The Effects of The Counseling-Based Guidance Activities on Enhancing Self-esteem among Mathayom 2 Students

Abstract

The objectives of this research were 1) to develop guidance activities based on counseling theories to promote self-esteem among Grade 8 students and 2) to compare their self-esteem before and after participating in guidance activities designed to enhance self-esteem. The population consisted of 530 Grade 8 students at Srinakharinwirot University Prasarnmit Demonstration school. Data were collected from the entire population to examine overall self-esteem levels. Thirty-six students whose self-esteem scores were at or below the 25th percentile were selected as the sample for the experimental group. The research instruments included guidance activities developed based on counseling theories and a self-esteem assessment. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including mean (𝑥̅) and standard deviation (S.D.). The results revealed that the overall self-esteem of students was at a high level (𝑥̅ = 3.56, S.D. = .44). When comparing pre-test and post-test results, the post-test mean score (𝑥̅ = 3.69, S.D. = .49) was higher than the pre-test score. The findings indicate that guidance activities based on counseling theories are effective in enhancing self-esteem among lower secondary school students and can be appropriately applied to support students’ affective development.