Sadra Medical Journal

Development and Validation of an Educational Program Based on the Integration of Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies with Mindfulness and Embodiment on Children’s Social-Emotional Competence

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Fatemeh Hatami
Mahboobeh Fouladchang
Bahram Jowkar
Masoud Fazilat-Pour

Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30476/smsj.2026.107812.1664
Abstract
Introduction: Social-emotional competencies in preschool children are of particular importance and can significantly influence their psychological, social, and academic development. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of integrating the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) program with mindfulness and embodiment interventions in enhancing the social-emotional competencies of preschool children.
Methods: This study employed a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of preschool children in Shiraz during the 2024-2025 academic year. The participants consisted of 40 children aged 5 to 6 years who were selected through convenience sampling from one of the preschool centers in Shiraz and were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=20) and a control group (n=20). Both groups completed the Social-Emotional Competence Questionnaire (Zhou and Ee, 2012) as a pre-test and post-test. The experimental group received 12 structured sessions of integrated training based on the PATHS program combined with mindfulness and embodiment exercises, while the control group followed the kindergarten’s regular curriculum. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS software, version 27.
Results: The results indicated a significant increase in post-test scores of social-emotional competence in the experimental group compared to the control group (P<0.001). Furthermore, the intervention significantly improved the components of self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, communication skills, and social awareness (P<0.001).
Conclusion: The educational program integrating PATHS with mindfulness and embodiment had a significant impact on improving the social-emotional competencies of preschool children and could be used as an effective approach for fostering these skills.

Keywords

Social Skills
Mindfulness
Cognition
Embodiment
Education
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Sadra Medical Journal
Volume 14, Issue 2
Spring 2026
Pages 375-392

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