing the label of at-risk, which focus on weaknesses rather than the realizing the individual’s strengths within the education context (Philpott, 2007). A student who is at-risk is an individual who presents factors that are deemed vulnerable or abnormal within the social context they live in. At- risk children are often recognized as students who exhibit violent behaviours as a result of living in poor neighborhoods that are involved with drugs, gang activity and loose family ties (Hall & Bacon, 2005). In turn, they become at risk of falling behind academically or socially within the school environment (Government of Quebec, 2007). The government of Quebec has categorized at-risk students as including those who live within a low-socioeconomic status group and children with learning disabilities (Durand & Guay, 2011). This categorization can lead to the false belief that those who are defined at risk above require the same intervention strategies within the school curriculum. The attached marginalization and stigma of the label at-risk, divides the preschool and care center’s structure into two main groups, those who will be academically and socially successful and those who will not fulfill the socially defined life achievement (Philpott,

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