Die effektiwiteit van 'n Gestalt-verrykingsprogram vir afstuderende studente

Abstract

The aim of the study was the compilation and evaluation of a Gestalt enrichment programme for final-year students. In order to reach this objective, a literature study has been undertaken to define the primary developmental tasks of the final-year student and the concept enrichment and to investigate the effectiveness of Gestalt enrichment spesifically. The hypothesis has been framed that the successful implementation of the Gestalt enrichment programme will be associated with statistically significant changes in personal autonomy, purpose-in-life and positive mental health. The Personal Autonomy Scale (PAS), Purpose-in-Life Test (PIL) and Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) where respectively identified as appropriate measuring instruments for this purpose. After the random grouping of the sample of third-year psychology students into the experimental, discussion and control groups, the comparability of the groups has been determined by means of preliminary testing. This was followed up by the application of the respective interventions (namely the enrichment programme and the group discussions), after which the entire sample was retested and the intra- and intergroup differences statistically calculated by the Wilcoxon-ranks test. The general findings concerning the enrichment programme can be summarised as follows: * The completion of the Gestalt enrichment programme is associated with no significant changes in respect of the final-year student's personal autonomy, purpose-in-life and positive mental health. * The pretest results suggest that the the final-year student's high level of purpose-in-life (PIL) and positive mental health (POI) even before the commencement of the programme has limited further statistically significant improvement. The following recommendations are made: * The evaluation of the effectiveness of enrichment programmes by extending the research design to provide for a longitudinal observation phase, an alternative enrichment programme/technique and the inclusion of a research group with identified problems in the early adulthood stage. * The evaluation of the programme impact for other dependent variables. * The further development of the Gestalt two-chair dialogue technique with a spesific focus on problem and conflict resolution and decision-making processes.