Volume 6, Issue 3 (Vol6,No3(21) 2025)
2025, 6(3): 348-361 |
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Talbei E, taghvaeinia A, Nikdel F. (2025). Impact of a Training Program Based on Seligman’s PERMA Model on the Social Skills of Male Elementary School Students. Journal of Childhood Health and Education. 6(3), 348-361. doi:10.32598/JECHE.6.3.281.1
URL: http://jeche.ir/article-1-331-en.html
URL: http://jeche.ir/article-1-331-en.html
1- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Yasouj, Yasouj, Iran.
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Introduction
Social skills refer to an individual’s ability to interact with other people. Many children have difficulty with social interaction. Social interaction skills are important in both society and schools and continue to develop in response to the shifting demands in a child’s life. Teachers have an important role in improving the school children’s social interaction skills. Positive psychology, frequently grounded in the identification and cultivation of strengths, talents, and capabilities, can facilitate an individual's exploration and enhancement of internal reservoirs. Positive thinking therapies focus on enhancing an individual's capabilities to effectively confront adverse events through the cultivation of positive skills. Given the multifaceted nature of academic engagement, as well as the importance of fostering social skills in the socialization process of children and enhancing their quality of life and citizenship, and conversely, the impact of positive thinking and positive psychology, this study aimed to assess the impact of a training program based on Seligman’s positive psychology based model named “Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment” (PERMA) on the social skills of male elementary school students in Iran.
Research Methods
This is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest- posttest design. The study population included all male third-grade elementary school students in Larestan, Iran, in the school year of 2023-2024. Of these, 30 were selected via multistage random sampling and randomly divided into two groups of intervention (n=15) and control (n=15). The intervention groups received ¬the PERMA-based training program in 10 one-hour sessions while the control group remained on the waiting list. For collecting data, the Matson evaluation of social skills with youngsters (MESSY) scale was used. For data analysis, multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS software, version 27 was used.
Results
The findings showed that there was a significant difference between the mean social skills (P<0.001, F=185.84, ηp2=0.73) of the experimental and control groups in the post-test. Thus, after implementing PERMA intervention, the mean social skills scores of elementary children in the experimental group increased significantly compared to the control group.
Conclusion
The PERMA-based training program is effective in improving the social skills of male elementary students. Therefore, the program can be used to promote social interaction abilities of children in elementary school age. It seems that this intervention is able to have some long-term impact on elementary student’s perceptions and psychological health and well-being. This training program may help the elementary school boys discover meaning and purpose in their lives, enabling them to establish other positive social relationships, promoting social integration and received social support. By using this training program, the male school students may be able to find suitable solutions for their problems with social interactions and attain psychological satisfaction. It helps them encounter with challenges of social life, establish positive relationships with others, and accomplish their goals.
Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
This research was conducted in accordance with ethical guidelines approved by Yasouj University. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Their information was kept confidential, and they were free to leave the study at any time.
Funding
This article was extracted from the master’s thesis of Ehsan Talebi at the Faculty of Humanities, Yasuj University. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for profit sectors.
Authors contributions
All authors contributed equally to the conception and design of the study, data collection and analysis, interpretation of the results, and drafting of the manuscript. Each author approved the final version of the manuscript for submission.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank all students who participated in this research for their cooperation.
Social skills refer to an individual’s ability to interact with other people. Many children have difficulty with social interaction. Social interaction skills are important in both society and schools and continue to develop in response to the shifting demands in a child’s life. Teachers have an important role in improving the school children’s social interaction skills. Positive psychology, frequently grounded in the identification and cultivation of strengths, talents, and capabilities, can facilitate an individual's exploration and enhancement of internal reservoirs. Positive thinking therapies focus on enhancing an individual's capabilities to effectively confront adverse events through the cultivation of positive skills. Given the multifaceted nature of academic engagement, as well as the importance of fostering social skills in the socialization process of children and enhancing their quality of life and citizenship, and conversely, the impact of positive thinking and positive psychology, this study aimed to assess the impact of a training program based on Seligman’s positive psychology based model named “Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment” (PERMA) on the social skills of male elementary school students in Iran.
Research Methods
This is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest- posttest design. The study population included all male third-grade elementary school students in Larestan, Iran, in the school year of 2023-2024. Of these, 30 were selected via multistage random sampling and randomly divided into two groups of intervention (n=15) and control (n=15). The intervention groups received ¬the PERMA-based training program in 10 one-hour sessions while the control group remained on the waiting list. For collecting data, the Matson evaluation of social skills with youngsters (MESSY) scale was used. For data analysis, multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS software, version 27 was used.
Results
The findings showed that there was a significant difference between the mean social skills (P<0.001, F=185.84, ηp2=0.73) of the experimental and control groups in the post-test. Thus, after implementing PERMA intervention, the mean social skills scores of elementary children in the experimental group increased significantly compared to the control group.
Conclusion
The PERMA-based training program is effective in improving the social skills of male elementary students. Therefore, the program can be used to promote social interaction abilities of children in elementary school age. It seems that this intervention is able to have some long-term impact on elementary student’s perceptions and psychological health and well-being. This training program may help the elementary school boys discover meaning and purpose in their lives, enabling them to establish other positive social relationships, promoting social integration and received social support. By using this training program, the male school students may be able to find suitable solutions for their problems with social interactions and attain psychological satisfaction. It helps them encounter with challenges of social life, establish positive relationships with others, and accomplish their goals.
Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
This research was conducted in accordance with ethical guidelines approved by Yasouj University. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Their information was kept confidential, and they were free to leave the study at any time.
Funding
This article was extracted from the master’s thesis of Ehsan Talebi at the Faculty of Humanities, Yasuj University. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for profit sectors.
Authors contributions
All authors contributed equally to the conception and design of the study, data collection and analysis, interpretation of the results, and drafting of the manuscript. Each author approved the final version of the manuscript for submission.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank all students who participated in this research for their cooperation.
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Received: 2025/04/6 | Accepted: 2025/10/7 | Published: 2025/12/16
Received: 2025/04/6 | Accepted: 2025/10/7 | Published: 2025/12/16
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