52-3 An Action Research on Ecological System Approach Guidance Activities Applying to Rebuild Class Friendly Atmosphere
| Shu-Chun Lin | |
| National Changhua University of Education |
The study adopted action research to treat bully problems in junior high school classes. The purpose of this study was to explore a school counselor or counseling psychologist how to deal with students’ bully problems, by ecological system approach guidance activities. “Ecological approach guidance activities” meant to evaluate and understand students’ needs and problems before intervention, then design guidance activities to meet students’ needs and solve their problems. The ecological system approach guidance activities emphasized evaluating and understanding the class and students’ interaction dynamic, instead of treating one or few of the students as a “problem student” or “trouble maker”. After understanding the class dynamic, the next step was adopting ecological system approach intervention strategies, and facilitating the teacher/mentor to collaborate with the school counselor. In simple terms, the school counselor had to evaluate class dynamic at first, then drew up intervention strategies, carried out the intervention, and assessed the outcome after implementing. There were three data resources evaluating class dynamic: (1) discussed with the teacher or mentor, (2) observed the group interaction, and (3) interviewed students. To resolve bully problems in class, anti-bully activities could only treat the symptoms but not the root cause. The most important was rebuilding school or class positive and friendly atmosphere, and enhancing group cohesion. The action research process had five stages: (1) Before action: evaluated students’ and group’s specific needs and problems. This was a 7th grade class, in the beginning of the first semester, the students often treated others in a mean way, for example: to irritate each other, describe others in a negative way, supplant some disadvantaged students, threaten, rumor, and physical aggression, etc. In this situation, if the school counselor discussed anti-bully directly, the adolescents may feel be blamed, and arouse their defense. The students needed to learn how to treat others friendly, not only be requested to stop improper behavior, and the class had to rebuild positive and friendly atmosphere, and support students’ proper interpersonal behavior. (2) The first action: adopted encouraging altruistic behavior strategy to solve students’ and group’s problems. In this stage, the researcher invited the class mentor as a partner to carry out the guidance activities together, and applied encouraging system to inspire students’ altruistic behavior. The strategy transferred the negative focus (students’ improper behavior) to positive focus (altruistic behavior). (3) After the first action: evaluation and feedback—to think back over the encouraging system, and revise the action. Encouraging students’ altruistic behavior was effective. But it seemed to occur together with a secret concern: students’ altruistic behavior was from internal? Or just for reward? If we take the reward away, the students would continue their altruistic behavior? To solve the concern, the researcher developed the next action. (4) The second action: applying a picture book and series activities to rebuild class positive and friendly atmosphere, and enhance their cohesion. The action implemented in another year, a new 7th grade class which also had bully behavior. The researcher invited the class mentor for cooperation to resolve the problem. There were series guidance activities, including: (a) Line game: helped students finding their common ground, (b) read the picture book “The Original Warm Fuzzy Tale", (c) discussed and created class “warm fuzzy” environment. (5) After the second action: evaluation and feedback. The action research found the strategy improving group’s positive and friendly interaction effectively. This intervention matched WISER model which based on ecological system approach: primary and developmental guidance activities not only prevent problems, but also resolve the occurred problems.
Keywords
Action research, anti-bully, class guidance activities, class positive/ friendly atmosphere, ecological system approach.
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