اثربخشی آموزش مولفه‌های هیجانات و تعاملات مثبت روانشناسی مثبت گرا بر ارتقای مهارت‌های حرفه‌ای و سرمایه اجتماعی معلمان زن

Effectiveness of Teaching the Components of Positive Emotions and Positive Interactions of Positive Psychology on Improving the professional Skills and Social Capital of Female Teachers

Mosayebi Z,[1] Sharifirad GH. *[2]

Abstract

Introduction: The professional skills of specialized human resources and the social capital of school teachers need to be updated and developed at any time, and not paying attention to them causes a lack of professional competence and the lack of development of the professional skills and social capital of teachers. Therefore, the current research was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of teaching positive emotions and interactions of positive psychology on the improvement and promotion of professional skills and social capital of female teachers.

Methods: The design of the current research was quasi-experimental, pre-test, post-test and follow-up (2 months). The statistical population of female teachers of Farhangian University of Isfahan city was 396 people, of which 90 people were selected by simple random sampling method and divided into two groups (teaching the components of emotions and positive interactions of positive psychology and the control group) were randomly placed. The data collection tool was the 90-item scale of emotions, positive interactions, social capital and teachers' professional skills. In this research, data analysis was done with univariate and multivariate analysis of variance.

Results: The findings showed that the educational intervention of positive components, including the component of positive emotions and positive interactions, improves professional skills and social capital, and improves the personal and professional abilities of teachers and improves their social capital level.

Conclusion: According to the obtained results, it is possible to use the teaching of positive emotions and interactions of positive psychology to improve the professional skills and social capital of teachers.

Key words: positive psychology, positive emotions, teacher, professional skills, social capital, explanatory styles

Received:  12/December/2023                     Accepted: 14/January/ 2023

Introduction:

The concept of professional promotion of teachers was raised from the middle of the 20th century and with the necessity of implementing reforms in educational systems (1). In the formation of this concept, research findings and comparative studies have had a great impact and show that the teacher has a two-way role in carrying out reforms; On the one hand, it is the subject of educational reforms, and on the other hand, it is considered the factor of educational reforms (2). For this purpose, the curriculum planning approach based on competence, due to its emphasis on competences, can be considered as a strategy to realize the goal of developing job qualifications (3). On the other hand, the skills or capabilities of employees in performing assigned tasks are mainly acquired through experience, although they can also be developed through schooling (4). In addition to professional skills, social capital is much more than the assets that a person possesses, and one of its effects is increasing the productivity of organizations' human resources, especially teachers (5).

Social capital is actually a semantic generalization of human capital (6), which is one of the most important components of intellectual capital. According to Coleman, social capital is parallel to the development of financial, physical and human capital, but unlike human capital and traditional assets of the organization, social capital is exclusively the result of meaningful social relationships that people invest in over time (7). Positive approaches lead to the improvement of people's psychological capital and have an indirect effect on job success (8).

Seligman considers positive psychology as an approach that pays attention to attitude, positive thinking and the development of positive emotions, emphasis on increasing positive emotions and improving the meaning of life (9) and on positive issues of human life such as: happiness, enthusiasm, creativity, hope, mental health, Emotional intelligence deals with optimism, well-being, empathy, resilience and gratitude and is a practical approach (10). Positive psychology is the scientific study of optimal human functions and its purpose is to better understand and apply these factors in the success and prosperity of individuals and societies (11).

Seligman states that well-being is the subject of positive psychology and its goal is to increase the amount of flourishing in one's life and that of others (12). The first component of positive psychology is positive emotions, positive emotions serve as useful resources to regulate negative emotional experiences in daily life (13). The second component of positive psychology is positive relationships, positive relationships with other people are the best antidote for unpleasant moments in life and the most reliable uplifting medicine (14).

In positive psychology, Seligman emphasizes that there are human strengths that act as shields against mental illness: courage, forward thinking, social skills, faith, work ethic, hope, honesty, perseverance, ability to perform activities Dynamics and insight are some examples of these human strengths (15). Studies published in the field of psychology and medicine show that there is a direct link between social capital and the quality of purpose and meaning of life, which is the primary incentive and motivation in life, that is, growth and development in relation to others and the development of social networks, and ultimately to happiness. It leads to growth and satisfaction and a purposeful life (16). Since the professional skills of expert human resources and the social capital of school teachers need to be updated and developed at any time, and not paying attention to them causes deficiencies in the professional competence and the lack of development of the professional skills and social capital of teachers, the purpose of this research is to determine the effectiveness The training of the components of positive psychology was to improve the professional skills and social capital of teachers so that their professional skills and social capital were first determined and specified, and after the training of the components of positive psychology, the professional skills and social capital of teachers were again measured and the effectiveness of these trainings to become clear. In this regard, some research related to the nature and topic of the article will be mentioned.

Kour et al (17) in research entitled "The role of positive psychology in improving employee performance and organizational productivity" examined the impact of positive individual traits in improving employee performance and organizational productivity. The results showed that the implementation of positive psychology concepts such as optimism, well-being and personal power in the workplace increases employee performance and organizational productivity.

 Petrovich Kushkin et al (18) in research entitled social capital of students and professors as a source for improving the quality of education, which aims to identify the positive and negative aspects of the impact of social capital. The results of the research showed that the one-sided behavior of the professors in the classroom and their type of education, as well as the one-sided behavior of the students with the professor, causes a decrease in the quality of education and a decrease in the amount of social capital.

Mobaser Azad and Rahdar (19) in research entitled explaining the status of social capital dimensions in education teachers in Tehran and providing strategies to improve it, which were selected among 350 education teachers in Tehran and the results showed that the status The social capital variable is slightly above the average; Also, the structural capital of teachers has a more favorable situation compared to the cognitive and relational capital of teachers.

Taghvaeinia (20) research titled the effectiveness of an intervention based on positive education on the mental well-being of students, which with the same purpose, in an experimental form, a post-test-pre-test design, using a positive educational intervention to promote positive emotions and life satisfaction and reduce the negative emotion of the students has been done. They consider mental well-being as one of the important constructs of positive psychology, and the identification of the effective factors in it is very important, and it can be effective in achieving the goal of psychology, which is to improve the mental well-being of people, and lead to improvement. their personal and social skills.

Rahdari et al. (21) in applied research titled "Evaluation of professional skills and employment status of information technology engineering bachelor's degree graduates" was conducted in order to measure the components of professional skills, employment status and desire to continue education in information technology engineers. The opinion of faculty members and Information technology experts of Isfahan University were evaluated through interviews on the components of professional skills, including the skill of combining technical and practical knowledge in practice and establishing communication between two fields, the ability to analyze and research, skills in teamwork and group interactions, the results show He said that professional skills have no effect on the employment situation, but it has a great effect on the desire to continue education. After reviewing the previous researches and their results, in the current research, the researchers are looking for an answer to the question of whether the teaching of the components of positive emotions and interactions of positive psychology has an effect on improving the professional skills and social capital of teachers.

Research Method:

The present research method was quasi-experimental in the form of pre-test, post-test and follow-up (2 months). The statistical population was the teachers of Farhangian University of Isfahan city in 2021-2022, whose number is 396, and 90 of them were selected by simple random sampling using spss sample power software and divided into two groups (teaching the components of positive emotions and interactions of positive psychology and the control group) were studied

The criteria for entering the sample group of teaching in education and Farhangian University at one point in time was by teachers, teachers who filled the questionnaire and received the intervention of positive psychology components in the classroom. And the exit criterion is not answering the questions of the questionnaire and not participating in the training class.

SPSS24 software was used to analyze the statistical data and examine the questions of this research, for this purpose descriptive statistics and inferential tests were used according to the type of data and variables. For this purpose, at the level of descriptive statistics, frequency, mean and standard deviation were used to describe the data, and at the level of inferential statistics, univariate (ANCVA) and multivariate (MANCVA) analysis of variance were used; Also, one-way analysis of variance was performed in the three stages of pre-test, post-test and follow-up in the experimental group, with Tukey's post hoc test.

Research tools:

To answer the research questions and collect data, the author's questionnaire technique was used, a 90-item scale that includes 4 subscales of positive emotions, positive interactions, professional skills, and social capital, and was administered to female teachers of Farhangian University in 2014-2015. it placed. This scale is scored on a 5-point Likert scale from completely agree to completely disagree. From the sum of each of the questions under the scales, the corresponding scores are obtained. Questions 1-40 report positive emotions, 50-56 positive relationships, 41-49 professional and communication skills, 55-90 social capital, all the questionnaire statements report positive scores. is passed the reliability coefficient for the components of positive emotions, positive interactions, professional teaching and communication skills, and social capital, according, reported 0.90, 0.70, 0.70, and 0.80, respectively.

The relative coefficient of content validity was measured for the components of positive emotions, positive interactions, professional teaching skills, professional communication skills, and social capital, and the useful items were selected according to experts' opinion. To achieve this purpose, the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) was used. For this purpose, each item was given to 15 experts (experts who are members of the specialized panel) and they were asked to rate each of the items based on the three-part Likert scale "item is necessary", "item is useful but not necessary" and "item It is not necessary to classify them, then the content validity ratio is calculated. Finally, if more than 50% of the experts consider this item as necessary, then the validity of the content is achieved. Obtaining the minimum content validity ratio for the components of positive emotions, positive interactions, professional teaching skills and professional communication skills and social capital was 0.81, 0.62, 0.65, 0.85, respectively, which is 0.42 from the minimum set value. It is more (CVR<0.42), which means that the selected components are useful and necessary for teachers.

To carry out the research, the teachers in this research in two experimental and control groups, in the first step and in the first session and before the presentation of the educational package, answered a questionnaire that the researcher made according to the indicators of positive psychology, professional skills and social capital. made and its validity and reliability coefficient were confirmed by experts, they answered. In the second step, in an introductory and familiarization meeting that was held before the beginning of the meetings, a brief explanation was given regarding the purpose and rules of the meetings. Also, due to ethical considerations, all participants were told that participation in this research is voluntary and the participants have the right to withdraw at any time. They have every stage of research. In the third step, 8 2-hour virtual sessions were held for the participants in the experimental group (due to the spread of the Corona virus) every week. And they learned the capabilities that led to the improvement of teachers' professional skills and social capital. In these meetings, in addition to presenting materials and solutions according to the title of each meeting; At the end of each session, assignments and evaluations were presented in order to confirm the desired skills. Also, at the end of each session, appropriate books were introduced to the teachers. At this stage, the control group did not receive any intervention. In order to determine that the content of the positive-oriented educational package is valid, the opinions of 20 experts were used, and the CVR index of the sessions was determined to be 0.93. The content of the training package is presented in Table 1. After the sessions, a post-test was taken from both experimental and control groups, and a follow-up test was conducted after 2 months in order to check the stability of the intervention effects.

Table 1. Abstract of sessions of the educational program of positive psychology components

Results:

The subjects of the present study included 90 teachers who were completely randomly divided into two groups of 45 people as the teaching group of positive psychology components and the control group. Descriptive statistics related to the mean and standard deviation of the scores of positive emotions, positive interactions, professional skills and social capital are given separately for the experimental and control groups. As can be seen, the average scores in the control group in the pre-test and post-test stages do not show much change compared to the experimental group, but in the experimental group, an increase in the scores in the post-test compared to the pre-test is observed in the variables of positive emotions, positive interactions, professional skills and social capital.

Table 2. Descriptive statistics related to the mean and standard deviation of scores of positive emotions, positive interactions, professional skills and social capital

In order to investigate the effectiveness of teaching the components of positive emotions and positive interactions based on positive psychology on improving the professional skills and social capital of teachers, univariate (ANCVA) and multivariate (MANCVA) analysis of variance was used; Also, one-way analysis of variance was performed in the three stages of pre-test, post-test and follow-up in the experimental group. Before performing this test, it is necessary to check some statistical assumptions. Before performing an inferential test to perform univariate analysis of variance, check the assumptions of data normality (Kolmograf-Smirnov test), homogeneity of variance (Levin's test), homogeneity of regression slopes for both univariate and multivariate covariance analysis and the assumption of homogeneity of matrices. Variance of covariance (mbox test) was performed for multivariate covariance analysis. This assumption implies that the observed difference between the normal distribution of the sample group and the normal distribution in the population is equal to zero. The results of this test showed that all the variables follow the normal distribution in the post-test and pre-test.

The results of the hypothesis testing were done in three steps, which are shown in tables (3-5), in the first step, the effect of teaching the components of positive emotions and positive interactions of positive psychology on the improvement of the same components (having positive emotions and positive interactions) before the intervention Educational (pre-test) and after educational intervention (post-test) have been investigated using one-way analysis of variance in Mankwa text. In the second step, to show the improvement of teachers' professional skills as a result of teaching the components of positive emotions and positive interactions of positive psychology, one-way analysis of variance has been used in the ANCVA text and its effect has been investigated. In the third step, to show the improvement of social capital as a result of teaching the components of positive emotions and positive interactions of positive psychology, one-way variance analysis has been used in ANQUA text and its effect has been examined.

The first step: the results of one-way variance analysis in the Mankwa text to investigate the effect of teaching the components of positive emotions and positive interactions of positive psychology on the improvement of the same components, i.e., having positive emotions and positive interactions, are shown in Table 3.

Table 3. One-way covariance analysis test results in Mankwa text

According to the results obtained from table number 3, it can be seen that with the pre-test control, there is a significant difference between the teachers, experimental and control groups in terms of having positive emotions and positive interactions, having positive emotions, positive interactions, in other words, the independent variable (teaching the components of emotions and positive interactions based on positive psychology) on the dependent variables (Having positive excitement and positive interactions) of the studied teachers has had a positive effect. Considering the eta square for having positive emotion and positive interactions, which is equal to 0.732 and 0.709, respectively, it can be concluded that 73 and 70 percent of the changes related to the variable of positive emotion and positive interactions in the post stage The test was due to the effect of the intervention (teaching positive emotions and interactions based on positive psychology).

The second step: the results of one-way variance analysis in ANQUA text to investigate the effect of teaching the components of positive emotions and positive interactions of positive psychology on improving the professional skills of teachers are shown in Table 5

Table 4. Results of one-way covariance analysis test in ANCVA text

According to the results obtained from Table 4, it can be seen that with pre-test control, there is a significant difference between the teachers, experimental and control groups in terms of professional skills professional skills in other words, the independent variable teaching the components of emotions and positive interactions based on positive psychology has had a positive effect on the dependent variables (professional skills) of the studied teachers. Considering the eta square for professional skills, which is equal to the value of 0.757, it can be concluded that 75% of the changes related to the variable of professional skills in the post-test stage are due to the effect of the intervention (teaching emotions and positive interactions based on psychology positive oriented).

The third step: the results of the one-way variance analysis in the ANQUA text to investigate the effect of teaching the components of positive emotions and positive interactions of positive psychology on improving the social capital of teachers are shown in Table 6.

Table 5. Results of one-way covariance analysis test in ANQUA text

According to the results obtained from table number 5, it can be seen that with the pre-test control, there is a significant difference between the teachers, experimental and control groups in terms of social capital, in other words, the independent variable education of emotions and positive interactions based on positive psychology has had an effect on the dependent variable (social capital) of the studied teachers. Considering the eta square for social capital, which is equal to the value of 0.866, it can be concluded that 87% of the changes related to the social capital variable in the post-test stage are due to the effect of the intervention teaching emotions and positive interactions based on positive psychology. Therefore, it can be concluded that positive psychology education has a positive effect on social capital.

In order to check the scores of the experimental group, in the follow-up phase and to maintain the effect of positive psychology training in this group, after the passage of 2 months and the existence of differences in the scores of the experimental group, one-way analysis of variance with Tukey's post hoc tests was used.

Table 6. One-way analysis of variance test results of positive emotions and positive interactions

According to the results of Table 6, the effect of the educational intervention of positive emotions and interactions based on positive psychology on positive emotions and interactions with the F test value greater than the critical value of 1.96 and the significance level equal to less than 0.05 in the pre-test stages And there is a significant difference between the post-test and the follow-up in the experimental group.

Tukey's test was used to check the difference between the steps (pre-test, post-test and follow-up) confirmed in Table 8.

Table 7. The results of Tukey's post hoc test for the difference between grades in the three stages of pre-test, post-test and follow-up

According to the results of Table Table 7., according to the results of Tukey's follow-up test, there is a significant difference in the effect of emotion training and positive interactions based on emotions and positive interactions between the follow-up stage and the pre-test stages with a significant difference in the mean and a significance level of less than 0.05 has it. Also, for all variables, there is no significant difference between the follow-up and post-test phases, that is, the effect of positive psychology educational intervention on the components of emotions and positive interactions in the follow-up phase compared to the post-test phase in these variables remains constant.

Table 8. One-way variance analysis test results of professional skills

According to the results of Table 8, the effect of the educational intervention of positive emotions and interactions based on positive psychology on professional skills with the F test value greater than the critical value of 1.96 and the significance level equal to less than 0.05 in the pre-test and post-test stages. There is a significant difference between the test and the follow-up in the test group. Tukey's test was used to check the difference between the steps (pre-test, post-test and follow-up) confirmed in Table 9.

Table 9. The results of Tukey's post hoc test for the difference between grades in the three stages of pre-test, post-test and follow-up

Based on the results of Table 9, according to the results of Tukey's follow-up test, there is a significant difference between the follow-up stage and the pre-test stages with the effect of teaching emotions and positive interactions based on teachers' professional skills with a significant mean difference and a significance level of less than 0.05. Also, for all variables, there is no significant difference between the follow-up and post-test phases, that is, the effect of the positive psychology educational intervention on the component of professional skills in the follow-up phase compared to the post-test phase in these variables remains constant.

Table 10. The results of one-way variance analysis of social capital

According to the results of Table 10, the effect of the educational intervention of positive emotions and interactions based on positive psychology on social capital with an F test value greater than the critical value of 1.96 and a significance level equal to less than 0.05 in the pre-test and post-test stages. There is a significant difference between the test and the follow-up in the test group.

Tukey's test was used to check the difference between the steps (pre-test, post-test and follow-up) confirmed in Table 11.

Table 11. The results of Tukey's post hoc test for the difference between grades in the three stages of pre-test, post-test and follow-up

Based on the results of Table 11, according to the results of Tukey's follow-up test, there is a significant difference between the follow-up stage and the pre-test stages with the effect of teaching emotions and positive interactions based on teachers' professional skills with a significant mean difference and a significance level of less than 0.05. Also, for all variables, there is no significant difference between the follow-up and post-test stages, that is, the effect of the positive psychology educational intervention on the social capital component in the follow-up stage compared to the post-test stage in these variables remains constant.

Discussion and conclusion:

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of positive emotions and interactions education based on positive psychology on teachers' professional skills and social capital. The results showed that teaching positive emotions and interactions based on positive psychology increases and improves teachers' professional skills and social capital. In examining the research hypothesis, the education of positive emotions and interactions based on positive psychology is the independent variable, and professional skills and social capital play the role of the dependent variable. Therefore, the hypothesis was investigated in three steps. In the first step, the results showed that teaching the components of positive emotions and positive interactions of positive psychology leads to the improvement of the same components, i.e. having positive emotions and positive interactions, which is with the results of the research of Kor et al. (17) as the role of positive psychology in improving employee performance and productivity. an organization, where the training of positive psychology components had improved the performance of employees and increased organizational productivity, and the research of Taqvinia (20) with the title of the effectiveness of an intervention based on positive education on the mental well-being of students, which was experimentally designed with the same purpose Post-test - pre-test showed that positive interventions have improved the mental well-being of students, it is almost the same.

 It can be said that teaching the components of positive psychology has improved the performance and personal skills of the people studied in that research, so it is necessary to provide this type of training to teachers because it improves their personal capabilities, especially having positive emotions and establishing positive interactions. will be In the second step, the results of the research showed that teaching the components of positive emotions and positive interactions of positive psychology improves the professional skills of teachers, which is in line with the results of the research of Rahdari et al. It showed that the professional skills of experts play a role in choosing a job and continuing their education. It was almost on the same side. Since positive trainings, especially the two components of positive emotions and positive interactions, have improved the personal skills of female teachers, and the development of personal skills leads to the development and improvement of professional skills, so these trainings improve the professional skills of teachers and the motivation to be professional. improves and is very necessary for the teaching profession. In the third step, the results of the research showed that teaching the components of positive emotions and positive interactions of positive psychology improves the social capital of teachers, which is in line with the results of Koshkin's research (18) on the social capital of students and professors. The title is a source for improving the quality of education, which considers the improvement of the quality of education to be dependent on social capital, and the results of the research of Mobaser Azad and Rahdar (19) with the title of explaining the status of dimensions of social capital among teachers in Tehran are in line. It is obvious to everyone that social capital increases two hundred times if there is trust and positive interactions, and therefore it can be said that teaching positive interactions and positive emotions to teachers improves their social capital, and as the results of the research showed, social capital even on The quality of education has had a positive and constructive effect. Therefore, as a general result, it can be said that teaching the components of positive emotions and positive interactions of positive psychology improves the personal skills and social skills of teachers and improves the level of their social capital.

Research limitation:

Among the limitations of the research, the sample was selected from the community of teachers who were active in Farhangian University as full-time teachers, so its results cannot be generalized to all teachers in Isfahan city.

Suggestions:

It is suggested to implement this positive educational intervention for teachers in other levels of education.

Ethical considerations:

In order to comply with ethics in the research, the participants were first informed that they are participating in a research work and participation in it is optional. Also, the objectives of the research, observance of scientific honesty and trustworthiness, informed consent to participate in the research, anonymity of subjects and confidentiality of information were explained to them.

Conflict of interest:

The authors hereby declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the current research.

Acknowledgments:

This article is extracted from the doctoral thesis of the field of educational sciences with the code of ethics IR.IAU.NAJAFABAD.REC.1401.078. The authors hereby appreciate and thank all the participants in this research and all those who effectively cooperated in conducting this research.

[1] - Zahra Mosayebi, MSc, Department management Faculty of Humanities, Qom Branch, University of Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran dr.mosayebi1@gmail.com, ORCID: 0000 0002 5204 8714  

[2] - Gholamreza Sharifirad, PhD, Department management Faculty of Humanities, Qom Branch, University of Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran. dr.sharifirad@gmail.com ORCID: 0000 0001 9955 2566

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