THE IMPACT OF CHOICE THEORY-BASED COUNSELING PROGRAM ON REDUCING SOCIAL NETWORKS ADDICTION AND ENHANCING SOCIAL AND PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY WITHIN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN JORDAN

Abstract This study assesses the effectiveness of a counseling program, based on choice theory, to decrease the Level of social network addiction and increase the feeling of social and personal responsibility within secondary school students in Jordan. This research tackles a very relevant problem as these studies show that the overuse of social media caused adolescent psychosocial, behavioral, and sociocultural problems. In this context, choice theory developed by William Glasser is used to stress personal accountability and intrinsic motivation in the context of enabling students to make life-improving social media and behavioral choices. A quasi-experimental design was adopted for this research involving a purposive sample of thirty students comprising fifteen (15) males and fifteen (15) females from high schools in Ma’an governorate. The total sample was divided into a control group and an experimental group which received pretests, posttests, and delayed posttests. The Social Network Addiction Scale (SNA) and the Social and Personal Responsibility Scale (SPR) were ХХ and ХХ respectively. The first part of the intervention consisted of structured sessions, utilizing choice theory, directed towards the reduction of social media expenditure and the increase of responsibility The experimental group exhibited substantial reduction in social media use as well as substantial increase in the sense of social and personal responsibility as compared to the control group. In particular, there were considerable positive differences between post-test scores and pre-test scores for the experimental group, thereby proving the effectiveness of the choice theory-based intervention. Gender did not have significant varying effects on outcomes, thus suggesting that the program is favorable for both male and female students. This study encourages other researches as it shows the potential of choice theory counseling in education environment as an intervention. The program not only helps in curbing social media addiction but also fosters the sense of responsibility in students which is of great importance in their development and social welfare. Implementing such programs in schools has the potential of improving students’ mental health and academic performance in a way that will reduce negative impact of the digital world and foster community responsibility among students. The study brings focus an issue on development of further studies with more profound focus on long-term effects as well as modularity of the program across various educational contexts.