Social Skills For Individuals Research Articles

Natural supports in competitive integrated employment: A scoping review

BACKGROUND: Competitive integrated employment (CIE) improves the quality of life for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Individuals with IDD may need additional support in the workplace. Natural supports has been studied as an intervention to provide support and increase vocational and social skills for individuals with IDD in the workplace. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to review the existing literature conducted on implementing natural supports in CIE settings to build vocational or social skills for individuals with IDD. METHOD: We followed the PRISMA-ScR process to identify articles across seven databases and coded information related to demographics, methodology, and outcomes. RESULTS: Seventeen articles were identified between 1985 –2024 that focused on implementing natural supports in CIE settings for individuals with IDD. Studies addressed vocational and social skills and broader vocational topics such as wages, hours worked, and inclusion in the workplace. CONCLUSION: Employees with IDD improved their engagement in vocational tasks, increased their social interactions with coworkers, and improved their quality of life through increased wages, hours worked, and job tenure. Additional research is warranted to provide further evidence on the impact of natural supports in the workplace for employees with and without IDD.

The Role of New Media Technologies in Improving Communication Skills of Intellectual Disabled Individuals

The communication and social skills of individuals with mental disabilities are considerably behind their peers with normal development. These individuals’ educational needs vary depending on their distinct traits. There is an increasing need to improve communication skills in order to minimize the problems experienced by these mentally handicapped individuals in the family, at school, at all levels of social life, and in interpersonal relationships. Considering their characteristics, educational environments designed for these individuals should be set up in such a way that they can make full use of educational opportunities. Emerging from the application of computer and information-processing developments to the field of communication and starting to direct the relations between individuals with the use of the Internet and technological devices together, new media has also been introduced into educational environments, and changes have started to be seen in the educational processes of individuals with intellectual disabilities. New media technologies aim to optimize learning settings for students who show different developmental characteristics than their peers and learn differently from them. Educational environments where new media technologies are used as auxiliary materials provide these individuals the opportunity to learn individually in line with their own abilities and therefore improve the quality of education. New media technologies support the development of communication skills in individuals with mental disabilities, as well as their reading, writing, and math skills, according to their disability area. This study, in this regard, provides information on the development of communication skills in individuals with mental disabilities to socially integrate and conduct interpersonal interactions in a healthy way and offers suggestions for the use of new media tools to improve the communication skills of individuals with mental disabilities.

Virtual and Augmented Simulations in Mental Health.

This examines significant trends and developments in the utilization of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) simulations in the field of mental health and education. The objective is to gain insights into the emerging applications of VR/AR in mental health interventions and their potential impact on patient outcomes. The review also includes personal observations on the effectiveness and challenges associated with VR/AR simulations and the rise of exciting, disruptive artificial intelligence large language models. The findings of this review contribute to the understanding of the current state of VR/AR technology in mental health and highlight potential future directions in this rapidly evolving field. Recent studies have shown that VR/AR simulation is an effective and promising approach for treating various anxiety disorders, including specific phobias, social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Simulated environments can be tailored to induce provoking situations, allowing individuals to learn from and gradually confront and grow in controlled and safe environments. Recent findings in the field of virtual reality simulations in mental health indicate that VR/AR exposure therapy is effective for treating anxiety disorders, while interventions show promise in improving social skills in individuals working with patients. In a broader sense, the use of VR/AR as an educational tool shows enormous potential now that functional generative artificial intelligence (AI) is recently available.

Development of social skills for people with ASD through intervention with digital technologies and virtual reality (VR) tools

This analysis explores the use of virtual reality (VR) tools as an intervention to improve social skills for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The analysis aims to understand the effectiveness of VR tools in providing a safe and controlled environment for individuals with ASD to practice social skills, in comparison to traditional interventions such as role-playing and group therapy.The findings of the study suggest that VR intervention is more effective in improving social skills for individuals with ASD compared to traditional interventions. The VR intervention found to be engaging, enjoyable, and immersive for participants, and they reported feeling more confident in social situations.The analysis also discusses the practical implications of VR intervention for individuals with ASD, such as reducing the stigma associated with traditional therapy, and the potential for individualized and customizable interventions. Additionally, raises important ethical considerations such as the need for informed consent, privacy, and confidentiality when using VR tools in interventions for individuals with ASD. The objectives of this research publication are to comprehensively analyze the literature on interventions aimed at improving social skills in individuals with ASD and identify gaps in current research. Additionally, this research aims to explore the potential of digital technologies and virtual reality (VR) tools as effective and innovative methods for enhancing social skills in individuals with ASD. The publication also aims to critically evaluate the effectiveness of digital technologies and VR tools in improving social skills in individuals with ASD, based on existing empirical evidence. Further, the publication aims to provide practical recommendations for the design and implementation of digital technologies and VR interventions aimed at improving social skills in individuals with ASD. Additionally, this research publication aims to highlight the potential benefits of using digital technologies and VR tools in interventions aimed at improving social skills in individuals with ASD, including increased motivation, engagement, and generalization of skills. Furthermore, ethical considerations associated with using digital technologies and VR tools in interventions aimed at improving social skills in individuals with ASD will be discussed, including issues related to privacy, safety, and informed consent. Lastly, this research aims to identify areas for future research and development in the field of digital technologies and VR interventions for individuals with ASD, with a focus on improving social skills and overall quality of life.

Early diagnosis of autism using indian autism grading tool

Autism spectrum disorder is a neuro-developmental disorder that affects communication and social skills in individuals. Screening and diagnosis of autism using conventional methods, such as interviews with parents or caregivers and observational assessments takes a long time. The accurate diagnosis of autism by physicians and healthcare professionals seems to be challenging. By analyzing data on autistic children, medical professionals can learn about autism screening assessment decision making. The present study aims to develop a parental autism screening tool termed the Indian Autism Grading Tool (IAGT) for early screening of autism. Data are collected using the Indian Autism Parental Questionnaire and assigned with grades. This dataset is employed to test five supervised machine learning models, which compare classification performance based on accuracy, precision and recall. The most effective model should be used to implement the autism screening application. MLR is known to be more robust and to support fewer data sets, so it can be employed for the implementation of ML-powered mobile applications. MLR achieves the overall accuracy of 97.85%, which equates to 0.72%, 2.37%, 0.84% and 1.54% better than SVM, DT, KNN and GNB respectively. The proposed tool is developed in both Tamil and English. The pilot study is conducted with 30 children and the predictability of the tool is compared with the clinician. Therefore, the tool consistently achieves the same level of accuracy as clinicians.

Artificial scaffolding: Augmenting social cognition by means of robot technology.

The concept of scaffolding refers to the support that the environment provides in the acquisition and consolidation of new abilities. Technological advancements allow for support in the acquisition of cognitive capabilities, such as second language acquisition using simple smartphone applications There is, however, one domain of cognition that has been scarcely addressed in the context of technologically assisted scaffolding: social cognition. We explored the possibility of supporting the acquisition of social competencies of a group of children with autism spectrum disorder engaged in a rehabilitation program (age=5.8 ± 1.14, 10 females, 33 males) by designing two robot-assisted training protocols tailored to Theory of Mind competencies. One protocol was performed with a humanoid robot and the other (control) with a non-anthropomorphic robot. We analyzed changes in NEPSY-II scores before and after the training using mixed effects models. Our results showed that activities with the humanoid significantly improved NEPSY-II scores on the ToM scale. We claim that the motor repertoire of humanoids makes them ideal platforms for artificial scaffolding of social skills in individuals with autism, as they can evoke similar social mechanisms to those elicited in human-human interaction, without providing the same social pressure that another human might exert.

Charisma™ virtual social training: A digital health platform and protocol

Low immersion virtual reality (LIVR) is a computer-generated, three-dimensional virtual environment that allows for authentic social interactions through a personal avatar, or digital representation of oneself. Lab-based delivery of LIVR social skills intervention has been shown to support social learning through controlled, targeted practice. Recent remote technological advancements allow LIVR-based social skills training to potentially overcome accessibility barriers by delivering to youth in their home. This study investigated the impact of 10-h of Charisma™ Virtual Social Training (CHARISMA-VST), a LIVR-based intervention, on social skill changes in children and adolescents who struggle socially via either in-person or remote training protocols. Specifically, the aims examined both the impact of training location (in-person vs remote access) and diagnosis (parent report of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis versus parent report of other non-ASD diagnosis) on objective measures of social skill change following CHARISMA-VST. Researchers delivered the CHARISMA-VST via Charisma 1.0, a customized virtual gaming environment. Sixty-seven participants (49 males, 18 females) between the ages of 9–17, with parent reported social challenges, completed 10, 1-h CHARISMA-VST sessions during which nine social cognitive strategies were taught and then practiced within a LIVR environment with interspersed social coaching. Four social cognitive domains were measured pre-post training: emotion recognition, social inferencing, social attribution, and social self-schemata. Results revealed improvements in emotion recognition, social inferencing, social attribution, and social self-schemata with medium to large effect sizes following the CHARISMA-VST. There was no moderating effect of training location on emotion recognition, social inferencing, and social self-schemata, suggesting comparable gains whether participants accessed the technology in their own homes or from a school or specialty center. There was no moderating effect of ASD versus non-ASD diagnosis on performance measures, suggesting CHARISMA-VST may be effective in improving social skills in individuals beyond its initially designed use focused on individuals with ASD. These encouraging findings from this pilot intervention study provide some of the first evidence of potential new virtual technology tools, as exemplified by CHARISMA-VST, to improve one of the most important aspects of human behavior—social skills and human connectedness in youth with a range of social competency challenges.

Horticultural Therapy Course as an Educational-Therapeutic Tool of Rehabilitation for Individuals with MSDs

The article presents the authors’ course “Horticultural Therapy”, which includes various activities related to the interaction with flora and its images. Evidence suggests that Ukrainian discourse lacks methodical materials on horticultural therapy and, thus, requires methods that can contribute to developing the skills of conscious psychological separation from constant parental care, taking responsibility for their lives, setting real-life goals and destroying the position of helplessness in individuals with MSDs. The article aims to theoretically justify, methodically develop and present the results from implementing the authors’ course “Horticultural Therapy” in rehabilitation centres. The authors’ methodical complex is based on the use of the following methods: analysis of theoretical and methodical sources; modelling of educational conditions and programmes; methods of implementing the didactic content in the educational-rehabilitational process; expert evaluation; statistical methods. The verification quasi-experiment of the modelled conditions for corrective learning has shown a significant increase in social skills in individuals with MSDs. Besides, findings confirm the increased levels of their independence, social and personal incentives, household and self-care skills. The international relevance of the article lies in the further development of nature-centric methods of corrective pedagogy, conductive pedagogy and non-medical treatment of CNS diseases, which is an important area of neurorehabilitation today.

Virtual reality and augmented reality as strategies for teaching social skills to individuals with intellectual disability: A systematic review.

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) programs have proliferated significantly in recent years and they are finding their way into different educational and therapeutic purposes. This systematic review aims at analyzing the virtual reality and augmented reality programs designed to promote the development of social skills in individuals with intellectual disability. Searches were carried out in the Scopus, Science Direct, Springer and Web of Science databases in the period from 2005 to 2020. A total of six articles met the inclusion criteria. A descriptive data analysis was performed. The results show that the clinical profile of the individuals who participated in the interventions is diverse. It can be concluded that there is some scientific evidence that points to the usefulness of VR and AR in the development of intervention programs to improve the social skills of individuals diagnosed with developmental deficits. However, it is necessary to acknowledge methodological limitations such as the lack of control groups, follow-up measures and of generalization of the results.

Using digital social stories to improve social skills in children with autism: a pilot experimental single-subject study

PurposeChildren with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face difficulty with educational attainment because of to their inability to interact with others. One intervention that is used to increase social skills in individuals with ASD is social stories. This study aimed at exploring the impact of digital social stories in improving social skills of two students with ASD in the UAE.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental AB single-subject study was conducted to investigate the impact of digital social stories on nonverbal communication, targeting two specific behaviors: raising hands before leaving one’s seat (TB1) and playing and sharing toys with peers (TB2). Two digital social stories (DSS1 and DSS2) were developed for the purpose of this study and transformed using a digital platform to be displayed on an iPad (tablet).FindingsThis study involved two male participants with ASD (10 and 11 years old). Participant one demonstrated improvement in TB1 (mean of 1.11) because of DSS1 in the intervention phase. Participant two demonstrated improvement of 18% in TB2 ( mean of 0.18) as a result of DSS2 in the intervention phase.Practical implicationsBoth students that participated in the study showed a positive change in their target behaviors during the intervention phase intervention at different levels. Using an ABA study design would have been stronger in establishing a more valid causal relation in this single-subject design study. However, due the COVID-19 closures and curfews, the researchers had to switch to the AB design.Originality/valueThis study demonstrated how social stories had a positive impact on ASD social skills. Further, it indicated the potential effectiveness of using digital social stories to reduce undesirable behaviors or increase a desirable behaviors in children who have ASD.

دور البرامج الصیفیة فی تنمیة المهارات الاجتماعیة للأفراد ذوی اضطراب طیف التوحد من وجهة نظر أولیاء الأمور بمدینة جدة The Role of summer programs in developing social skills for individuals with autism spectrum disorder From the point of View of their Parents in Jeddah

هدفت الدراسة الحالية إلى الکشف عن دور البرامج الصيفية في تنمية المهارات الاجتماعية لدى الأفراد ذوي اضطراب طيف التوحد من وجهة نظر أولياء الأمور في مدينة جدة، حيث استخدم الباحثان الاستبانة کأداة للدراسة، على عينة مکونة من (66) من أولياء أمور الأفراد ذوي اضطراب طيف التوحد، الملتحقين بالبرامج الصيفية في مدينة جدة، ولتحقيق أهداف الدراسة أستخدم المنهج الوصفي المسحي، کما تم اختيار عينة الدراسة بالطريقة العشوائية. وتوصلت الدراسة إلى مجموعة من النتائج أبرزها : أن معظم أولياء أمور الأفراد ذوي اضطراب طيف التوحد يتفقون على أهمية المهارات الاجتماعية في حياة الفرد ذوي اضطراب طيف التوحد، وفي ضوء ما أسفرت عنه نتائج الدراسة، أوصى الباحثان بـما يلي: ضرورة التدريب على المهارات الاجتماعية، لما لها من دور کبير على الفرد ذوي اضطراب طيف التوحد، وأسرته، والمجتمع المحيط له؛ دعوة المراکز الخاصة والحکومية، لبناء برامج صيفية خاصة بالأفراد ذوي اضطراب طيف التوحد لتنمية مهاراتهم والحفاظ عليها. The current study aimed to reveal the role of summer programs in the development of social skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorder from the point of view of parents in Jeddah، where the researcher used resolution as a tool for study، on a sample of (66) parents of individuals with autism spectrum disorder، enrolled in summer programs in Jeddah، and to achieve the objectives of the study used the descriptive method، as the sample of the study was selected in a random way. The study reached a series of results، most notably: that most parents of individuals with autism spectrum disorder agree on the importance of social skills in the life of an individual with autism spectrum disorder، and in light of the results of the study، the researcher recommended the following: the need for training in social skills، because it has a great role on the individual with autism spectrum disorder، his family، and the surrounding community; To build summer programs for individuals with autism spectrum disorder to develop and maintain their skills.

Administration of the Repertory Grid Assessment Technique for Exploring Social Cognition of Individuals With Autism

Social communication is a core deficit of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) play a key role in evaluating social skills of individuals with autism. Use of person-centered assessment tools in individuals with autism to explore social communication may facilitate improved consideration of perspectives of individuals with autism, which is critical for developing interventions and supports that align with their perspectives and values. An assessment process called the repertory grid can be used to explore one’s personal construction systems as they relate to social relationships. This article describes a process for administering this person-centered diagnostic process in individuals with autism using a semi-structured format established by Hess and colleagues. Data obtained through repertory grids may expand upon information gleaned from traditional assessment protocols when evaluating social communication strengths and challenges of individuals with autism. Furthermore, it offers clinicians and clients insight into clients’ unique personal experiences and relationships.

Social Skill Outcomes Following Physical Activity-Based Interventions for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum: A Scoping Review Spanning Young Childhood Through Young Adulthood.

Researchers posit that physical activity (PA) settings may provide an increased opportunity for social interaction. However, little consensus exists regarding the construct of social skills. Moreover, little is known about what type or amount of PA is necessary for individuals on the autism spectrum to benefit from this increased interaction. Thus, this scoping review synthesized the components (e.g.,design, participants, independent and dependent variables, etc.) and findings of PA-based interventions that included social skill components to identify how interventions have incorporated these skills in different settings. Based on a review of 25 articles, this review revealed a great deal of variability in the types of PA, social skills, and instruments studied, as well as the intensity of intervention delivery in the published findings. No longitudinal studies were identified as a part of the search. These results provide a foundation for the design of effective PA-based interventions that may have an increased impact on the social skills of individuals on the autism spectrum. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to capture the relationship between social skills and PA, as well as to increase the likelihood of capturing change.

The Use of Robots in Social Communications and Interactions for Individuals with ASD: a Systematic Review

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of robot-mediated interventions on improvement of social communications and interactions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. It identified the variables related to social skills that were measured in the reviewed studies. A systematic review of contemporary peer-reviewed studies published from 2010 to 2019 inclusive was conducted. PsychInfo and Scopus were the databases used to identify the studies. The majority of the reviewed papers demonstrated that the robot-mediated intervention was effective in enhancing social skills in individuals with ASD. Eye contact was the variable most examined to determine the effectiveness of the interventions. Most of the robots were humanoid and operated under a Wizard of Oz autonomous mode and acted predominantly as behavior-eliciting agents. In line with previous studies, robot-mediated interventions were generally effective in improving social skill; however, there was some variability within the individuals with eye contact, joint attention, and imitation being the variables most measured. Areas considered for future research include maintenance and generalization phases with the intervention as well as matching the individuals’ needs to the features of the robots used.

Social distancing in the COVID-19 pandemic: notes on possible impacts on the social skills of individuals and populations

Social distancing in the COVID-19 pandemic: notes on possible impacts on the social skills of individuals and populations

Assessing social skills in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis: Validation of the High Risk Social Challenge task (HiSoC)

BackgroundIndividuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis exhibit deficits in social functioning that may relate to efficacy of social skills performance. There is, though, a scarcity of objective measures assessing social skills performance in the UHR state. This study assessed the psychometric properties of a relatively new social skills measure, the High Risk Social Challenge Task (HiSoC), in an UHR population. MethodsExploratory factor analysis was used to assess the factor structure of the HiSoC task in 102 UHR individuals and 66 healthy controls (HC). Convergent and discriminant validity of the HiSoC was assessed. ResultsOur findings revealed a three-factor structure comprising the factors “Affect”, “Odd Behaviour and Language”, and “Social-Interpersonal”. The test showed excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC between 0.88 and 0.98). The HiSoC correlated significantly, as expected, with measures of global and social functioning demonstrating construct validity and utility as a social skills assessment tool in the UHR population. The HiSoC task discriminated between UHR and HC with large effect sizes (Cohen's d range=1.40–1.94). DiscussionOur findings provide evidence for a three-factor structure of the HiSoC task corresponding to the original American version of the task. Additionally, our findings reveal the HiSoC to be sensitive to social skills impairments in the UHR population and suggest it to be a suitable screening tool for social skills deficits in UHR states. The robust correlations with real-life functioning indicate social skills to be an important target for assessment and intervention within the UHR population.

Effects of Participation in Inclusive Physical Activity on Social Skills of Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder

In the National Standards Report (2015) of the National Autism Centre, participation in physical activities in the education of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined to be a promising intervention method (scientific base being formed). On the other hand, as a result of the regulations on inclusion, there has been a rapid increase in the number of children with special needs studying in general education classes together with their peers. Based on these two tendencies in recent years, the objective of this study was determined to be the effect of participation in inclusive physical activity on social skill in children and youth with ASD. The participants of the study were 55 children with ASD between the ages of 6 and 26 including 15 girls and 40 boys who participated in the inclusive physical activity (IPAC) program with their peers having typical development for two days a week and 45 minutes a day during 3 months within the scope of the “Inclusive Physical Activity Centre” project of the Istanbul Gedik University. The applied IPAC program involved peer participation and supported specialized movement skills and development of physical and motor capabilities. The data of this research were gathered using a Personal Information Form and Autism Social Skill Profile (ASSP) by face-to-face interviews with the parents of the participants. The study was designed with the single group pretest-posttest model of quasi-experimental studies. The study after IPAC determined a significant difference in the subscales of the scale and in the ASSP-Total score (p<0.05). The findings of this study demonstrated the effectiveness of inclusive physical activity on the social skills of individuals with ASD. For the similar future studies, the use of the design with control group and supporting it with qualitative data for the detailed explanation of the results obtained by quantitative approach are recommended.

Effectiveness of smart toy applications in teaching children with intellectual disability

Abstract Play is an important element in a child's social and intellectual development and toys are indispensable play tools. This study investigates the effectiveness of smart toys in teaching social studies concepts to children with intellectual disability (ID). A single-subject design is used to identify such effects on teaching social studies concepts to children with ID with the help of smart toys developed within this study. The smart toys are also developed within the scope of present work. Three special education teachers and three children with moderate ID participated in the study, which was carried out in two schools in Turkey. According to the results, smart toys have a positive effect in teaching social studies concepts to children with moderate ID which is significant in development of academic and social skills for individuals with ID.

Neuropsychological predictors of performance-based measures of functional capacity and social skills in individuals with severe mental illness

Neuropsychological abilities may underlie successful performance of everyday functioning and social skills. We aimed to determine the strongest neuropsychological predictors of performance-based functional capacity and social skills performance across the spectrum of severe mental illness (SMI). Unemployed outpatients with SMI (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression; n = 151) were administered neuropsychological (expanded MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery), functional capacity (UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment-Brief; UPSA-B), and social skills (Social Skills Performance Assessment; SSPA) assessments. Bivariate correlations between neuropsychological performance and UPSA-B and SSPA total scores showed that most neuropsychological tests were significantly associated with each performance-based measure. Forward entry stepwise regression analyses were conducted entering education, diagnosis, symptom severity, and neuropsychological performance as predictors of functional capacity and social skills. Diagnosis, working memory, sustained attention, and category and letter fluency emerged as significant predictors of functional capacity, in a model that explained 43% of the variance. Negative symptoms, sustained attention, and letter fluency were significant predictors of social skill performance, in a model explaining 35% of the variance. Functional capacity is positively associated with neuropsychological functioning, but diagnosis remains strongly influential, with mood disorder participants outperforming those with psychosis. Social skill performance appears to be positively associated with sustained attention and verbal fluency regardless of diagnosis; however, negative symptom severity strongly predicts social skills performance. Improving neuropsychological functioning may improve psychosocial functioning in people with SMI.

The Effect of Collaborative Learning Approach on Students’ Academic Achievement in Turkish Courses in Turkey: A Meta-Analysis Study

The educational concept of 21th century, during which great social, economic and technological developments are experienced, confers the responsibilities of determining the most relevant teaching approach and implementing this approach voluminously in the classrooms to the educators for the purpose of planning a qualified teaching process and performing the target acquisitions at the end of this process. It can be said that collaborative learning approach is qualified enough to fulfil this need in terms of its contribution to academic achievement and social skills of individuals. The fact that the studies done in different fields and different sample groups in the literature revealed positive effect of collaborative learning approach on academic achievement has created the need of meta-analysis of these researches. Within this frame, it was aimed to determine the effect of collaborative learning approach on academic achievement of students in Turkish courses in Turkey with this study. Within this scope, the related literature was scanned in order to reach the researches included in the study. As a result of this scanning, totally 32 researches examining the effect of collaborative learning approach on the academic achievement in Turkish courses of students studying in Turkey and providing the criteria determined for the study were included in meta-analysis. Effect size values and combined effect sizes of each study were calculated by using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) while normal distribution plot of effect sizes was calculated by using MetaWin software in the study carried on. As a consequence of meta-analysis, it was found out that collaborative learning approach has positive effect on academic achievement of the students in Turkish courses in comparison with traditional methods. In the end of the analysis done in terms of random effect models, the average effect value was calculated as 1,034 with 0,110 errors. The lower bound of effect size was determined as 0,818 while the upper bound was 1,251 within 95 % confidence interval. When the findings attained are interpreted according to Cohen, Manion, and Morrison (2011), it can be stated that collaborative learning approach has large effect in terms of enhancing academic achievement in Turkish courses.