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Effectiveness of psychodrama for mitigating school fears among senior secondary school students

Die Wirksamkeit von Psychodrama zur Verringerung von Schulangst unter SchülerInnen der Sekundarstufe II

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Zeitschrift für Psychodrama und Soziometrie Aims and scope

Abstract

This study is focused on the effectiveness of psychodrama for mitigating school fears among senior secondary school students. The study involved 224 students from senior forms (ninth- to eleventh-graders). The efficiency of psychodrama was measured by creating two groups consisting of ninth- and eleventh-graders: the students of the target group (participants of the continuous psychodrama sessions, n = 61) and the students of the comparative group (who did not take part in the continuous psychodrama sessions, n = 163). Two instruments were employed for the purposes of this study: impact method and evaluation method. In order to reduce the manifestations of school fears among secondary school students, psychodrama was used as an impact method. The impact consisted of four continuous psychodrama sessions, each lasting around four academic hours (i.e. group exercises). The differentiated school fear descriptor (DSFD) was used (Rost and Schermer 1997) in order to reveal whether school fears of senior secondary school students changed after the psychodrama sessions. Two questionnaires were used for the purposes of the study: manifestations of school fears (MA) and strategies for coping with school fears (CO). The study results showed that the manifestations of emotional and cognitive school fears among the participants of the target group decreased after the psychodrama sessions; for overcoming school fears, the students of the target group started engaging in productive working activity more often; the students of the target group stated that they experienced fewer emotional and cognitive manifestations of school fears, compared to the students of the comparative group; the students of the target group started using productive working activity for coping with school fears more often, as compared to the students of the comparative group.

Zusammenfassung

Diese Studie konzentriert sich auf die Wirksamkeit von Psychodrama zur Verringerung von Schulängsten unter SchülerInnen der Sekundarstufe II. An der Studie nahmen 224 SchülerInnen der Oberstufe (Neunt- bis Elftklässler) teil. Die Effizienz des Psychodramas wurde durch die Schaffung von zwei Gruppen gemessen: Schülerinnen der Versuchsgruppe (TeilnehmerInnen von kontinuierlichen Psychodrama-Sitzungen, n = 61) und SchülerInnen der Kontrollgruppe (keine Teilnahme an Psychodrama-Situngen, n = 163). Um Symptome von Schulängsten unter Schülern der Sekundarstufe zu reduzieren, wurde Psychodrama als Wirkmethode eingesetzt. Die Wirkung bestand aus vier kontinuierlichen Psychodrama-Sitzungen, die jeweils etwa vier akademische Stunden dauerten (d. h. Gruppenübungen). Der Test Differentielles Leistungsangstinventar (DAI) wurde eingesetzt (Rost und Schermer 1997), um aufzudecken, ob sich die Schulängste der Gymnasiasten nach den Psychodramen veränderten. Für die Studie wurden zwei Fragebögen verwendet: Manifestationen von Schulangst (MA) und Strategien zum Umgang mit Schulangst (CO). Die Studienergebnisse zeigten, dass die Symptome emotionaler und kognitiver Schulängste bei den TeilnehmerInnen der Versuchsgruppe nach den Psychodrama-Sitzungen abnahmen; zur Überwindung der Schulängste begannen die SchülerInnen der Kontrollgruppe häufiger produktiv zu arbeiten; die SchülerInnen der Versuchsgruppe gaben an, dass sie weniger emotionale und kognitive Symptome von Schulängsten erlebten, im Vergleich zu den SchülerInnen der Vergleichsgruppe.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Savanoriu pr 104–11, 44147, Kaunas, Lithuania

    Daiva Rudokaite

  2. Department of health, physical and social education, Lithuanian Sports University, Sporto street 6, 44221, Kaunas, Lithuania

    Vinga Indriuniene

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  1. Daiva Rudokaite
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Correspondence to Daiva Rudokaite.

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Rudokaite, D., Indriuniene, V. Effectiveness of psychodrama for mitigating school fears among senior secondary school students. Z Psychodrama Soziom 18, 369–385 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11620-019-00501-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11620-019-00501-8

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