A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Positive Youth Development Program Training and Social-Cognitive Problem-Solving Skills Training on Attitudes Toward Problem Solving Among Female Students
Keywords:
Positive Youth Development Program, social-cognitive problem-solving skills, attitude toward problem solving, female students.Abstract
Attitude toward problem solving is one of the most fundamental competencies adolescents require when confronting academic and social challenges. A negative problem-solving orientation is associated with the ineffective application of problem-solving skills and the adoption of an avoidant problem-solving style. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Positive Youth Development Program training and social-cognitive problem-solving skills training in improving attitudes toward problem solving among female students. The study was applied in purpose and employed a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest–follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of all female upper-secondary school students in Qaem Shahr during the 2022–2023 academic year. Using purposive sampling and based on pretest scores, 45 students were selected and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group, with 15 participants in each group. The first experimental group received Positive Youth Development Program training, whereas the second experimental group received social-cognitive problem-solving skills training. Each intervention consisted of 12 two-hour sessions. Data were collected using the Cassidy and Long Problem-Solving Attitude Questionnaire and analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance and the Bonferroni post hoc test. The main effects of group and time, as well as the Time × Group interaction effect, were significant for attitudes toward problem solving (p < .001). Compared with the control group, both experimental interventions significantly improved attitudes toward problem solving (p < .05). A significant difference was also observed between the two experimental groups, such that social-cognitive problem-solving skills training produced a 2.622-point greater improvement in attitudes toward problem solving than the Positive Youth Development Program. Both programs were effective in improving attitudes toward problem solving among female students; however, social-cognitive problem-solving skills training demonstrated greater effectiveness because of its emphasis on cognitive restructuring and goal-directed strategies. Therefore, it may be employed as an effective intervention in academic counseling.
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