Which action best demonstrates a measurable objective for improving family communication in a teenager's conflicts?

Which action best demonstrates a measurable objective for improving family communication in a teenager's conflicts?

• A. Communication skills will improve.
• B. No more than two arguments per week.
• C. Communication skills will improve 75 percent of the time.
• D. All arguments will cease.

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is to set a measurable, actionable target for changing behavior. In family work with a teenager, a good objective specifies exactly what will be done and how often it will be checked. Limiting arguments to no more than two per week does just that: it provides a concrete, countable behavior to monitor, and it’s easy to track over time (week by week). It’s realistic, time-bound (per week), and directly tied to improving communication during conflicts. The other options are less useful because they’re vague or impractical. Saying “communication skills will improve” offers no observable behavior to measure or a timeframe. Saying it will improve 75 percent of the time lacks a clear denominator and context for what counts as “time” or “improvement.” Saying all arguments will cease is an absolute that’s rarely attainable and not a reasonable progress target in typical family dynamics.

The main idea here is to set a measurable, actionable target for changing behavior. In family work with a teenager, a good objective specifies exactly what will be done and how often it will be checked. Limiting arguments to no more than two per week does just that: it provides a concrete, countable behavior to monitor, and it’s easy to track over time (week by week). It’s realistic, time-bound (per week), and directly tied to improving communication during conflicts.

The other options are less useful because they’re vague or impractical. Saying “communication skills will improve” offers no observable behavior to measure or a timeframe. Saying it will improve 75 percent of the time lacks a clear denominator and context for what counts as “time” or “improvement.” Saying all arguments will cease is an absolute that’s rarely attainable and not a reasonable progress target in typical family dynamics.