The purpose of this study was to develop and test a classroom-based counseling program that aims to enhance the psychological well-being of adolescents. For this purpose, three separate studies were conducted. First, an Adolescent's Psychological Well...
The purpose of this study was to develop and test a classroom-based counseling program that aims to enhance the psychological well-being of adolescents. For this purpose, three separate studies were conducted. First, an Adolescent's Psychological Well-Being Inventory was developed to assess the effects of the program. Second, a classroom-based counseling program was developed, with the aim of enhancing the psychological well-being of adolescents. Third, the effects of this program were tested.
Study 1 was designed to develop an Adolescent's Psychological Well-Being Inventory. 201 initial items were selected for the 1st preliminary inventory. The number of items was reduced to 131 items through performance of a content validity analysis. A two-stage data analysis was then conducted. First, the data of 105 middle school students were analyzed using descriptive statistics of Mean, Standard Deviation, Skewness, Kurtosis and item-total correlations. The number of items was reduced to 55. The 2nd preliminary inventory, which contained 96 items, was conducted using 350 middle and high school students, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, item-total correlations, and exploratory factor analysis. A final inventory was made, having 51 items and six scales.
The data of 324 middle and high school students were analyzed, in order to test the reliability and validity of the final inventory. The results found was that the reliabilites (Cronbach's ) of six scales ranged from .66~.89, and the default model was fit because it had NNFI(.93), CFI(.95), RMSEA(.06) from a confirmatory factor analysis. Thus, the consistency and validity of 6 factors structure were found to be moderately good. Six scales of Adolescent's Psychological Well-Being Inventory were positive perception of self (12 items), family relationship (12 items), teacher relationship (10 items), friend relationship (8 items), self-assertion (5 items), and learning thoroughness (4 items).
Study 2 was conducted to develop a classroom-based counseling program that could enhance psychological well-being for adolescents. To perform this study, the Systemic Counseling Program Development Model was applied. This Model had 6 steps, which were research, analysis, design, execution, and evaluation.
The program involved the following characteristics. First, traditional group counseling programs, which had 7~15 members, 90~120 minutes per 1 session, 10~12 sessions per 1 theme were implemented after school. These failed because they did not fit with our school conditions. So this program was made to fit the unit of a classroom, 1 hour per 1 session, and 8 themes related to psychological well-being in class.
Second, this program was based on positive psychology, so it emphasized strengths, psychological well-being and a meaningful life. Because school is a good place to resolve and prevent the various problems of adolescents, and enhancing human strengths and virtues is a good strategy to resolve and prevent a range of problems, positive psychology is a good model for a school counseling program.
Study 3 was conducted to test effects of this classroom-based counseling program to enhance psychological well-being for adolescents. 70 students from two classrooms participated in this study. These were 3rd year students in an industrial high school. One classroom was the study group, and the other classroom was the control group. The data were treated statistically using the Analysis of Covariance method (ANCOVA). The study group took part in the counseling program during 8 sessions, 1 hour per session, 2 times a week, about one month. The program was led by this researcher, who is certified as a youth counselor, and was assisted by one teacher of that school.
The results of the testing were as follows. First, this program was statistically significant in enhancing the psychological well-being of the adolescents in the study group (F=10.34, p<.01). Of the six scales measured, concrete differences between the study group and the control group could be seen in the positive perception of self(F=8.95, p<.01) and in learning thoroughness(F=5.22, p<.05). In general, the responses of the participants were positive. In conclusion, the classroom-based counseling program proposed in this study was a sound, valid, and effective program to enhance the psychological well-being of adolescents.
The results of this study were discussed in relation to previous studies. The classroom-based counseling program to enhance the psychological well-being of adolescents was suggested as a new school counseling program to activate school counseling.