Empowering Exceptional Children

Empowering Exceptional Children

The Effectiveness of an Educational Intervention Based on the Social Information Processing Model on the Social Skills of Slow Learners

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Fatemeh Hosseini 1
Majid Sadoughi 2
1 M.A. in Educational Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kashan, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kashan, Iran
10.22034/ceciranj.2026.570438.2022
Abstract
The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured social skills training program based on the Social Information Processing (SIP) model in improving the social functioning of slow learners. The study employed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group and a one-month follow-up period. The statistical population included all mild slow learners enrolled in a special school in Arak. From this population, 36 mild slow learners aged 9 to 13 years were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 18) or the waitlist control group (n = 18). Parents and teachers completed the parent and teacher forms of the Social Skills Rating System developed by Gresham and Elliott (1990) at the pretest, posttest, and one-month follow-up stages. The intervention group received 15 sessions of 60-minute social skills training based on the structured instructional package developed by Crick and Dodge, whereas the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance with SPSS-26. The findings showed that the intervention based on the Social Information Processing model led to significant improvement in social skills and reduction in behavioral problems compared with the control group. These improvements remained stable at follow-up, and a similar pattern was observed in both parent and teacher reports. Social skills training based on the Social Information Processing model may serve as an effective approach for enhancing the social functioning of slow learners. These findings support intervention approaches focused on modifying cognitive-social processing mechanisms and underscore the importance of integrating Social Information Processing-based programs into structured school-based interventions to improve the interpersonal adjustment of slow learners.
Keywords
Slow Learners
Social Information Processing Model
Social Skills
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 08 January 2026
  • Revise Date 06 June 2026
  • Accept Date 09 June 2026