School Counselor’s Guidance Strategies for Bullying Victims in Middle Schools: A Multidimensional Rasch Model Approach

Abstract

The need for school counselor intervention is crucial for victims of bullying. However, fews studies focus on guidance strategies used by school counselors. The present study aims to explore the frequency and perceived effectiveness of various guidance strategies from the perspective of school counselors. A total of 164 school counselors from northern, central, southern, and eastern Taiwan participated in the study by completing the paper surveys, while 53 school counselors completed online surveys. The results of multidimensional Rasch analysis identified: seven common and effective strategies, including learning to seek help, using body language, expressing thoughts and feelings, discussing problems, and recognizing and accepting emotions; five common yet ineffective strategies, including understanding the impact of bullying, practicing communication skills, maintaining physical boundaries, saying “no” to bullies, and focusing on the present; seven rare but effective strategies, including understanding definition and causes of bullying, empathic listening, staying calm, speaking assertively, recognizing behavioral pattern, and progressive muscle relaxation; six rare and ineffective strategies, such as identifying types of bullying, maintaining suitable posture, setting counseling goals, strategizng against bullying, exploring new approaches to handling bullying, and cognitive regulation. These results contribute to the evaluation of the effectiveness of different guidance strategies. For practical application, it is recommended that councelors remain conscious of their intentions and actions, tailoring their approach based on the needs of the victim. Counselors can refer to the results of this research to adapt and apply various strategies flexibly.

Keywords

• guidance strategies
• perceived effectiveness
• rasch model
• school bullying
• victims