The Effectiveness of WDEP Reality Counseling in Reducing Social Comparison Among Elementary School Students

Social comparison is one of the problems that can affect the self-evaluation, self-confidence, and social-emotional development of elementary school students, especially in the transition phase to adolescence. This study aims to test the effectiveness of reality counseling with WDEP (Wants, Doing, Evaluation and Planning techniques in reducing the level of social comparison in grade VI students of SDN Kusumodilagan. The study used a quantitative approach with quasi-experimental methods and pretest-posttest control group design. The research subjects amounted to 10 students who were selected using purposive sampling techniques, consisting of 5 students in the experimental group and 5 students in the control group. Data collection used a social comparison scale adapted from the Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure (INCOM), consisting of 31 items with a four-point Likert scale. The instrument has good reliability with a Cronbach's Alpha value of 0.895. Data analysis was carried out using the Paired Sample t-test after meeting the assumptions of normality and homogeneity. The results showed that the experimental group experienced a decrease in social comparison scores by an average of 24.60 points after obtaining the intervention. The results of the Paired Sample t-test showed a significant difference between pretest and posttest scores (t = 4.019; p = 0.016). In addition to statistical significance, the effect size value showed a huge influence, with Cohen's d = 1.644, Hedges' correction = 1.484, and Glass's delta = 1.228. The findings show that reality counseling with the WDEP technique is effective in reducing the tendency to social comparison in grade VI students. These interventions can be an alternative to contextual guidance and counseling services to help students improve self-evaluation, self-control, self-acceptance, and orientation to self-development acts.