Multimedia Art Therapy as a Psychological Support for Ukrainian Students in Polish Primary Schools Who Experience Difficulties in Peer Relationships

Abstract

The article analyses a project directed to Ukrainian students in Polish primary schools, financed by UNICEF. The project consisted of two parts. The first one is the examination of children's psychological and pedagogical needs. It was carried out with the use of the Questionnaire of Disorders in the Realization of Social Roles, among 96 students studying in IV – VIII classes of primary schools. This questionnaire serves as a screening test for the research sample. Test results show that the average and high level of disorders in the role of a peer is experienced by 30% of students, while the sense of peer rejection at the same levels is shown by as many as 35% of the respondents. The main study is an examination of the effectiveness of multimedia art therapy program in improving peer relations of Ukrainian students. The aim of this part was to support building peer relationships among studied children and provide them with the necessary emotional support. 57 students participated in a 10 group art workshops using multimedia. The theoretical concept of this project was based on Expressive Therapy (Malchodi & Bochenek, 2014). To determine the effectiveness of art therapy, qualitative methods were used: subjective scales and descriptive scales, as well as observations of the creative process, statements and reflections of students during and after the project. The results underscored a noticeable improvement in the students' self-perceptions, with reported enhancements in feelings of connection, self-worth, and self-approval. Additionally, an increase in communication skills, positive peer interactions, and social acceptance was observed.