SAFER Training Programme (English)

The second important concept which will be discussed are the social skills. Social Skills are defined as the ability of people to interact with each other. The effectiveness of the interaction between two or more people is explained based on the received information. Social skills development is a process by which individuals develop and maintain social relationships, resolve conflicts with other people, understand others’ feelings and support others’ values and beliefs (Humphrey, et al. 2010). Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of certain educational programmes (e.g., PATHS, Chicago Child-Parent Center- CPC, CASASTART, Quantum Opportunities Program-QOP) and concluded that these type of programmes, which promote social skills to children and young people, are effective in reducing violent acts as well as cultivating positive communication competencies and positive social relationships (World Health Organization, 2009).

From the early developmental stages, children learn to interact and communicate with other people by using non-verbal cues (such as play, observing, peer-interaction, etc) (Oswalt, 2018). The complexity of children’s social interactions becomes apparent following the development of linguistic and cognitive abilities as well as the prevalence of more complex verbal and non-verbal cues in children’s communication abilities (Cherry, 2018). Teachers’ methods utilize in class are considered vital for the development of student’s social skills (Selimović, et al. 2018).