Content analysis of master’s degree and doctorate theses where social skills training is approached Текст научной статьи по специальности «Науки об образовании»

CONTENT ANALYSIS OF MASTER'S DEGREE AND DOCTORATE THESES WHERE SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING IS APPROACHED

Dr. Murat Tezer, Near East University, Ataturk Education Faculty, North Cyprus E-mail: murat.tezer@neu.edu.tr M.Sc. §ebnem Guldal Kan, Near East University, Ataturk Education Faculty, North Cyprus

E-mail: sebnem.guldal@neu.edu.tr Dr. Behcet Oznacar, Near East University, Ataturk Education Faculty, North Cyprus E-mail: behcet.oznacar@neu.edu.tr Dr. §eniz §ensoy, Near East University, Ataturk Education Faculty, North Cyprus E-mail: seniz.sensoy@neu.edu.tr M.Sc. Qilem Qaltiku§u, Near East University, Ataturk Education Faculty, North Cyprus E-mail: cilem.caltikusu@neu.edu.tr

A R T I C L E I N F O

Original Research Received: December, 29.2018. Revised: January, 27.2019. Accepted: February, 16.2019. doi:10.5937/ijcrsee1901043T

UDK

316.62-057.875 378(560)

A B S T R A C T

Social skills play an important role in interpersonal social skills. This study investigates social skills training concept in general sense in articles, master and doctorate degree programs. Literature review was made in the research between the years 2010-2017. In this literature review process the concepts of publication type, subject area, publication year, research design, data collection tool, sample group, province and department concepts were discussed for social skills training. Study group meta-analysis technique was used in this research. Thirty-eight articles and the theses existing in 22 master's degree and 21 doctorate program in Turkish Council of Higher Education National Thesis Centre and Google Scholar were analysed.

Keywords: © 2019 IJCRSEE. All rights reserved.

higher education,

graduate education,

social skills training,

content analysis.

1. INTRODUCTION

History of education is based on the beginning of human history. However, education directed a number of developments and changes within the time passed from the beginning of human history to the present day. Modern education within this process aims at the development of physical, emotional and social skills most appropriately for individuals and their society (Price, 2018). This situation caused an important development and change in higher education systems. Therefore, it be-

Corresponding Author

Dr. Murat Tezer, Near East University, Ataturk Education Faculty, North Cyprus E-mail: murat.tezer@neu.edu.tr

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivs 4.0. The article is published with Open Access at www.ijcrsee.com

came necessary for higher education to have international demand, structure, and standards in globalization.

In recent years, training programs within the framework of harmonization with the European Union at higher education level too as well as radical changes and developments have been prepared again with the transition from traditional education into modern education. Postgraduate education programs are prepared by the institutions at universities and confirmed by the Council of Higher Education. Any change that will be made in each teaching phase of education will influence level programs also in other education levels at the same time (Creasy, 2018).

Human being is a social entity. Human being enters in interaction process by establishing social relationships with the environment. Social skills of those individuals who can establish healthy relationships within this interaction process are developed (Kansky, and Allen, 2018). It can be said that the most

important factor in developing and sustaining the presence of human is the adaptation. Human being comes to the world as biological asset, adapts the environment and sustains his/her life (Samanci and Di§, 2014). Consequently, social development is an acquired behaviour complying social expectations as well as cognitive, affective and physical development considering the characteristics of individuals existing in development process (Ih-meideh, 2019). Development of social skills in the literature is a concept identical as social competence. Social competence is about the adaptation within the social structure. Social skills imply an individual to behave accordingly with the acts expected by the society (Ng, 2018).

Social skills started to develop after 1970s in childhood. The investigations about this field were supported with the object of the description of the children's social skills and evaluation of children's social skills deficiency, display of approaches suitable interference.

It is possible to reach the related definitions about social skills in the related literature review. Walker (1995) described social skills as specific strategies that were used in order to carry out the social duty that were given to common expectation. Social skills intended to maintain the communication and interaction, can be repeated, can be determined. As another definition of social skills, initiation and continuation of positive interactions by individuals with others are important acts (Bourne, Andersen-Warren and Hackett, 2018). Consequently, like several conceptions, as well social skills conception was attempted to be explained with different descriptions by different people. When the descriptions of social skills are examined, it is a generally accepted statement in all definitions that a person may respond appropriately giving the meaning of the counter party's behaviours in individual's relationships (Tomlinson, 2018). With this statement, social skills have an effective role of facilitate the communication of individual with other people (Jam et all, 2018).

Some children in social skills may encounter with several problems in their professional life and interpersonal relationships and emotional-behavioural matters throughout their life academically. According to Uz-Ba§ (2003), in the consequence of his work on the students that attending 4th and 5th primary school it is claimed that there is a positive and significant relationship between the children's

social skills and the school compatibility; there is a negative and significant relationship between the academic success and depression level. With this result, it is claimed that the social skills of the children that will gained at childhood period, the negative psychological emotions of children are effective on their academic success. Because of a conducted work, Chen (2018) determined that incompatible children in proportion to usual children have low-level problem solving and social skills. In order to eliminate these problems it is required to ensure integration of the children with the society increasing their social skill levels. The results of the work about the subject show that social skill trainings of the children are effective on their social skills acquisition (Paulus and Leitherer, 2017).

It is important to develop effective and efficient programs and appropriate learning methods in social skills training. Teaching of the game applied in early child-hood period is reflected into the development of social skills of children is emphasized in the study conducted by Pavao et all, (2019).

Supporting social skills in early years of life influences the development of behaviour that an individual will exhibit (Miller et all, 2017).

Veziroglu-Celik and Acar (2018) stated that early years of life are very critical in terms of designing cognitive, personal and social behaviours. If the children fall behind the social development living in crises from their birth to 12 years, solving problems, acquiring social skills like dealing with problems, developing self-reliance and self-discipline are getting harder for the children. The early childhood is an appropriate period for children to learn social skills in terms of social adaptation in future personal development. This period also supported social skills that children developed over problematic behaviours (Ahn, Byun and Kwon, 2017).

Human being is a social entity in nature. Individuals cannot sustain their life by only meeting their physical needs out of their overall needs. They sustain their life for meeting their needs such as safety, respect, love, etc. that are provided in upper steps of Maslow's pyramid. People feel the need of sharing their emotions, thoughts and expectations throughout their life. In order that this could be realized effectively, it is directly related to the power of individuals' social skills (Samanci and Di§, 2014).

In this research the studies about social skills training are analysed in terms of publi-

cation type, subject area, publication year, research design, data collection tool, sample group, province and department. These studies are tried to be revealed in regard of which subjects they are concentrated around. In this direction, the study makes a significant contribution to the literature revealing how the studies follow the social skills training within a period of eight years approximately.

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

The research model, data collection and data analyses of the current study are dealt in parallel with the objectives. In this study qualitative data analysis method is used which is thought appropriate to our objectives. Because the content analysis is to bring together the data similar to each other under certain conceptions and themes, and to organize and interpret them in such a way that a reader could understand them (Yildirim and §im§ek, 2013). The content analysis is a systematic, replica-ble technique that can be summarized with smaller content categories of a text, which is based on certain guidelines.

The theses analysed in this research are restricted with the dissertations that are accessible in PDF extension as of 13 th November 2017. from the National Thesis Centre of the Council of Higher Education. This working group consists of 22 Master's Thesis, 21 Doctoral Thesis and 38 articles. In addition, the thesis that are written only in Turkish are included in the research in respect of 13. November 2017. with reference to "Social Skills Training" code concept. Totally 43 thesis are reached with the scanning belonging to 20102017 conducted in Turkish Council of Higher Education National Thesis Centre (YOKTEZ) Head Office. The articles analysed in research include 38 studies. Following parameters are used in restricting research articles:

1. Google academic data is used in order to determine research articles.

2. The articles, which are published only between 2010-2017. years, are analysed in the research.

3. The articles, which are written only in Turkish and published in national peer-reviewed journals, are analysed.

Totally nine questions were included in analysing totally 81 studies regarding Social Skills Training (SST) that were included in the sample of this research. Each of the questions is evaluated as a "theme" for the content analysis instruction used in the research. The

questions located in content analysis instruction are given below.

1. What is the distribution of studies related to SST in respect of publication type?

2. What is the distribution of studies related to SST in respect of the subject area?

3. What is the distribution of studies related to SST in respect of publishing date?

4. What is the distribution of studies related to SST in respect of the research design?

5. What is the distribution of studies related to SST in respect of the data collection tool?

6. What is the distribution of studies related to SST in respect of the data solution?

7. What is the distribution of studies related to SST in respect of sample group type?

8. What is the distribution of studies related to SST in respect of the provinces?

9. What is the distribution of studies related to SST in respect of the department?

In this study totally 81 studies which were subjected to the content analysis were read several times, themes were formed for 11 questions in the guidelines of content analysis and encoded one by one. The data were encoded twice independently at two different times by the researcher in order to provide the indoor consistency (reliability) in coding. The second coding was conducted after two weeks upon the first coding. Later the two codes were compared with each other and calculated by applying the formula (Reliability = Consensus / Consensus + Divergence X 100) of Miles & Huberman (1994). The conformity between the two coding was calculated as 10o% in the reliability study that was put into practice specific for this research.

3. RESULTS

In this department the data obtained related to the themes questioned with nine questions in content analysis instruction are presented into tables.

Table 1. The Distribution of Studies Related to SST in Respect of Publication Type

Publication Type F %

Master's Thesis 22 27

Doctoral Thesis 21 26

Research Article 38 47

Table 1 shows the distribution of studies

related to SST in respect of publication type. As indicated in Table 1, 22 (27%) of the total 81 studies were conducted in the master's degree level, 21 (26%) of them were doctorate level and 38 (47%) of them were in the scope of research article. This standing shows that there is a requirement to multiple researches at doctorate level with regard to SST.

Table 2 shows the distribution of studies related to SST in respect of subject area. According to Table 2, totally 21 different topic studies have occurred related to SST. The subject areas in which the most studies are done are respectively: (i) SST in primary education social skills (30%), (ii) SST in preschool social skills (21%) and (iii) SST in the family (11%). The subject areas in which the least studies are done are: (i) Social skills in secondary education, Social Skills in Medium education students, Social skills in harmonized class, Social skills in life sciences, Social skills in social science lesson, Social skills in the school, Social Skills in universities, Social skills of school psychological counsellors in problem solving, Social skills in broken families, activity-based Social Skills, Social skills in Latin dances, Social skills in social concern, Social skills in hidden curriculum, Social skills in primary school management (1%) Among the 81 studies examined, finding only one study in these subject areas shows that there is a need to work more in these areas.

Table 2. The distribution of studies related to SST in respect of the subject area

Subject Area F %

SST in pre-school education 15 21

SST in primary education 21 30

SST in secondary education 1 1

SST in the family S 11

SST in autism spectrum 4

disorder

SST in gifled students 3 4

SST in people "with mental 2 3

disabilities

SST in harmonized class 1 1

SST in life sciences 1 1

SST in social science lesson 1 1

SST in the school 1 1

SST in universities 1 1

SST of school psychologi-

cal counsellors in problem 1 1

solving

SST in broken families 1 1

Activity based SST 1 1

SST in Latin dances 1 1

SST in social concern 1 1

SST in hidden curriculum 1 1

SST in primary school 1 1

management

SST in nursery class 4 6

Table 3 shows the distribution of studies related to SST in respect of publishing year. According to Table 3, study findings about totally eight publishing year is delivered related to SST. The years of publication in which most of the work is done are respectively as follows: The highest three distribution of publishing date of SST are 23% in 2015, 16% in 2010 and 15% in 2013. Distribution of the least publishing year is 6% in 2017.

Table 3. Distribution of studies related to SST in respect of the publishing year

Publishing Year F %

2010 13 16

2011 S 10

2012 7 9

2013 12 15

2014 9 11

2015 19 23

2016 S 10

2017 5 ó

Table 4. Distribution of studies related to SST in respect of the research design

Research Desiga F %

Relational Survey Model 9 11

Survey Model 15 19

Quantitative 21 26

Qualitative 10 12

Mixed 11 14

Descriptive 3 4

Experimental 21 26

Table 4 indicates the distribution of studies related to SST in respect of the research design. According to Table 4, 7 research design findings that were used in the studies regarding SST were obtained. The most frequently used research designs are respectively as follows: Experimental (26%), Quantitative (26%), Survey (19%). The least used research design was descriptive one (4%).

Table 5. Shows the distribution of the studies related to SST in respect of data collection tool.

Social Competence and Adaptation to School Scale, Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale were used as the least data collection tools (1%).

Table 6. Sample groups distribution of

the study regarding SST

Sample Groups F %

Mothers 3 4

High school students 1 1

Pre-school teacher 2 2

Classroom teacher lecturing at primary school 1 1

Adolescents 1 1

Students not dancing 4 5

Primary7 school students. 24 30

Primary7 school admin- 1 1

istrators

Students with mental deficiency 1 1

Special training teachers 1 1

Teacher candidate 2 3

Pre-school students 40 50

Table 6 shows the sample group distribution of the studies related to SST in twelve types. While the pre-school (50%) program was mostly used in the sampling of SST, the sampling of the studies regarding SST the least one (1%) was used in in content analysis with primary school administrators, students with mental disorders, teachers of special training.

Table 7. Distribution of the study according to provinces of Turkey regarding SST

According to Table 5, totally 23 data collection tools were used in the studies regarding SST. The most frequently used research designs are respectively as follows: Social Skills Evaluation Scale is 23% social skills evaluation scale is 21% and personal information form is 18%. Child and Parents Relationship Scale, Self-Control Ability, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Social Physics Anxiety Inventory, Being Satisfied with Physical Points, Main Characteristics Scale, Gilliam's Autistic Disorder Scale, Academic Success Test, Social Focus Grouping Scale, Social Values Scale, Assessment of Mother Curriculum, Social Acceptance Scale, Walker McConnell's

Provinces F «/„

Ankara 16 19

Mersm 2 3

I&tanbul IS 22

Izmir 12 14

Gumii^hane 1 1

Konva 4 5

Afyon 5 6

Maniüa 1 1

Elagiz 1 1

BoLu 1 1

Malatva 1 1

Erzurum 1 1

Tokat 1 1

Edirne 1 1

Kayseri 2 3

Usak 2 3

Adana 3 4

Sivai 2 3

Rankin 2 3

KahramaiiMaraj 2 3

Mqj 2 3

Denali 1 1

Table 7 indicates the distribution of the studies regarding SST in twenty-four different provinces. The most widely used distribution is Istanbul (22%) in SST, whereas the least used ones are Mersin, Gumu§hane, Konya, Manisa, Elagiz, Bolu, Malatya, Erzurum, To-kat, Edirne and Denizli (1%) regarding SST.

Table 8. Departmental distribution of the study regarding SST

Department F °/o

Educational sciences 5 6

Primar}1 education 21 26

Institute of social sciences 5 6

Psychology 7 9

Child development and

home management

Physical education and

sports teaching

Recreation 4 5

Education programs and

teaching

Teaching for the blind 2 2

Special training 7 9

Fine arts 2 2

Psychological Counselling

and Guidance

Child development and 12 15

education

Table 8 shows the departmental distribution of the studies related to SST in thirteen types. While the highest distribution among departments with regard to SST is in primary education with 26%, the least one is in teaching for blind and fine arts with 2%.

4. DISCUSSIONS

The content analysis, which was made with regard to social skills training, was investigated under the scope of master's thesis, doctoral thesis and articles according to publication type. Kahveci and Ataman (2017) conducted a study on the effect of consolidated behavioural consultation program on communication/social skills and inappropriate behaviours of blind autistic child. No actual resources have been encountered in recent years regarding social skills training. This can underline the importance in needing master's theses and doctoral these studies with regard to social skills training.

It can be concluded from the research

that the studies about social skills training in pre-school and primary school are cared more. In fact, it is possible to make research on special training and different educational levels regarding social skills training.

As a result of the content analysis made in relation to social skills training, it was concluded that social skills training was utilized between 2010. and 2017. predominantly in the database of YOKTEZ and google scholar. The social skills training can be enriched within 10 years through related actual resources.

Most of the studies used the experimental research design with regard to social skills training. It was concluded that the there were less studies in which both quantitative and qualitative ones were conducted together. Karateke and Omeroglu (2017) separated into two the examination of the effect of social skills training program that is applied to children having a potential of superior ability on the development of social skills. Validity and reliability studies were conducted for the Coloured Progressive Matrices test in the first chapter of the research, and the analysis of education program was made in the second chapter. Single grouped pre-test and post-test experimental design without control group were used in the study out of test models in the second chapter. However, it can be said that pre-test and post-test design was used frequently in experimental studies.

The social skills mostly used as data collection tool in the related researches regarding the relevant literature was rating scale. SPSS and content analysis were used in the research in analysing data. In the distribution of sampling related to social skills training, we can see most frequently pre-school and primary school students.

In the distribution of the study according to provinces regarding SST there are Istanbul and Ankara. In fact, we can say that most of the study regarding SST is distributed in the department of primary school.

5. CONCLUSIONS

As a conclusion, it was found that social skills training was utilized for the last seven years until 2017. predominantly. Most of the studies used the experimental research design with regard to social skills training. It was concluded that the there were less studies in which both quantitative and qualitative ones were conducted together. Content analysis were used in the research in analysing data.

In the distribution of sampling related to social skills training, we can see most frequently preschool and primary school students.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to express our gratitude to our institute, Near East University, that has provided many experiences in term of research.

Conflict of interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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