Document Type : Research/Original/Regular

Authors

• Yasser Rezapour Mirsaleh ¹
• Saghar Ahmadi ²

¹ Department of Counseling, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ardakan University, Ardakan, Iran

² Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ardakan University, Ardakan, Iran

Abstract

Female heads of households face various psychological and social challenges that significantly impact their lives. The objective of this study was to explore the impact of an intervention focused on teaching problem-solving and decision-making skills on the critical thinking abilities of female heads of households. This research employed a semi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test measures, including a control group. The study population comprised all female heads of households under the jurisdiction of the Welfare organization of Meybod city. Thirty participants were selected via purposive sampling and randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group (15 participants per group). The experimental group underwent a ten-session training program on problem-solving and decision-making skills, while the control group received no intervention. Both groups completed the California Critical Thinking Questionnaire before and after the intervention. The data were analyzed using multiple analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). The findings revealed that teaching problem-solving and decision-making skills significantly enhanced critical thinking among participants in the experimental group. This effect was observed across all three subscales of critical thinking (p < .01). These results suggest that instructing problem-solving and decision-making skills can effectively enhance the quality of critical thinking among female-headed households.

Keywords

• Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills
• Female-Headed Households
• Critical Thinking

Main Subjects

• Woman and family