Social Learning Theory and its Role in Reducing Behavioral Problems in Children

Children suffer from many behavioral problems that arise and require solutions. These problems may be academic, familial, or social, requiring training programs. These problems include aggressive behavior, lying, and other negative behaviors. Hence, the current study aims to test the effectiveness of social learning theory in reducing behavioral problems among some children. The study sample consisted of 60 children, who were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group consisting of 30 children (who received guidance through the theory) and a control group consisting of 30 children (who did not receive the guidance). The study tools consisted of the Social Innovative Thinking Scale (Dodge, 1986), modified and re-standardized by Hesham Mohamed (2019), the Behavioral Problems Scale, and a guidance program based on social learning theory to reduce behavioral problems in children. The psychometric determinants of the study tools were calculated, and the results showed that there were statistically significant differences at the level of (0.001) between the average scores of children with some behavioral problems in the experimental and control groups after applying the program on the social innovation scale and its dimensions (fluency, flexibility, originality, total score) in favor of the experimental group. There were statistically significant differences at the level of (0.001) between the average scores of children with some behavioral problems in the experimental group in the pre- and post-measurement on the social innovation scale and its dimensions (fluency, flexibility, originality, total score) in favor of the post-application. There were no statistically significant differences between the average scores of children with some behavioral problems in the post- and follow-up measurements on the social innovation scale and its dimensions (fluency, flexibility, originality, total score) after a month of applying the program. The proposed theory contributes by a percentage ranging between (0.916) to (0.946), which indicates the effective impact of the theory on children’s behavioral problems.