Author: Theodore David TaylorPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Group counseling for teenagers
Languages : en
Pages : 112
Book Description
This study was designed to investigate the effects of group counseling on the self concept and academic achievement of high school sophomore health classes. Specific hypotheses to be examined were: 1. The experimental group will evidence more improvement in academic achievement score than will the control group. 2. The experimental group will evidence more improvement in self concept score than will the control group. A review of the literature in group counseling suggests that it can be a factor in increasing measured self concept and measured academic achievement. Within these two areas, however, there were also negative and inconclusive findings. The sample consisted of four tenth-grade required health classes at Corvallis. High School, Corvallis, Oregon. Fifty one individuals participated in the experimental group. They were exposed to group counseling for ten weeks. Complete testing data was obtained for 45 experimental subjects. Fifty individuals participated in the control group. They received ten lectures on health during the same time span as the experimental subjects. Complete testing data was obtained for 43 control subjects. Statistical treatment was applied to the data for 88 subjects. The Tennessee Self Concept Scale and a teacher constructed unit test were administered to subjects prior to the beginning of the research and at the conclusion of the project. Two separate scores on 88 individuals were tabulated. Analysis of variance of experimental variance gain was used comparing experimental and control groups on each instrument. Comparisons between experimental improvement and control improvement scores on the health test did not yield a difference significant at the .05 level, Comparisons on the Tennessee Self Concept scores between experimental and control groups did not yield a difference significant at the .05 level. The effect of group counseling and academic achievement was not determined by this study. Further analysis of the data was made using the orthogonal single degree of freedom analysis of variance. An F- ratio of 6.56, significant at the .015 level was found on the health test scores favoring experimental females and control males. Recommendations for further research in group counseling include: 1. Determination of the maximum effective group size, 2. Investigation with subjects at different age levels, 3. Participation based on specific criteria. 4. Utilization of group counseling in a planned, announced, voluntary course curriculum. 5. Investigation of the effect of group counseling on counselor's image. 6. Utilization of co-counselors in larger group settings. 7. Increasing number of sessions. 8. Investigation of sex variable on academic achievement. 9. Investigation of effect of the sex of group leader upon adolescents. 10. Evaluation using long-term follow up tests. 11. Investigation of instruments used in group counseling evaluation.