Developing a Based-on-play Cognitive-behavioral Educational Package and Determining Its Effectiveness in Improving the Language Disorders and Social Adjustment in Bilingual Children

Background: The present study was conducted to develop a game-based cognitive-behavioral educational package and determine its effectiveness in improving the receptive language disorders and social adjustment of bilingual children.  Methods: The current study was applied objectively and in terms of the nature of the data, it was quasi-experimental with a pretest post-test design and follow-up with experimental, control, and pseudo-control groups. The statistical population of the research includes all bilingual children of Bojnord City, Iran who were studying in preschool centers in the academic year 2018-2019. A sample consisting of 60 male and female students was selected using convenience sampling and according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and they were randomly assigned to three experimental, control, and pseudo-control groups (each group with 20 people). In the pretest stages, the participants completed the Nikamer and Hamill language development test and the Dokhanchi social adjustment scale, and then during the intervention process of the experimental group, they received a game-based cognitive-behavioral training program for 12 sessions. The pseudo-control group received a program except for play therapy, and the control group received no intervention. After the end of the intervention, all three groups responded to both scales again in the post-test stages and were re-evaluated after two months. The data were analyzed using the analysis of variance test with repeated measurements and using SPSS software, versian 24. Results: The results showed that the game-based cognitive-behavioral intervention is significantly effective in improving the receptive language disorders and social adjustment of bilingual children compared to the control and quasi-control groups. Conclusion: It seems that game-based cognitive-behavioral interventions can play a significant role in improving the language skills and social adaptation of bilingual children.