Empowering Exceptional Children

Empowering Exceptional Children

Development and Validation of an Educational Package for Emotion Recognition and Regulation in Elementary School Children

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Master of Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational science and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to develop and validate an educational package for the identification and regulation of emotions in elementary school children. This research employed both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Initially, a 15-session educational program was designed based on a comprehensive review of relevant literature and resources from academic databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, IranDoc, Noormags, and the Humanities Portal. The program focused specifically on emotional awareness and regulation tailored to the developmental needs of elementary-aged children. To assess the face and content validity of the package, ten experts and researchers in the fields of child psychology, developmental psychology, emotional development, and play—who met the inclusion criteria—were selected through convenience sampling. These experts completed an evaluation form designed to assess the educational content. Following the removal or modification of inappropriate activities, data were analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) to determine inter-rater agreement, as well as the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and Content Validity Index (CVI) to assess the overall validity of the package. The results indicated a high level of agreement among evaluators and demonstrated that the package possessed acceptable face and content validity. Given the validated structure, content, and practical applicability of the developed program, it can be effectively implemented in educational settings such as schools and counseling centers to enhance children’s emotional skills.
Keywords

Subjects


Bagheri, Z., Kosnin, A., & Besharat, M. (2016). Improving Emotion Regulation skills through an Emotional Intelligence Training Course. Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 19(4), 36-48.
Denervaud, S., Mumenthaler, C., Gentaz, E., & Sander, D. (2020). Emotion recognition development: Preliminary evidence for an effect of school pedagogical practices. Learning and Instruction, 69, 101353.
Djambazova-Popordanoska, S. (2016). Implications of emotion regulation on young children’s emotional wellbeing and educational achievement. Educational Review, 68(4), 497-515.
Gómez-Ortiz, O., Romera-Felix, E. M., & Ortega-Ruiz, R. (2017). Multidimensionality of social competence: Measurement of the construct and its relationship with bullying roles. Revista de Psicodidáctica (English ed.)22(1), 37-44.
Gross, J. J. (1998). The Emerging field of emotion regulation: An integrative review. Review of general psychology2(3), 271-299.
Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation: Current status and future prospects. Psychological inquiry, 26(1), 1-26.
Hoffmann, J., & Russ, S. (2012). Pretend play, creativity, and emotion regulation in children. Psychology of aesthetics, creativity, and the arts6(2), 175-184.
James, C., Drake, J. E., & Winner, E. (2018). Expression versus distraction: An investigation of contrasting emotion regulation strategies when drawing, writing, talking, and thinking. Empirical Studies of the Arts36(2), 162-179.
Jones, S. M., Barnes, S. P., Bailey, R., & Doolittle, E. J. (2017). Promoting social and emotional competencies in elementary school. The future of children, 27(1), 49-72.
Kiekpatric, D. L. (1998). Evaluating training program (2nd ed.). San Francisco Inc.
Lawshe, C. H. (1975). A quantitative approach to content validity. Personnel Psychology, 28(4), 563–575.
Macklem, G. L. (2011). Evidence-based school mental health services: Affect education, emotion regulation training, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Springer.
Moltrecht, B., Deighton, J., Patalay, P., & Edbrooke-Childs, J. (2021). Effectiveness of current psychological interventions to improve emotion regulation in youth: a meta-analysis. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 30(6), 829-848.
Operto, F. F., Pastorino, G. M. G., Stellato, M., Morcaldi, L., Vetri, L., Carotenuto, M., Viggiano, A., & Coppola, G. (2020). Facial Emotion recognition in children and adolescents with specific learning disorder. Brain Sciences10(8), 473.
Rawdon, C., Murphy, D., Motyer, G., Munafò, M. R., Penton-Voak, I., & Fitzgerald, A. (2018). An Investigation of emotion recognition training to reduce symptoms of social anxiety in adolescence. Psychiatry Research, 263, 257-267.
Richard, S., Baud‐Bovy, G., Clerc‐Georgy, A., & Gentaz, E. (2021). The Effects of a ‘pretend play‐based training’designed to promote the development of emotion comprehension, emotion regulation, and prosocial behaviour in 5‐to 6‐year‐old Swiss children. British Journal of Psychology, 112(3), 690-719.
Rodger, H., Vizioli, L., Ouyang, X., & Caldara, R. (2015). Mapping the development of facial expression recognition. Developmental science, 18(6), 926-939.
Roemer, L., Williston, S. K., & Rollins, L. G. (2015). Mindfulness and emotion regulation. Current Opinion in Psychology3, 52-57.
Shepard, E. C., Ruben, M., & Weyandt, L. L. (2025). Emotion recognition accuracy among individuals with ADHD: A Systematic review. Journal of attention disorders29(3), 174–194.
Sprung, M., Münch, H. M., Harris, P. L., Ebesutani, C., & Hofmann, S. G. (2015). Children's emotion understanding: A meta-analysis of training studies. Developmental Review, 37, 41-65.
Thompson, R. A. (1991). Emotional regulation and emotional development. Educational psychology review3(4), 269-307.
Thümmler, R., Engel, E. M., & Bartz, J. (2022). Strengthening emotional development and emotion regulation in childhood—as a key task in early childhood education. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(7), 3978.
Wang, Y., Hawk, S. T., Tang, Y., Schlegel, K., & Zou, H. (2019). Characteristics of emotion recognition ability among primary school children: Relationships with peer status and friendship quality. Child Indicators Research, 12(4), 1369-1388.
Wells, A. E., Hunnikin, L. M., Ash, D. P., & Van Goozen, S. H. (2021). Improving emotion recognition is associated with subsequent mental health and well-being in children with severe behavioural problems. European child & adolescent psychiatry30(11), 1769-1777.
Yeung, M. K. (2022). A systematic review and meta-analysis of facial emotion recognition in autism spectrum disorder: The specificity of deficits and the role of task characteristics. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews133, 104518.

  • Receive Date 02 May 2024
  • Revise Date 03 June 2025
  • Accept Date 06 June 2025