Investigation of the Effectiveness of Reflective Thinking Training on Enhancing Social Skills of Sixth Grade Students in Meshkan City

Background and Objectives: Social skills are essential for students’ psychological and social development. Reflective thinking, which integrates values, emotions, This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of reflective thinking training on improving social skills among sixth-grade students in Meshkan city.. Methods: A quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest and control group was used. The statistical population included all elementary students in Meshkan during the 2023-2024 academic year. Thirty students were selected via convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. The experimental group received 12 sessions of 45-minute reflective thinking training. Data were collected using the Hedayati Reflective Thinking Questionnaire (2018) and the Matson Social Skills Questionnaire (1983). Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and ANCOVA. Findings: Findings showed a significant increase in social skills scores in the experimental group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). The effect size of 0.352 indicated a moderate and meaningful impact of the intervention. Conclusion: Reflective thinking training effectively enhances social skills such as communication, empathy, cooperation, problem-solving, and emotional regulation in students. This approach can be employed as a practical strategy to promote students’ psychosocial health and cultivate responsible, empathetic, and socially committed individuals.