The purpose of this study is to develop and conduct REBT(Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy) program for the cultural and psychosocial adjustment of Chinese students studying in Korea, and verify its effect. For this purpose, a survey on the demand related to the program development was conducted, and based on the result, a therapy program was developed. In order to construct a final therapy program, a preliminary therapy, which was tried on selected Chinese students in Korea, was modified and supplemented. As for the main components, the program integrated changing beliefs as the cognitive variable and problem-solving skills training and social skills training as the behavioral and emotional variable, according to the goal of each session. The initial stage of the program focused on the psychological education for understanding REBT and changing beliefs. The development stage concentrated on changing beliefs concerning acculturation and psychosocial adjustment, problem-solving techniques using brainstorming, and social skills training including communication skills; to help participants have better understanding, every session was composed of role play. The final stage aimed to help the participants put all the contents together to promote a cognitive rehearsal.
Selected subjects included Chinese students who applied through the advertisement of S University in C region or recommended by professors. In the first screening process, students received a pre-therapy test composed of acculturative stress scale, student adaptation to college questionnaire (SACQ), depression index (BDI), anxiety index (STAI) and irrational belief index (IBT). Of those students, 9 students who received more than 140 on acculturative stress scale, 20 on depression index (BDI) and 55 on anxiety index (STAI) were first selected. In the second screening process, of those 9 students, 8 students who were able to communicate and express their opinions in Korean language by receiving Level 4 in TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) were finally selected. For the control group, subjects were selected from Chinese students who applied through the bulletin of S University in C region and S University in W region or those recommended by professors or friends. Of those students, 8 students were selected by the same screening process the experimental group underwent. The program was offered once a week in 10 120-minute sessions from April 5 to June 4, 2010. The collected data were processed on SPSS WIN 12.0. Mann-Whitney U Test (non-parametric) was conducted to verify the homogeneity of the pre-therapy experimental group and control group, and difference in the post-therapy scores between experimental group and control group. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test (non-parametric) was conducted to verify the difference between the pre- and post-therapy scores of experimental group and control group, difference between the pre- and 2-month post-therapy scores for the experimental group, and difference between the pre- and 2-year post-therapy scores of the experimental group and control group. Also, to examine the results of the quantitative analysis more specifically, changes in the experimental group’s irrational beliefs were analyzed based on the participants’ worksheet and task records, the researcher's assessment and records and the assistant researcher's .
The main findings of this study are as follows. First, after the REBT program, the experimental group's overall score on the acculturative stress was significantly reduced. In other words, a significant reduction was marked in all the sub-factors of acculturative stress which included perceived sense of discrimination, homesickness, perceived hatred, fear, cultural shock, etc. Second, it was found that after receiving the REBT, the experimental group showed a significant improvement in the schoolwork adaptation associated with student adaptation to college. Also, there was a significant difference in the overall scores on student adaptation to college and schoolwork adaptation between the experimental group and control group. After the program, the experimental group's overall score on schoolwork adaptation increased significantly, and all the participants were marked with significant reduction in their irrational beliefs associated with schoolwork adaptation. Third, after receiving the REBT, the experimental group showed a significant improvement in social adaptation, in other words interpersonal relationship adaptation, associated with the student adaptation to college. Also, there was a significant difference in the overall scores on student adaptation to college and the scores on interpersonal relationship adaptation between the experimental group and control group. It was found that the experimental group's overall score on interpersonal relationship adaptation increased significantly, and all the participants were marked with significant reduction in their irrational beliefs associated with interpersonal relationship adaptation. Fourth, after the REBT program, the experimental group's sub-factors of depression and anxiety were significantly reduced, and there was a significant difference in the level of depression and anxiety between the experimental group and control group. According to the result of pre-therapy test, participants received higher than 19 in depression index (BDI) which indicates a mid-level depression, and 47 on average in anxiety (STAI) which indicates a moderately high level of anxiety, but according to the result of post-therapy test, depression (BDI) dropped to near 10, and anxiety (STAI) dropped to 37, sharply down by 10. Fifth, according to the 2-month post-therapy test taken by the experimental group, the effectiveness of the therapy was found to be maintained as shown in the overall scores of all variables of acculturative stress, schoolwork adaptation, interpersonal relationship adaptation, depression and anxiety, and irrational beliefs. Sixth, according to the 2-year post-therapy test taken by the experimental group and control group, the effectiveness of the REBT program was found to be maintained in general, as the overall scores and each and every sub-factor score of all the variables - acculturative stress, schoolwork adapatation, interpersonal relationship adaptation, depression and anxiety, and irrational belief – were marked by significant increase or reduction in the experimental group. In the 2-year post-therapy test taken by the control group, although no significant difference was marked in some of the sub-factors - sense of discrimination, homesickness, perceived hatred and other factors (social isolation, inferiority, disbelief, communication) - of acculturative stress, a significant difference was found in fear and cultural shock. Among the sub-factors of student adaptation to college, interpersonal relationship adaptation showed no significant difference, whereas schoolwork adaptation showed significant difference. For irrational beliefs, a significant difference in avoidance of problems and dependence was marked. However, the level of depression and anxiety was not found to be significantly different. Seventh, as a result of content analysis for the experimental group, a positive change was marked as their irrational beliefs were replaced by alternative and adaptive thoughts. Even though the experimental group, in the early stage of the program, had difficulty identifying irrational beliefs and making experiential statements, as well as making changes through problem-solving and social skills training, with further participation in the REBT, they began to express statements of irrational beliefs, and gradually made positive changes such as making cognitive change and adopting proper coping strategies of acceptance in various areas.
The significances of this study are as follows. First, with the current trend of increase in the influx of Chinese students, the issues related to those students should no longer be overlooked but discussed with great importance. Second, for acculturation and psychosocial adaptation of Chinese students in Korea, this study used REBT. This can be explained as a methodological aspect cohering with the study to help the students change their irrational beliefs or distorted thoughts generated in the process of adapting to a new culture with their national identity. Thus, this study is significant in a way that it developed and used REBT program to help Chinese international students change their irrational beliefs, which had been formed in the process of acculturation and psychosocial adaptation, into rational beliefs. Thirds, this study conducted a 2-month and a 2-year post-REBT test for Chineses students’ acculturation and psychosocial adaptation in Korea, and what is significant is that its effectiveness was proven to be maintained as revealed the test results.
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