The Development of a Group Guidance Module for Student Self-development based on Gestalt Theory

• Published in: Procedia, social and behavioral sciences social and behavioral sciences, 2013-07, Vol.84, p.1310-1316
• Main Authors: Arip, Mohammad Aziz Shah Mohamed, Bakar, Rapidah Binti A., Ahmad, Aslina Binti, Jais, Samsiah Md
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Content validity; expert judgment; Gestalt theory; group guidance; student self-development
• ISSN: 1877-0428; 1877-0428
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.748

The aims of this study were to develop and validate a group guidance module for student self-development based on Gestalt theory. This module comprized nine sessions and 12 activities that were developed along the concepts, principles, and techniq ues of Gestalt theory which were espoused by Fritz Perls, Laura Perls, and Paul Goodman in the 1940s and 1950s. The design method used in this study involved a descriptive approach involving expert judgment. The instruments used were two questionnaires: the first was to determine the content validity of the module as advocated by and the second was to determine the suitability of the sessions and activities of the module as recommended by Mohammad Aziz Shah (2010). The sample of the study comprized six experts consisting of psychologists, counselors, and academicians. A statistical software was used to analyze the decriptive statistics of the collected data which revealed promising results. The values computed for the content validity as suggetsed by Rusell were high, ranging from 71.6% to 81.6%. Likewise, the values for the suitability of the sessions and activities of the module as advocated by Mohammad Aziz Shah were high, ranging from 71.6% to 83.3%. These findings reinforce the adoption of Gestalt precepts and group guidance approach in the design of modules for student self- development. Implications of the findings are also discussed in the paper.