THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GUIDANCE ACTIVITY PACKAGE TO ENHANCE ADOLESCENT STUDENTS’ SKILLS FOR COPING WITH BULLYING: A MIXED METHODS RESEARCH

Abstract

This research aimed 1) to establish guidelines for coping with bullying; 2) to develop and evaluate a guidance activity package to enhance skills for coping with bullying among adolescent students; and 3) to compare adolescent students’ skills of coping with bullying. A mixed-methods approach was employed, beginning with a qualitative phase using semi-structured interviews with eight key informants to establish guidelines for dealing with bullying in schools. This was followed by a quantitative phase involving an experimental group of 20 volunteer Mathayomsuksa 1 students who participated in the package. The research instruments included a guidance activity package aimed at enhancing adolescents’ skills for coping with bullying, a self-assessment questionnaire on students’ coping skills, a coping skills assessment form, and a semi-structured interview. Data analysis was conducted using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and a paired t-test.               The findings revealed that: 1) the proposed guidelines for coping with bullying in schools should comprise three core plans: prevention, intervention, and recovery; 2) he guidance activity package designed to enhance adolescents’ skills for coping with bullying was evaluated by five experts and found to be appropriate. The package was structured based on the framework of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), with a total duration of approximately eight hours. It consisted of three modules: a cognitive skills training module (three activities), an emotional skills training module (two activities), and a behavioral skills training module (three activities); and 3) Adolescent students’ skills for coping with bullying after participating in the developed package were higher than those before the intervention at .05 level of significance. These results indicate that the developed guidance activity package effectively enhanced adolescent students’ skills for coping with bullying.