The Effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing on Situational Emotions and Temperament/Character Dimensions among Probationary University Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of motivational interviewing (MI) on situational emotions (SEs) and temperament/character dimensions among probationary university students. The research method was experimental with pretest-posttest. The statistical population was undergraduate probationary students at University of Zanjan during the academic year 2018-2019 whom 40 were selected through stratified sampling method and assigned randomly into experimental and control groups (20 members in each group). Both groups underwent pre-test and post-test procedures. Members of the experimental group received a series of five sessions (each session was 120 minutes long) of MI per week of the procedure, whereas the members of the control group received no intervention. Short form of situational emotions scale and Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125) employed for data collection. The results of data analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) showed that MI had a significant effect on components of SEs (interest, well-being and boredom), so that it increased interest and well-being and decreased boredom, whereas it had no significant effects on temperament / character dimensions among probationary university students (P<0.05). Therefore, one can conclude that MI can be used to improve the academic performance of probationary University students.