Effects of life skills training program on developing critical thinking, creative thinking, and life skills competency among Iranian primary school girls

The most important element in the educational system is “thinking” that is goaldirected and purposeful approach to arrive at meaningful, thoughtful and effective decision making to have better quality of their life; and the problem is that improving of thinking skills is necessary in Iranian educational system. The goal of this quasiexperimental study was to investigate whether life skills training program affects the critical thinking, creative thinking, and life skills competency of Iranian fifth grade primary school girls. The participants who were 65 fifth grade primary school girls in a public primary school in Tehran in the academic year 2010-2011 were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (E1 and E2) and two conventional groups (C1 and C2) by utilizing Solomon four group design. In the present study conducted pre-test, posttest,and follow up test. The participants in the E1 and C1 were pretested, then students in experimental groups (E1 and E2) underwent life skills program. The training program was conducted during 12 weeks; each week consisted of seventy minutes. Four groups (E1, E2, C1 and C2) completed the post-test, and then the students were assessed by the follow up test after eight weeks to explore the lasting effects of training. The participants completed three scales to measure variables: California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST), Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) Figural, Form A and B, and Life Skills Questionnaire (LSQ). The data were analyzed by using independent t-test, one way ANOVA, repeated measure and two way factorial design analyses. The results indicated that the overall and subscales of critical thinking skills improved in experimental groups with life skills training, and they outperformed the conventional groups. As well, the results of follow up showed that life skills training resulted in lasting change of critical thinking in experimental groups, and finding were favorable towards increasing the critical thinking skills. In addition, findings indicated that experimental groups are superior in creative thinking performance in comparison to the conventional instruction. Moreover, creative thinking improved in flexibility, elaboration, and abstractness of title subscales of creative thinking in experimental groups. This training also leads to lasting change in overall and fluency, flexibility, elaboration and abstractness of title subscales of creative thinking in experimental groups. Besides, the results revealed that the experimental and conventional groups do not differ in overall and subscales of life skills competency,and life skills training did not change life skills competency in experimental groups. Furthermore, the results showed the overall favorable view of students in experimental groups toward integrating the use of life skills training in the teaching and learning of thinking. The study may serve as a conceptual framework for future studies. It can also contribute to the improvement of creative and critical thinking by life skills training; increase their understanding of thinking especially in decisionmaking and problem solving. Moreover, it can promote positive social adjustment and contribute to the development of pedagogical practices in the teaching of thinking to students