The effectiveness of a play-based group counseling program in increasing self-assertiveness among Syrian refugee students in Jordan.

Abstract

The study aimed to reveal the impact and effectiveness of a play-based group counseling program in increasing self-assertiveness among Syrian refugee students in Jordan; the study sample consisted of 30 students in the age group (9-11) who are enrolled in a public school affiliated to the Zarqa region in Jordan during the second semester of the year (2018-2019)  and was chosen purposively to provide the necessary conditions and facilities for the implementation of the program. The quasi-experimental method was adopted to achieve the objectives of the study where the sample members were randomly distributed into two equal groups, the experimental group  (n = 15),  whose members were exposed to the group counseling program prepared by the researchers, and the control group  (n = 15) , which was not provided with the counseling program.

The Rathus Assertiveness Scale was applied to the sample members in pre and post-measurement; the program is play-based and it consisted of 14 sessions, 2 sessions per week for 7 weeks, and the duration of the session ranged from (60 - 90) minutes.

The results indicated that there were statistically significant differences between the means of the members of the experimental and control groups on the self-assertiveness test with its two dimensions for the experimental group’s interest which indicate the effectiveness of the program in increasing self-assertiveness. The study recommended developing more group counseling programs to address psychological, personal, social, and behavioral issues among Syrian refugee students