Offered Alternative - Poster Presentation International Positive Psychology Association 8th IPPA World Congress 2023

Effectiveness of Group Positive Counseling on Enhancing Communication Skills and Self-Esteem in Gifted Students (#865)

SeyedSaeid SSS SajjadiAnari 1 , C.Owen Lo 2
  1. UBC, VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Canada
  2. Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, the University of British Columbia, Associate Professor, VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada

 

 Background Self-esteem and communication skills are both critical to  academic achievement. A number of studies have shown that the awareness of individual differences can sometimes cause lower self-esteem and affect communication. Aims: The study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of group counseling on improving self-esteem and communication skills in gifted students. Method: The sample group was selected from Grades 3 to 5 students assessed as IQ above 130. In total, 32 students were recruited for the study. The participants were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Communication Skills Questionnaire(CSQ) and Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (CSEI) were used for both pre-test and post-test. The intervention consisted of 12 sessions and progressed at a pace of 2 sessions per week. Major themes of the sessions included unconditional acceptance in group, positive reinforcement, positive thinking, strength-based reasoning. Results: Findings showed general effectiveness of the group counseling intervention. Statistical significance was found in differences between pre-test and post-test across all CSQ and CSEI dimensions in the experimental group. No significant difference was observed in the control group. Conclusion: The study shows that group activity, problem-based approach, and positive thinking can enhance self-esteem and communication skills among gifted students. For future studies, we recommend extending the present intervention to different educational levels beyond primary.

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