The Effectiveness of Social Skills Training on Emotional Adjustment and Self-Efficacy among Secondary School Students in Sari City

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of social skills training on emotional adjustment and self-efficacy among secondary school students in Sari City. This study employed a quasi-experimental design with pretest–posttest and a control group. The statistical population consisted of all secondary school students in Sari City during the 2023–2024 academic year. Thirty students were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned into experimental and control groups (15 participants in each group). The research instruments included the Emotional Adjustment Scale developed by Rabideau et al. (2007) and Sherer’s General Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. The experimental group participated in eight 90-minute sessions of social skills training, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using multivariate and univariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA and ANCOVA) in SPSS version 25. The results of multivariate covariance analysis demonstrated that social skills training had a statistically significant effect on the study variables (P<0.05). Furthermore, univariate covariance analysis revealed significant differences between the experimental and control groups in emotional adjustment and self-efficacy. The reported effect sizes indicated that social skills training explained a substantial proportion of variance in emotional adjustment and self-efficacy and significantly improved these variables in the experimental group. The findings indicated that social skills training is an effective intervention for improving emotional adjustment and enhancing self-efficacy among secondary school students. By strengthening communication abilities, emotional regulation, problem-solving skills, and interpersonal interactions, this intervention contributes to better psychological well-being and academic functioning in adolescents. Therefore, incorporating social skills training programs into school counseling and educational systems is recommended.