Page No: 134-142
R. Vatsala Mirnaalini and S. Gayatridevi
Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore
The objective of the study is to determine the effectiveness of expressive arts therapy
in improving emotional intelligence among learning disabled adolescents. Sixty-six
adolescents with learning disability (age 11 to 15 years) were selected for the study
based on a purposive sampling method. 35 adolescents from Saraswati Kendra Learning
Centre for Children, Chennai, and 31 adolescents from Wisdomms Learning Centre,
Chennai, were grouped into the experimental group and the waitlist control group,
respectively. Emotional Intelligence was assessed using “The Schutte Self-Report
Emotional Intelligence Test” by Schutte S et al., (1998). The research design used in
the study was a before-and-after and a follow-up waitlist control group. Expressive Arts
Therapy intervention was administered for a period of 8 weeks to the learning disabled
adolescents to enhance emotional intelligence. Repeated Measures of ANOVA was
computed using SPSS, and the results (F (2, 66) = 4.835, p = .009) showed significant
improvement in Emotional Intelligence among Learning Disabled Adolescents in the
Experimental Group compared to the Waitlist Control Group. It can be concluded from
the study that learning disabled adolescents were able to handle and express the
emotions appropriately with a training in expressive arts therapy.