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Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 84 (2013) 1782 – 1784

3rd World Conference on Psychology, Counselling and Guidance (WCPCG-2012)

Effectiveness of group counseling with problem solving approach

on educational self-efficacy improving
Roghayeh Sohrabia1 Akbar Mohammadib , Golnaz Adalatzadeh Aghdamc
a
Allameh Tabatabaii University, Dehkade Olympic, Tehran, Iran
b
Allameh Tabatabaii University, Dehkade Olympic, Tehran, Iran
c
Tabriz Islamic Azad University ,Jadeh Tehran,Tabriz, Iran

Abstract

The current study is aimed to consider the effectiveness level of group counseling with problem solving approach on educational
self-efficacy improvement (including three subscales of talent, context and attempt) of girl student of secondary schools. To
investigate the educational self-efficacy, we used educational self-efficacy questionnaire (Jinks and Morgan, 1990). In order that
150 girl students out of three education area of Tabriz city were selected by cluster sampling method and 40 people out of the
students who possessed least score in the educational self-efficacy were chosen accidentally and divided into two groups of
experimental and control, group counseling with the problem solving approach was performed within 10 educational sessions for
experimental group, after 10 weeks again both of groups were participated in educational self-efficacy past test. The results
showed that group counseling with problem solving approach enhances the educational self-efficacy.

© 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
© 2013 Published
Selection by Elsevier
and peer-review Ltd. Selection
under responsibility ofand
Prof.peer review under
Dr. Huseyin the responsibility
Uzunboylu & Dr. Mukaddesof Dr. Melehat
Demirok, Halat
Near East University, Cyprus
Keywords: group counselling, problem solving, educational self-efficacy

1. Introduction
The popularity of the brief and short-term counseling method in 1990s is completely evident. The short-term
problem-solving method is very important. This method related us to our goals; it is a quicker way of solving our
problems as well as a straight direction to reach our goals (Lee, 1998). The problem-solving counseling method is
based on applying authorities, talents and potentials in harmony with school -learning styles. According to the
results, most of the students have poor educational self-efficacy; however, applying this method in group form
especially in schools is very helpful (Dianis and Azborn, 1999). The brief and short-term counseling method helps
us to reach our goal in a least time. It seems that it is the quicker method to solve a problem and access to suitable
methods (Hoyt, 2000). The problem-solving counseling method encourages students to attempt with each other and
make a decision on the basis of efficiency cases of past, present and future times. Because of high sensitivity and
time-sharing of this method, it is based upon skillfulness and worthiness, its main purpose is applying students,
talents, potentials, and improvements (Dianis and Azborn, 1999).
The students with high self-efficacy use the most effort in doing their home work, they are sure about their
capability and suitability (narrated by pajars, 2003). Berzonsky et al (2000) indicated that persons with distinct
educational goals and skillfulness are more successful than their peers. In Bandura,s point of view main factors of
self-efficacy include aims and frameworks applied to compare self- operation. Therefore, it seems that self-efficacy
1
Corresponding author name: - Roghayeh Sohrabi, tel: +989147733106
Email: Roghayeh.sohrabi2011@gmail.com

1877-0428 © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Huseyin Uzunboylu & Dr. Mukaddes Demirok, Near East University, Cyprus
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.07.033
 Roghayeh Sohrabi et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 84 (2013) 1782 – 1784 1783

is one of basic factors in educational progress. The students with high self-efficacy use the most effort in doing their

students, expectation to operate in a variable like self-efficacy (Pajars, 2003), mindfulness and information sources
of self-efficacy (Hampton and Mason, 2003), are efficient (narrated by Kamali, 2005). The importance of self-
efficacy is in training achievement goals; self-esteem, seeking energetic home works and perseverance (Gist and
Mitchell, 2002). This study intended to present problem-solving counseling so that in order to influence students,
educational self-efficacy. The results of the current study are applicable for school counselor's educational
psychologists and so on.

Methodology
The method of this study is a quasi-experimental with pretest and post-test and control group.

Sampling
The statistical population of the current study includes all of the second grade girl students of high schools of
Tabriz city in 2010-2011. The researcher chose 30 students (including 15 persons as experimental group and 15
persons as control group) by multiple-phase cluster accidental sampling), with low self-efficacy. They were in the
3rd term of high school with mean age of 16 years.
Instrument
The educational self-efficacy questionnaire is Morgan jinks student efficacy scale (MJSES). This questionnaire is
invented by Morgan and, it has 30 items and jinks three subscales that are talent, context and effort. All of the items
are designated by lickert scale in 4-option responses, it is scored as the following: (1 for `completely disagree` to 4
for `completely agree`). The high score in this scale denotes educational self-efficacy. Morgan and jinks reported the
reliability of the test by cronbach ,s alpha for total test and each of the subscales of talent, context and effort 0/82,
0/78, 0/70 and 0/66, respectively. Karimzade (2001) performed this questionnaire on the students of 2 nd grade high
schools, validity coefficient was 0/76 for total test, 0/76 for talent factor, 0/65 for effort factor and 0/6 for context
factor.

Results and discussion

On the basis of the results of this study, group-counseling with problem-solving approach is efficient on students,
educational self-efficacy improvements and improving their talent context and effort. Because of the fact that
counseling is a relational and emotional process, on the other hand talent is a cognitive capacity that is changeable
on environmental educations and conditions. Therefore this counseling approach is able to influence significantly
students, talent. Pintrich et al (1994) believed that students, self-efficacy have a high correlation with educational
achievement. Students with high received capability, have more educational achievement, too. These beliefs
indirectly affected increasing level of students, goals. Kalins (1986) says that the more capability the students have
the more self-efficacy they will have (narrated by Pajars, 2003). Bandura in his research (2000) showed that activity
of the creative learning environments leads to developing talent and self-efficacy cognitive skills. Students with low,
average and high capabilities, regarding to their capability level have the same level of self-efficacy, too (narrated by
Bandura, 2000). Students, Perceiving educational context and time and environmental conditions in educational self-
efficacy beliefs change on the basis of counseling conditions, therefore it is said that a part of educational self-
efficacy is affected by environmental context and situations; it is changed by environmental conditions and
educations, so group counseling with problem-solving approach is able to increase the students, context. Pajars in his
research (2003) found that providing a positive context in appearing a positive self-efficacy could lead to future
educational achievement, especially personal and observational experiences as two major sources have a remarkable
role in this sense. Lent et al (2004) showed that context dependence is one of the most important characteristics of
educational self-efficacy. Context is not an abstract concept which expressing a general sense about a personal
confidence that one can use in all conditions, but it is a particular concept encouraging one's attitude about his
deservedness in relation to a certain activity, individuals or a certain situation. Phan and Walker (2000) found that
the most leading learning techniques including educational context, social processes like patterns, feedback and
social guidance, environmental perceiving of school and family perceiving. Joo et al (2000) found that only two
sources of function experiences and physiological and emotional states are significantly correlated in predicting
students, educational self-efficacy. Considering the studies on this area, they intended to study the conceptual
structure of information resources. They found that there are probably less than four factors in information resources
1784 Roghayeh Sohrabi et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 84 (2013) 1782 – 1784

of self-efficacy. They considered the 4factor structure as the most complete pattern of data fitting for information
resources of self-efficacy. The findings of Karimzade and Mohseni (2006) showed that educational self-efficacy
could predict educational achievement. The more educational self-efficacy one has, the more educational
achievement he will have, providing the better home and school context for students, the more educational
achievement they will have. Khayyer (2001) considers lack of effort as the first, family problems as the second and
lack of capability as the third important causes of educational failure in students, point of view. Students believed
that if they attempted more, they will certainly gain better scores.

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