The effects of group teaching of assertiveness on social skills and social anxiaty in male students

Adolescence is a transition period from childhood to early adulthood. Dysfunctional social skills lead to anxiety in adolescents. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of group teaching of assertiveness on social skills and social anxiaty in male students. Teaching assertiveness was the independent variable, and social skills and social anxiaty were the dependent variables. The present study was a field experimental study with pre- post-test. The variables were measured by social skills Scale and social anxiaty Scale. The sample consisted of 30 male students who were enrolled in the school year of 2016-17, and were selected through simple random sampling method, and were randomly assigned to two groups (experimental and control). Before teaching assertiveness to experimental group, the pre-tests of social skills and social anxiaty were administrated to both groups. Then, the teaching package of assertiveness was adminstred to the experimental group and no training was provided to the control group. After the completion of the course, social skills and social anxiaty post-tests were administrated to both groups. Results of analysis of covariance indicated that teaching assertiveness causes a significant increase in social skills (F= 33.22, p<0.001), and decrease in social anxiaty (F= 5.42, p<0.02). according to the results of this study teaching assertiveness increased social skills, and decrease in social anxiaty in male students.