Improving academic motivation and subjective well-being of psychological counselors' candidates with choice theory-based practices: An action research

The purpose of the current study is to increase the academic motivation and subjective well-being of psychological counselor candidates. In line with this purpose, the study focuses on needs as determined by the common point of two independent variables, examining them through Choice Theory. The action research conducted in this study looked at needs-based intervention to increase academic motivation and subjective well-being, and to do so, presents action research designed specifically for this study. In this context, 10 students who were in their third year in the department of Guidance and Psychological Counseling participated in the study. Twenty-five data collection tools, devised for the action research, were used before, during, and after the implementation process. The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire and the Academic Motivation Scale were used with permission, while all the other qualitative data collection tools emerged within the scope of the research. The findings of the study are as follows: The needs analysis, carried out before the implementation process, revealed that, for the psychological counselling candidates participating in the research, the necessity of meeting the needs of power, belonging, and freedom emerged, in that order of importance. These analyses also provided data regarding the low levels of academic motivation and subjective well-being of the participants. However, as a result of the seven basic practices of the action package of the research, which lasted approximately 7 months, the academic motivation and subjective well-being of the participants increased. In addition, at the end of the implementation, it was observed that the participants were able to satisfy their needs for power, belonging, and freedom in order of intensity. The results show that the satisfaction of the participants' need for power is related to the increase in their academic competence, decrease in academic anxiety, creation of a professional identity, feeling of being in control of life, and having a higher self-confidence; the satisfaction of the need for belonging is related to a feeling of belonging in friendship groups and social relations, a feeling of belonging to the department, a feeling of belonging to the participant group, and a feeling of belonging to the school and family; the satisfaction of the need for freedom is related to the importance of their choices in life, knowing that there are different alternatives. It was concluded that, the intervention prepared by drawing upon Theory of Choice based action research was effective in increasing the academic motivation and subjective well-being of the psychological counselor candidates. Key Words: Psychological counselor candidate; Academic motivation; Subjective well-being; Choice theory; Action research.