A Case Study on Group Art Therapy for Isolated Elementary School Children

초등학교 고립아동에 대한 집단미술치료 사례연구

This research work was aimed at assisting isolated children to adapt their school life having examined the process of their changes by reducing isolation level and isolative behavior through means of implementing group art therapy program. To accomplish this purpose of research, 36 participants were selected from children attending Class 6, 4th Grade of D Elementary School located in Dajeon Metropolitan City, to which researcher was served as homeroom teacher. And the participants were asked to complete a survey that included social and emotional isolation scale test which was designed by Heh Sung-hee(1993) and 4 children marked more than 96 points were designated as isolated children. The group art therapy program exercised in this research was the one that reorganized by research to suit the research purpose based on the precedent works, and survey was conducted total 12 times, two time a week, within 60 minutes per time, between 6 September and 24 October 2006, and researcher conducted group art therapy program directly at Class 6, 4th Grade of D Elementary School using extra hours after school. And following analyses were performed in relation to results therefrom: First, to analyze changes of isolation level of isolated children Quantitatively, the results from pre and post test concerning social and emotional isolation scale were comparatively analyzed. Second, to analyze changes of psychological state of isolated children, projective drawing tests were performed using Kinetic House-Tree-Person(K-HTP) Drawing and Kinetic School Drawing(KSD) and results therefrom were comparatively analyzed. Third, to analyze Quantitatively what changes have been occurred in the isolated children during the course of forming interrelationships with group members while participating in group art therapy, proceedings were summarized per each stage of the program and analyzed accordingly. Fourth, results from researcher's observation of what changes have been occurred in the isolative behavior of isolated children before and after implementation of group art therapy were compared accordingly. Followings are resulting conclusions. First, group art therapy program reduced isolation level of isolated children. Second, group art therapy program changed the isolated children's psychological state into a stable and positive fashion. Third, isolated children became able to experience positive interrelations as well as establishment of new human relationships with group members during the course of participating in the group art therapy program. Fourth, group art therapy program reduced isolative behaviors of the isolated children. Therefore, conclusions could have been reached that the group art therapy program implemented in this research reduced isolative behaviors of the isolated children, and changed their anxious and depressed mental state into stable and positive ones, also established positive interrelationships as well as new human relationships. And, it will be able to expect a greater effect if a program which has been associated with their family could be proceeded along with continuous guidance and teaching having developed objective test tools that will discern isolated children.