Date of Award
12-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Educational Leadership P-12
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. Hans Klar
Committee Member
Dr. Noelle Paufler
Committee Member
Dr. Cynthia Deaton
Committee Member
Dr. Barbara Nesbitt
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Adolescents encounter many stressors in their lives and need resources to help them navigate their challenges. Access to books and movies may help gifted middle school students find ways to cope with various stressors characteristic of gifted students. Bibliotherapy and cinematherapy interventions effectively offer gifted students emotional support for their mental, social, and academic struggles, since gifted students tend to avoid asking for help. In a rural southeastern town, a 2-month improvement science study included a Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle with gifted eighth graders. From December 2024 to January 2025, gifted students participated in an intervention program using bibliotherapy and cinematherapy interventions for 30 minutes each day. This qualitative study included student journals, audio recordings of class and group discussions at the end of the iteration, and student interviews. This research holds importance because gifted students often have unaddressed social and emotional issues such as depression and anxiety, which can be addressed with bibliotherapy and cinematherapy. During the deductive coding scheme, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework was applied to the phases of bibliotherapy and cinematherapy. The main themes that emerged were identification and shared experiences, emotional processing and catharsis, skill building, and reflection and self-awareness. The inductive coding of emerged themes from student comments provided for their voices to be heard and the emergence of unexpected themes such as processing past trauma and examining life’s narratives. The evidence from student data showed that bibliotherapy not only helped students cope with current issues but turned past experiences into personal growth. This approach empowered students with resilience and increased identity development.
Recommended Citation
Wallace, Debra P., "The Influence of Using Bibliotherapy and Cinematherapy Interventions on the Social-Emotional Competencies of Middle School Students Identified as Gifted" (2025). All Dissertations. 4132.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/4132