This study aimed to compose the happiness enhancement program based on positive psychology and a theory of reality therapy, and also to examine if this program has effect on euphoria and adaptation to school life of children from broken families in Ya...
This study aimed to compose the happiness enhancement program based on positive psychology and a theory of reality therapy, and also to examine if this program has effect on euphoria and adaptation to school life of children from broken families in Yanbian, China. For this, research questions were set up like following.
Question 1: Does the happiness enhancement program have effect on enhancement of euphoria of children from broken families?
Question 2: Does the happiness enhancement program have effect on improvement of adaptability to school life of children from broken families?
Question 3: Is euphoria significantly correlated with adaptability to school life?
In order to solve the research questions above, we carried out things like selection of research subjects, composition of the program, performance of preliminary program & modification/complementation, pre-test, composition of experimental group & control group, application of happiness enhancement program, post-test and statistical process & data analysis in the order.
After conducting a test for euphoria and adaptability to school with total 180 5th graders of OO Elementary School in Yanji City, China, we selected 30 children from broken families, whose total mark for euphoria belonged to less than 85%. Among them, 20 children who wanted to participate in the finally selected program were allocated to the experimental group(10) and control group(10).
This study recomposed the test tool developed by Kang, Young-Ha(2008) who identified components through implicit approach to measure euphoria of elementary schoolers, suitable for Yanbian region, China.
In case of the test for adaptability to school life, we again recomposed the tool recomposed by Lee, Young-Seon(1997) by referring to measuring tool for school-related attitude by Kim, Jeong-Hwan(1981) and the scale for adaptation to school life by Lee, Sang-Pil(1990), suitable for Yanbian region, China.
The happiness enhancement program of this study was composed suitable for the study subjects by taking advice from an expert in reality therapy and the professor for supervision, on the basis of relevant literature and advanced researches, and then modified/complemented through the process of preliminary practice. The program was provided for total 12 sessions(80-90 minutes per session).
By using Windows SPSS 18.0 program, t-test was carried out for analysis of data processing. In order to complement the validity of statistical analysis, we also analyzed the contents of observation for each session, description of impression, participants' response shown in evaluation and interviews with families.
The study results received through the process above are like below.
First, the euphoria of the experimental group that received the happiness enhancement program was significantly improved compared to the one of the control group that did not receive any treatment(p<.01).
Second, the adaptability of the experimental group that received the happiness enhancement program was significantly improved compared to the one of the control group that did not receive any treatment(p<.01).
Third, there is significant correlation between euphoria and adaptation to school life of children who participated in the happiness enhancement program(p<.01).
Analysing the contents of observation for each session, description of impression written by the children and interviews with their families in order to complement the limitations of quantitative analysis, fourth, the happiness enhancement program has positive influence on not only euphoria and adaptation to school life of children from broken families, but also resilience and self-regulation ability.
Based on the study results above, the happiness enhancement program used for this study is considered to have positive effect on improvement of euphoria and adaptability to school life of children from broken families. This program that enhances euphoria and adaptability to school life by strengthening individuals' internal power when it is hard to change social support which is an environmental factor can be very useful to children from broken families. The objective of this study is to compose a program that can enhance euphoria and adaptability to school life of children from broken families, and also to examine the usefulness of the program.