Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Department of Psychology, Counseling and Education, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran
2
Department of counseling and educational psychology, Faculty of education and psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
3
Department of counseling and educational psychology, Faculty of education and psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
10.22054/qccpc.2026.91915.3628
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of an educational package for bullying prevention based on moral commitment in reducing bullying and moral disengagement among elementary school students. A quasi-experimental design with pretest–posttest assessments and a control group was employed. The study population consisted of male elementary school students exhibiting bullying behaviors in schools in Mashhad during the 2024–2025 academic year. Due to limited access to and cooperation from schools, two elementary schools were selected through convenience sampling. Students in these schools were then screened using the Illinois Bully Scale (Espelage & Holt, 2001), and those who met the study’s inclusion criteria were enrolled. The participants were subsequently randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. Both groups completed the Moral Disengagement Scale developed by Bandura et al. (1996). The experimental group then received nine 60-minute sessions of the educational program for bullying prevention based on moral commitment (Babaei, 2020), whereas the control group received no intervention. Following the posttest, the data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The results indicated that the educational package significantly reduced bullying among elementary school students (F(1, 27) = 108.045, p < .001) and moral disengagement (F(1, 27) = 39.380,p < .001). Therefore, this educational program may serve as an effective approach to addressing bullying and moral disengagement in elementary schools.
Keywords