The Effectiveness of Teaching Social Skills Based on the Discipline-Based Art Education Approach on Improving the Social-Emotional Competence and Adjustment to school of Elementary School Students

It is essential to focus on the growth of children, who are significant human assets, during their educational development. A key aspect of this development is social-emotional growth (Khajapour Firouzabadi et al., 2014; Nadipour & Aghamohamadi, 2021; Zeinali Dehrajbi & Ashori, 2022). Socialemotional competence and school adjustment are vital indicators of children’s development (Behnam, 2019; Denham et al., 2009; Fathi et al., 2015). Defined by Malti and Perren (2011), social-emotional competence comprises skills that allow individuals to meet their needs while considering others’, with subcategories including self-awareness, social awareness, relationship management, responsible decision-making, and self-control. This competence contributes to school adjustment (Alwaely et al., 2020), which measures students’ success in adapting to the school environment, encompassing social, emotional, and academic components (Chen et al., 2019). Studies demonstrate that social-emotional competence and school adjustment are crucial for children’s performance, well-being, and quality of life. Teaching social skills is one educational method to enhance these areas. Social skills involve behaviors like cooperation, responsibility, empathy, self-restraint, and selfreliance. An indirect method of teaching social skills is through the arts, which can effectively communicate educational content due to their beauty, abstraction, and child-centered nature. Artistic activities not only allow self-expression but also foster acceptance, competence, adaptation, and skill strengthening (Zat Levineh & Khalesi, 2016). Despite various art education approaches, many experts favor the disciplinebased art education (DBAE) approach (Ghaffari et al., 2017; Kazempour et al., 2008; Mehrmohammadi, 2014). DBAE posits that art should be an independent curriculum subject, aligning with student development and ensuring learning tasks are meaningful. This study employed the DBAE approach to assess its effectiveness in promoting social-emotional competence and school adjustment. Given the significance of evaluating educational programs on children’s development, this study aimed to determine the impact of DBAE-based social skills instruction on enhancing social-emotional competence and school adjustment in elementary students. The tested hypotheses were: 1. DBAE-based social skills teaching positively affects primary students’ social-emotional competence. 2. DBAE-based social skills teaching positively influences primary students’ school adjustment.

The study employed a quantitative experimental approach, utilizing a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The research population comprised all school-aged children (8-12 years old) in Tehran’s 11th district in 2022. A sample of 36 girls and boys was selected by convenience sampling method from a community center in the same district. Participants were matched based on social skills, age, and gender, then randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n=18) or the control group (n=18). The instruments used in the study included the Gresham and Elliot (1990) Social Skills Questionnaire (parent and child versions), the Zhou and Ee (2012) Students’ Social-Emotional Competence Questionnaire, and the Sinha and Singh (1993) Students’ School Adjustment Questionnaire. Over the course of two months and ten days, the intervention group participated in a group training program focusing on social skills through an artistic approach, spanning 21 sessions. The control group did not receive any training.

Data analysis was conducted using multivariate and univariate analysis of covariance via SPSS-21. The univariate analysis revealed that, after controlling for pre-test effects, the educational intervention significantly impacted the total scores of both the social-emotional competence and school adjustment variables. Postintervention, the experimental and control groups exhibited significant differences in these areas. Furthermore, the multivariate analysis, considering the discriminant eta squared for each subscale of social-emotional competence and school adjustment, confirmed that the observed changes were attributable to the independent variable. Thus, the instruction of social skills through an artistic approach markedly influenced the components of social-emotional competence and school adjustment.

This study explored the impact of (DBAE) on enhancing social-emotional competence and school adjustment in elementary students. The findings indicate that the DBAE approach to social skills training significantly improved students’ social-emotional competence, including selfawareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship management, and responsible decision-making, as well as school adjustment, encompassing social, emotional, and academic dimensions. Addressing the first hypothesis, it appears that DBAE not only fosters artistic skills but also strengthens social-emotional competencies due to the creative and expressive opportunities it provides. This approach has been positively evaluated for its effectiveness in enhancing these competencies and facilitating the creation of art. As per Teodoro et al. (2005) and Short (2006), social skills acquisition is central to social development, relationship building, interaction quality, mental health, and social-emotional competence. These skills lead to positive social interactions, disciplined behavior, timely conversation initiation, and adaptability. Regarding the second hypothesis, the artistic approach to teaching social skills has proven to enable students to better understand themselves and others, heighten their environmental and interpersonal sensitivity, and foster a cooperative atmosphere. This conducive environment promotes collaboration (Arefi Sheikh et al., 2022), supporting the study’s scientific rationale for the DBAE approach’s effectiveness in improving students’ social-emotional competence and school adjustment.