I am a little xx--- Discussed and investigated the improvement and outcomes about how storybooks affect the disadvantaged children with affective disorder.

• Main Authors: Hui-Min Mei, 梅慧敏
• Other Authors: Yu-Chia Chen
• Format: Others
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/urq47a

碩士 === 國立東華大學 === 民族發展與社會工作學系 === 101 === Abstract The Sailing Association for which I work sets up many After-School Caring Centers in tribal communities. I, therefore, contact children from disadvantaged families. Among them, I have seen some moody kids who suffer from family problems and past irritable incidents. It is not easy for them to express their feelings and have a good relationship with people. In this study, I intend to find appropriate ways through which the children can learn how to express and release their feelings properly. I also expect that, while feeling bad, the children are capable of thinking differently to improve their emotion so that they can face the future boldly. Using Cognitive Behavior Theory, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Bibliotherapy, Play Therapy and Narrative Therapy, I would like to investigate the following three issues. First, how can I use the stories of picture books to let the children understand, accept their emotion, improve moody problems and express emotion clearly and properly? What obstacles we will encounter and what is the effect when we succeed doing so. Second, how can I change children’s thinking to be positive by using picture books? Third, how can I connect with children by the picture books? And how can I realize their feelings and past incidents by asking questions? In this research, we divide 20 children under study into 2 groups. The children of the control group take the art craft class, whereas the children of the treatment take the story-telling class in which we use the kids’ emotion management picture books series ``Brave to Change’’ written and edited by Taiwan Sailing Association. In order to understand the children’s emotional situations as well as the effects of the separate activities of the control and treatment groups, we evaluate each child’s emotion through the questionnaires filled by them at the initial, middle and final stages of the research. At the end of each story-telling, each member is asked to fill questionnaires and share what he/she learns from the story. I hope that by means of sharing each child is able to release his/her emotion and has an opportunity to re-think emotion problems which he/she has ever encountered. I also ask a volunteer kid to tell me the impromptu story he/she makes, according to the picture book he/she freely picks. The purpose of doing so is to deeply understand their minds and the environments they face, as well as to help them release their emotions. After finishing the experiment, I discover that the story-telling of picture books indeed helps the children recognize, understand, accept their emotions, makes them learn how to deal with the negative emotions and strengthens their problem-solving ability. In support group, because of similar experience and sharing every week, there is cohesiveness among them; they are willing to love, help each other and be open-minded while telling the others their moody problems. The conclusion of this research is that picture books indeed have an influence on dysfunctional emotions but family problem and relationship with peers also strongly affect the emotions of children who suffer from past experiences. In this research, it is a pity that the treatment time is too short to strengthen children’s positive cognition. If we have a long-run story-telling group education, then it must help the children to think positively when they encounter difficulties. The more time children spend in support group, the more wounds which the children experienced in past relationship can be cured. They can also learn the proper way to interact with people. It is unexpected that make progress in the ability of expressing themselves. Originally, I supposed that the children didn’t like to tell story. However, during the period of the experiment, I found that the children more and more liked to express themselves, repeated the stories they heard, even made up new stories. In the story-telling class, the children’s emotions could be released and noticed. After finishing the experiment, many children of both treatment group and control group asked whether there will be story-telling class in the next semester. You therefore can see how popular the story-telling class. Keywords: Stories of picture books, Disadvantaged, Emotional disturbance