'n Gestaltspelterapiehulpprogram in maatskaplike werk vir juniorprimêre skoolkinders se emosionele intelligensie

Abstract

English: The increasing emphasis world wide on the importance of emotional intelligence skills with regard to the adjustment of the child as a whole, as well as the increasing measure to which emotional problems are found to be occurring in children, serve as the main motivation for this study. This study focuses on the design and development of a gestalt play therapy aiel programme that concentrates on the emotional intelligence of junior primary school chi lelren, by means of an exploratory and descriptive investigation. A programme such as this could possibly be airned al providing scientifically based social work service rendering to junior primary school children. The first four phases of the intervention research design and development model are used as the research design. Intervention research is regarded as suitable because, as applied research, it focuses on the highlighting of. or the offering of possible solutions to, practical problems that normally include certain forms of intervention. A literature study is undertaken, during which a theoretical perspective on both emotional intelligence and gestalt therapy is offered. Furthermore. aspects influencing the emotional competence components of the junior primary school child's emotional intelligence as well as play therapy techniques and activities from a gestalt theoretical perspective are brought into focus, and these may be used in an aid programme for the emotional intelligence of junior primary school children. Abilities and skills with regard to two personal emotional competence components, namely self-awareness and emotional self regulation, as well as two interpersonal emotional competence components, namely empathy and the regulation of emotions in others, are selected as emotional competence components of the emotional intelligence of the junior primary school child. Although other therapeutic models may be applicable, the gestalt play therapeutic approach is used for the development of an aid programme for these components. The reason for this is that the aims and theoretical starting points of this approach are compatible with the skills which should be mastered by the junior primary school child with regard to the emotional competence components of his emotional intelligence. To complement the literature study. an empirical study has also been undertaken. This takes the form of a qualitative study, in which five participants are involved in a draft gestalt play therapy aid programme relating to their emotional intelligence, for one session per week, for a period of twelve weeks. Throughout this programme, their experiences and reactions during the programme implementation are obtained by means of direct systematic and participatory observation. After the completion of the programme their parent(s) are involved in an informal interview, in order to verify the qualitative observations of the researcher during the study. The qualitative observations made by the researcher during the sessions are described in the fomlof case studies. The data which has been collected as a result of the case studies may then be analysed into categories and sub-categories that have been identified fi:om the preceding literature study. As a result of the study the conclusion is reached that gestalt play therapy offers a suitable framework for an aid programme for the emotional intelligence of junior primary school children. The aims of the gestalt play therapeutic approach are related to the skills that should be mastered by junior primary school children with regard to the personal emotional competence components of their emotional intelligence. The therapeutic process of gestalt play therapy and the variety of play therapy techniques and activities that may be utilised from the gestalt theoretical perspective during each phase, offer a logical method by which the skills of junior primary school children may be integrated. with regard to the emotional competence components of their emotional intelligence. Recommendations with regard to the content and course of the programme, as well as to training and further research. are formulated as a result of the conclusions.

Afrikaans: Die toenemende klem wat wêreldwyd geplaas word op die belangrikheid van emosionele intelligensievaardighede ten opsigte van die kind se aanpassing in totaliteit, asook die toenemende mate waarin emosionele probleme by kinders voorkom, dien as hoofmotivering vir die studie'. Die studie fokus daarop om deur middel van 'n verkennende en beskrywende ondersoek, 'n gestaltspelterapiehulpprogram met betrekking tot juniorprimêre skoolkinders se emosionele intelligensie te ontwerp en te ontwikkel, sodat só 'n program moontlik gerig kan word op wetenskaplik gefundeerde maatskaplikewerkhulpverlening aan juniorprimêre skoolkinders in dié verband. Die eerste vier fases van die intervensienavorsingsontwerp en -ontwikkelingsmodel word benut as navorsingsontwerp. Intervensienavorsing word as gepas beskou, aangesien dit as toegepaste navorsing daarop fokus om lig te werp of moontlike oplossings te bied vir praktiese probleme, wat normaalweg sekere vorme van intervensie insluit. 'n Literatuurstudie word gedoen, waartydens 'n teoretiese perspektief op sowel emosionele intelligensie, as gestaltspelterapie gebied word. Voorts word daar gefokus op aspekte wat die emosionele bevoegdheidskomponente van die juniorprimêre skoolkind se emosionele intelligensie kan beïnvloed, asook spelterapietegnieke en -aktiwiteite vanuit 'n gestaltteoretiese perspektief, wat in 'nohulpprogram vir juniorprimêre skoolkinders se emosionele intelligensie benut kan word. Vermoëns en vaardighede met betrekking tot twee persoonlike emosionele bevoegdheidskomponente, naamlik selfbewussyn en emosionele selfregulering en twee interpersoonlike emosionele bevoegdheidskomponente, naamlik empatie en regulering van emosies in andere word geselekteer as emosionele bevoegdheidskomponente van die juniorprimêre skoolkind se emosionele intelligensie. Hoewel ander terapeutiese modelle ook moontlik toepaslik kan wees. word die gestaltspelterapeutiese benadering benut vir die ontwikkeling van 'n hulpprogram vir hierdie komponente. Die rede hiervoor is dat die doelstellings en teoretiese uitgangspunte van hierdie benadering, aansluiting vind by die vaardighede wat die juniorprimêre skoolkind ten opsigte van die emosionele bevoegdheidskomponente van sy emosionele intelligensie behoort te bemeester. Ter aanvulling van die literatuurstudie, word 'n empiriese ondersoek onderneem. Dit neem die vorm aan van 'n kwalitatiewe ondersoek, deur middel waarvan vyf deelnemers vir een sessie per week, vir 'n periode van twaalf weke by 'n konsep-gestaltspelterapiehulpprogram, vir hulle emosionele intelligensie betrek word. Deur middel hiervan word hulle belewenisse en reaksies tydens programimplementering met behulp van regstreekse stelselmatige en deelnemende waarneming bekom, waarna hulle oueres) by 'n informele onderhoud betrek word, om die navorser se kwalitatiewe waarnemings tydens die studie te verifieer. Die kwalitatiewe waarnemings van die navorser tydens die sessies word in die vorm van gevallestudies beskryf, waarna die ingesamelde data aan die hand van kategorieë en subkategorieë, soos bekom uit die voorafgaande literatuurstudie, geanaliseer word. Na aanleiding van die studie word tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat gestaltspelterapie 'n toepaslike raamwerk bied ten opsigte van 'n hulpprogram vir juniorprimêre skoolkinders se emosionele intelligensie. Die doelstellings van gestaltspelterapie vind aansluiting by die vaardighede wat juniorprimêre skoolkinders ten opsigte van die persoonlike emosionele bevoegdheidskomponente van hulle emosionele intelligensie behoort te bemeester. Die terapeutiese proses van gestaltspelterapie en 'n verskeidenheid van spelterapietegnieke en -aktiwiteite wat vanuit 'n gestaitteoretiese perspektief tydens elke fase benut kan word, bied 'n logiese wyse waarop die vaardighede wat juniorprimêre skoolkinders ten opsigte van die emosionele bevoegdheidskomponente van hulle emosionele intelligensie behoort te bemeester, geïntegreer kan word. Aanbevelings met betrekking tot die programinhoud en verloop, opleiding en verdere navorsing word na aanleiding van die gevolgtrekkings geformuleer.