The Effectiveness of Developmental Bibliotherapy on Students' Social Skills and Behavioral Problems

Q: How can I download an article?

To download an article from SID, first log in to the site, search for the article title, and click on the 'Download Article' option.

Q: How can I download an ISI article?

To download an ISI article on SID, enter the keyword or article title in the search bar, view the relevant results, click on the desired article, and select the 'Download Article' option.

Q: How can I access the SID database?

To access the SID database, visit SID.ir, create an account, and log in to access scientific resources.

Q: Is downloading articles from SID free?

Some articles on SID are available for free, while others require payment. Details are specified on the article's page.

RAHIMI MEHDI; Arayi Mahdieh; ZARE MARYAM

Title

The Effectiveness of Developmental Bibliotherapy on Students' Social Skills and Behavioral Problems

Author(s)

RAHIMI MEHDI | Arayi Mahdieh | ZARE MARYAM | Issue Writer Certificate

Keywords

developmental bibliotherapy

social skills

behavioral problems

Abstract

Introduction social skills are the skills we use every day to interact and communicate with others. They include verbal and non-verbal communication, such as speech, gesture, facial expression and body language. social skills are vital for a person's social development, and for forming social relationships. They also determine the quality of social interactions, as well as the individual’ s social adjustment and mental health. Research showed that any insufficiency in social skills may lead to poor academic performance, learning, adjustment and behavioral problems (Parker and Asher, 1993), misunderstanding other's goals and intentions and challenges in emotion regulation (Chang et al., 2007). behavioral problems involve a pattern of disruptive behaviors in children that cause problems in school, at home and in social situations. Nowadays, most families concentrate on their children entering universities, but they may neglect vital constructs such as mental health or social adjustment for their children. One useful method for transferring concepts to children and helping them in facing challenges and solving conflicts in interpersonal relationships is the purposeful use of storytelling or bibliotherapy. Bibliotherapy involves storytelling or the reading of specific texts with the purpose of healing. It uses an individual's relationship to the content of books and poetry and other written words as therapy. Bibliotherapy can be used for helping children deal with various problems of childhood, as well as for preventing personal troubles from becoming problems that interfere with social functioning (Pardeck and Pardeck, 1988). Bibliotherapy can be clinical, institutional or developmental. developmental bibliotherapy takes place in classroom contexts and involves the use of books to help a person solve life dilemmas and problems in non-clinical settings. The aim of this type of bibliotherapy is natural development and growth, as well as self-actualization and maintaining mental health in stressful situations (Afolayan, 1992). In developmental bibliotherapeutic approach, the child reads about others who have solved similar problems, and with the support of the helping person, gains insight about the alternative solutions they can work out. Moreover, through books, a child can see how others have encountered anxieties and frustrations, hopes and disappointments, failures and successes, and can then apply such insights to real-life situations. Bibliotherapy can also be a tool for avoiding predicaments (Pardeck & Pardeck, 1987). Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of developmental bibliotherapy on students' social skills and behavioral problems. Hypotheses 1. developmental bibliotherapy increases the students' social skills in all its dimensions (i. e. cooperation, assertion and self-control). 2. developmental bibliotherapy decreases the various aspects of the students' behavioral problems (i. e. externalizing problems, internalizing problems and hyperactivity). Method This study had a quasi-experimental design (pretest-posttest with control group). The statistical population of the study included all third grade Yazd female students. The sample group included 40 students who were selected through cluster sampling method and were assigned to the experimental and control group randomly. The bibliotherapy training package included 4 phases (preparation, pre-reading activities, reading and post-reading activities) and was performed in 12 one-hour sessions, one session per week. To measure the dependent variables, the teacher form of social skills Rating System (SSRS) (Gresham & Elliot, 1990) was used. Pretest and posttest were administered, and the repeated measure analysis was used to examine the research hypotheses. Results The results of repeated measure analysis corroborated the hypothesis regarding the positive impact of developmental bibliotherapy on the various aspects of social skills; that is, cooperation, assertion and self-control. The results further confirmed the research hypothesis about the reduction of behavioral problems as a result of bibliotherapy. Nevertheless, this reduction was observed merely in one aspect of social problems, namely the problem of externalizing problems); no significant effect was observed on other social problems considered in the study, including internalizing problems and hyperactivity. Discussion and conclusion The results of the study showed a significant effect for developmental bibliotherapy on social skills. This implies that the use of age-appropriate stories, free discussions of their contents, and the mental review of them in the needed situations can empower the child to overcome egocentrism, find the right perception of the problem and modify their behavior. Bibliotherapy is an indirect instructional method in which the child reconstructs his/her schemas, relationships, and behaviors. Children in post-reading activities learn the importance of cooperation, helping and help seeking. Besides, according to Bandura’ s social learning theory, vicarious reinforcement and punishment can motivate the children to adopt more appropriate and sociable behaviors. This can explain the positive effect observed in the present study for developmental bibliotherapy on the various dimensions of social skills (i. e. cooperation, assertion and self-Control) too. The study findings further suggested a significant effect for developmental bibliotherapy to have on behavioral problems. Among the various dimensions of behavioral problems, the one related to externalizing problems was affected significantly by developmental bibliotherapy, but the other aspects concerning internalizing problems and hyperactivity were not changed. Externalizing behaviors are problematic behaviors that are directed toward the external environment. They include physical aggression, disobeying rules, cheating, stealing, and destruction of property. In bibliotherapy process, children can follow the stories about behavioral problems and their consequences in the third person view and find solutions for their expressive and physical aggression. They learn through this process that hands are not for hitting, and words are not for annoying. In conclusion, the study found the positive effects for developmental bibliotherapy. Therefore, it is suggested that this kind of instruction be used by the teachers. On the other hand, it is recommended for the future research to explore the impact of bibliotherapy when the students read books by themselves to see whether the same findings are obtained. Researchers can further consider other consequences of developmental bibliotherapy and can focus other target groups.

No record.

APA: Copy

RAHIMI, MEHDI, Arayi, Mahdieh, & ZARE, MARYAM. (2019). The Effectiveness of Developmental Bibliotherapy on Students' Social Skills and Behavioral Problems. STUDIES IN LEARNING AND INSTRUCTION (JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES OF SHIRAZ UNIVERSITY), 11(1 (76-1) ), 146-162. SID. https://sid.ir/paper/734415/en

Vancouver: Copy

RAHIMI MEHDI, Arayi Mahdieh, ZARE MARYAM. The Effectiveness of Developmental Bibliotherapy on Students' Social Skills and Behavioral Problems. STUDIES IN LEARNING AND INSTRUCTION (JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES OF SHIRAZ UNIVERSITY)[Internet]. 2019;11(1 (76-1) ):146-162. Available from: https://sid.ir/paper/734415/en

IEEE: Copy

MEHDI RAHIMI, Mahdieh Arayi, and MARYAM ZARE, “The Effectiveness of Developmental Bibliotherapy on Students' Social Skills and Behavioral Problems,” STUDIES IN LEARNING AND INSTRUCTION (JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES OF SHIRAZ UNIVERSITY), vol. 11, no. 1 (76-1) , pp. 146–162, 2019, [Online]. Available: https://sid.ir/paper/734415/en

No record.

Scientific Information Database

ISSN: 2588-4824

Journal Paper

The Effectiveness of Developmental Bibliotherapy on Students' Social Skills and Behavioral Problems