Mis Masoumeh Akbari, Mansoreh Bahramipour,
Volume 25, Issue 97 (7-2025)
Abstract
Introduction: The research was conducted with the aim of the effectiveness of teaching happy children strategy on parenting skills, social interest, autonomy and sense of belonging children.
Method: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with experimental and control groups, featuring pre-test, post-test, and 45-day follow-up assessments. The target population consisted of parents of children aged 10-12 years in Isfahan. Using convenience sampling, 40 participants were selected and randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group (20 per group). Measurement instruments included: (1) the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (Frick, 1991), (2) the Children’s Social Interest Scale (Alizadeh et al., [year]), (3) the Emotional Autonomy Scale (Steinberg & Silverberg, 1986), and (4) the Sense of Belonging Instrument (Parker et al., [year]).
Findings: The analysis revealed statistically significant relationships between: (1) mean parenting skills scores and their components, (2) mean social interest scores and their components, (3) mean children’s independence scores and their components, and (4) mean sense of belonging scores and their components across all research phases. Furthermore, significant interaction effects were observed between time (pre-test, post-test, follow-up) and group membership (experimental vs. control) for all measured variables.
Discussion: The findings demonstrate that the Happy Children Strategy intervention effectively enhances children’s independence, sense of belonging, and social interest while simultaneously improving parenting competencies. As an innovative approach, this program produces measurable changes in the key developmental variables examined in this study. These results suggest that researchers and practitioners should prioritize these fundamental psychosocial factors when designing child development programs and interventions
