The Impact of Reading Claire Jobert's Stories on the Development of Social Skills in Elementary School Students

Document Type : Scientific- research

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran

2 M.A. in Educational Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran

Abstract

The aim of this research is to investigate the effectiveness of Claire Jobert's stories and participation in the research circle on the development of social skills in elementary school students in Kermanshah Iran. The research method employed a semi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group. The population of this study consisted of all students in the district one of elementary school in Kermanshah County who were studying in the academic year 1400-1401. The sample included two groups of 15 students each from two different classes in two schools, randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The research instruments included the Matson Social Skills Questionnaire .Both pretest and posttest were administered to both the experimental and control groups. Subsequently, the experimental group underwent storytelling sessions for two months across 8 sessions. At the end of the intervention, posttests were administered to both groups. The results, analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), indicated that Claire Jobert's stories have a significant impact on improving the social skills of students. There is a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in skills related to avoiding aggression, skills related to avoiding superiority, and skills related to establishing appropriate relationships with peers.
Keywords:           
 Story, Claire Joubert, Social Skills, Aggression, Superiority, Relationships.

Introduction

Humans are inherently social beings, and interpersonal relationships constitute one of the fundamental aspects of every individual's life, representing a crucial human need. Establishing healthy and secure connections with others is contingent upon acquiring social skills, enabling desirable interaction and mutual understanding. This, in turn, leads to positive psychological and social outcomes, including social acceptance, social support, problem-solving, overcoming challenges, increased self-confidence, and happiness.The existence of social problems in children is a noteworthy and debatable issue in today's world. The lack of social skills can result in undesirable and lasting consequences for individuals and society, such as social isolation, academic and occupational decline, reduced quality of life, reactive and violent behaviors, as well as behavioral and emotional disorders. Teaching these skills, especially from early childhood, when the foundations of an individual's character are forming, is of paramount importance.The significance of educating interpersonal and social communication skills is underscored by its inclusion as one of the six pillars in the fundamental transformation document of education and upbringing. One effective method for imparting social skills to children is through storytelling. The aim of this research is to assess the impact of Claire Jobert's stories on the development of social skills in students.
Hypotheses of this research are as follows:
Hypothesis 1: Reading Claire Jobert's stories leads to an improvement in the component of avoiding aggression in students.
Hypothesis 2: Reading Claire Jobert's stories leads to an improvement in the component of avoiding superiority in students.
Hypothesis 3: Reading Claire Jobert's stories leads to an improvement in the skill related to establishing appropriate relationships with peers in students.
 

Research Method:

The research method employed a semi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group. The population included all students in the first district of elementary school in Kermanshah County in the academic year 1400-1401. The sample consisted of two groups of 15 students each from two different classes in two schools, randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The research instruments included the Matson Social Skills Questionnaire and the stories written by Claire Jobert. Pretests were conducted for both experimental and control groups, followed by the experimental group undergoing storytelling sessions for eight sessions. Finally, posttests were administered to both groups. The results were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).
 

Findings :

3.1  Hypothesis 1: The effect of intervention (reading Claire Jobert's stories) on the aggression component and reactive behaviors
In the "aggression component and reactive behaviors" in the control group, the average decreased by 0.60 units, while in the experimental group, it decreased by 2.20 units. According to the paired t-test, only in the experimental group, the average score of the aggression component and reactive behaviors showed a statistically significant difference at the end of the intervention compared to the beginning of the study. Therefore, the research hypothesis is confirmed.
 
3.2 Hypothesis 2: The effect of intervention (reading Claire Jobert's stories) on the superiority-seeking component and self-confidence
In the superiority-seeking and self-confidence component in students, in the control group, after the intervention period, the average score decreased by 0.40, and in the experimental group, the average decreased by 1.33 units. Only in the experimental group, there is a statistically significant difference in the average score. Therefore, the research hypothesis is confirmed.
3.3  Hypothesis 3: The effect of intervention (reading Claire Jobert's stories) on the component of peer relationships
The average score of the control group after the intervention period increased by 5.30 units in the component of peer relationships, and in the experimental group, the average increased by 1.32 units. According to the paired t-test, only in the experimental group, the average score of the component showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). Therefore, the research hypothesis is confirmed.
 

Conclusion:

The significant difference in pre-test and post-test scores confirmed the research hypotheses regarding the impact of Claire Jobert's stories on improving the social skills of students. This improvement in social skills is attributed to the influence of stories with a social skills teaching approach and the immersion of children in the philosophical research community. The child's thoughts and imagination are shaped by the story, making them familiar with life facts and experiences. As children identify with the story's characters, they emulate their behaviors, indirectly influencing cognitive and social growth. Therefore, stories, as engaging, likable, and effective teaching tools, indirectly contribute to the enhancement of children's cognitive and social development and the improvement of interpersonal relationships.It is recommended that educators and decision-makers in education utilize philosophy for children programs centered around stories to foster desirable social competencies in students.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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Thinking and Children

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 12 December 2023

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