The Effectiveness of an Educational Package for an Islamic and Activity-based Method of Training Life Skills on the Moral Intelligence of Elementary School Girls

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an Islamic and activity-based method of training life skills on the moral intelligence of 5th-grade elementary school girls. This study was done by semi-experimental approach with two groups and two stages (pre-test, post-test). To carry out the study, in the second half of 2017 academic year, among all the relevant elementary school girls, 30 subjects who were willing to participate in the intervention were purposefully selected based on the availability sampling as well as the entry and exit criteria. They were randomly divided into experimental group (n = 15) and control group (n = 15). Borba’s Moral Intelligence Test (Parent Form) was answered by parents as a pretest about the students. The experimental group was studied during a 16-session training (two 60-minute sessions per week); the training included Islamic life skills (trust to God, modesty and humility, contentment, courage, responsibility, enhancement, self-esteem, respect for order, gratitude, patience, comm:::union:::, amnesty and remission) through activity-based techniques (including storytelling, role-playing, discussion, painting, brainstorming, poem reading and dramatic performance). One week after the intervention, both experimental and control groups were subjected to the post-test. Data analysis was carried out by the one-way covariance analysis test using SPSS software (version 24). The results of variance analysis within one factor covariance analysis indicated that regarding the moral intelligence variable (consisting conscience, empathy, kindness, tolerance, respect, self-control, and justice) there is a meaningful difference between the studied group and control group. Therefore, it is possible to apply this method to increase the moral intelligence of school students.