The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of a self-esteem promotion program on the self-esteem and school adjustment of students in elementary special classes.
The participants in the study were 30 fifth-and sixth-grade mental retardation s...
The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of a self-esteem promotion program on the self-esteem and school adjustment of students in elementary special classes.
The participants in the study were 30 fifth-and sixth-grade mental retardation students in special classes in public elementary schools in Ansan, Gyeonggi province who were allocated either to an experimental group (15) or a control group (15). The self-esteem promotion program was carried out 15times, twice a week in a classroom for special class. The program consists of following sections: self-exploration, expressing feelings, positive thinking, planning future, making relationship with someone important to me.
In the study, self-esteem measurement tools and school adjustment scale were employed to measure the students' self-esteem and school adjustment respectively.
In order to prove the effectiveness of the promotion program, the self-esteem and school adjustment of the experimental and the control groups were measured twice before and after the program. On the basis of the results, independent samples t-test was performed to analyze the difference in the results of the two measurements
Through the analysis, the following results were obtained.
First, the experimental group that participated in the self-esteem promotion program displayed significantly higher self-esteem than the control group. This indicates that the program is effective in raising the self-esteem of the students in special classes.
Second, the experimental group that participated in the promotion program showed significantly better school adjustment than the control group. This means that the program is effective in improving school adjustment of the students.
In conclusion, the study found that the self-esteem promotion program is effective in improving the self-esteem and school adjustment of mental retardation students. Continuous efforts are required to establish an education program that promotes disabled students' self-esteem and fosters their emotional welling.