The Comparison of Self-efficacy in Peer Interaction and Social Competence of Male Students with Aggressive and Normal Behaviors

One of the behavioral disorders with extremely high prevalence is aggression. Children with aggressive behaviors expose the family, school and society to various problems that make them vulnerable against mental-social disturbances in their adolescence and even adulthood. The aim of this study was comparing self-efficacy in peer interaction and social competence of male students with aggressive and normal behaviors in 5 and 6th grades of elementary school in Ahvaz city (1393-94 academic year). The sample included 250 male student (125 aggressive students and 125 normal students) that were selected through random multistage sampling method. The research design was causal-comparative. The instruments included: Children’s Self-efficacy for Peer Interaction Scale, Social Competence Scale, and Child Aggression in School Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) method. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the groups in self-efficacy in peer interaction and social competence. In addition, the level of self-efficacy in peer interaction and social competence of the aggressive group were lower than the normal group. According to the results of this study, deficit in self-efficacy in peer interaction and social competence can be considered as one of the significant factors in emerging aggressive behaviors.