The Effectiveness of Maktabalquran Preschool Educational Programs in Terms of Promoting Students’ Social Skills in Miandoab

Abstract

The present study was carried out to compare the effectiveness of Maktabalquran educational programs and those of regular preschools in terms of promoting children’s social skills. This descriptive, applied research had a retrospective design. The statistical population of the study comprised all first graders who had attended Maktabalquran or regular preschools in Miandoab from among them 280 students were selected via random multi-stage sampling method. The instrument included Preschoolers Social Skills Questionnaire (Ahmadi and Nourani, 2001). The validity of the questionnaire was approved by experts and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha test. The obtained data were analyzed by independent samples t-test. The results showed that students who had attended Maktabalquran preschools had an advantage over their counterparts in regular preschools in social skills components such as honesty, self-confidence, and relationship with siblings and peers. Nevertheless, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in other components of social skills such as sensitivity, irritability, happiness, and imagination.

Keywords

• maktabalquran
• preschool educations
• social skills
• students