Psychological Counseling Program for Emotional Intelligence and Learning Motivation in Children With Language Learning Difficulties

Beyond Learning Difficulties: Effectiveness of a Psychological Counseling Program in Developing Emotional Intelligence and Enhancing Learning Motivation Among Children With Language Learning Difficulties

This study examines the effectiveness of a psychological counseling program designed to develop emotional intelligence and enhance learning motivation among children with language learning difficulties. The study includes 360 children from 20 schools in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia. Participants were divided into an experimental group that received the psychological counseling program and a control group that did not receive the program. Emotional intelligence and learning motivation were assessed before and after the intervention. Interviews were also conducted with children in the experimental group and teachers to explore perceived changes following participation in the program.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Language Learning Difficulties
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Psychological Counseling Program

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 360
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Saudi Arabia
  • Al Mubarraz, Saudi Arabia
    • Rommel

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Plaintext

Inclusion Criteria:

• Primary school fourth-grade students aged 9-10 years.
• Identified with language learning difficulties.
• Enrolled in the school where the study is conducted.
• Informed consent provided by parents or legal guardians, along with student assent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe sensory, neurological, or intellectual impairments that prevent active group participation.
• Concurrent participation in other formal emotional or psychological group interventions during the study period.
• Unwillingness or inability to commit to attending the required group sessions.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental Group: Counseling Program; experimental group that received the psychological counseling program	Behavioral: Psychological Counseling Program; The intervention in this study is distinguished by the following structural, theoretical, and practical features: Theoretical Framework Integration: Grounded in Mayer and Salovey's Ability Model of Emotional Intelligence, the intervention uniquely applies the Beyond Learning Difficulties framework and the Bio-Psycho-Social Model. Rather than focusing solely on linguistic remediation or academic deficit repair, it conceptualizes language learning difficulties as a multidimensional condition interacting with emotional, motivational, and social factors. Integrated Target Outcomes: It explicitly targets the dual enhancement of emotional intelligence (emotional knowledge, emotion regulation, emotion management, empathy, and social communication) and learning motivation (learning interest/engagement, persistence/effort, self-confidence/achievement motivation). Delivery Schedule & Setting: Delivered as a school-based group counseling program consisting of 34 structured group sessions over
Experimental: Control Group: No Counseling Program; Participants in this arm receive standard curriculum without the psychological counseling program	Behavioral: Psychological Counseling Program; The intervention in this study is distinguished by the following structural, theoretical, and practical features: Theoretical Framework Integration: Grounded in Mayer and Salovey's Ability Model of Emotional Intelligence, the intervention uniquely applies the Beyond Learning Difficulties framework and the Bio-Psycho-Social Model. Rather than focusing solely on linguistic remediation or academic deficit repair, it conceptualizes language learning difficulties as a multidimensional condition interacting with emotional, motivational, and social factors. Integrated Target Outcomes: It explicitly targets the dual enhancement of emotional intelligence (emotional knowledge, emotion regulation, emotion management, empathy, and social communication) and learning motivation (learning interest/engagement, persistence/effort, self-confidence/achievement motivation). Delivery Schedule & Setting: Delivered as a school-based group counseling program consisting of 34 structured group sessions over

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Learning Motivation Scale	The final version of the Learning Motivation Scale consists of 30 items across three dimensions: (1) Learning Interest and Engagement (9 items), assessing children's interest in learning activities, willingness to participate, and positive attitudes toward classroom learning experiences; (2) Persistence and Effort in Learning (10 items), assessing children's ability to maintain effort, persist in completing academic tasks, and overcome learning difficulties; and (3) Self-Confidence and Achievement Motivation (11 items), assessing children's confidence in their learning abilities, desire to achieve success, and willingness to engage in challenging learning activities. Items are rated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree). Negatively worded items are reverse-scored before calculating the total and dimension scores. The total score ranges from 30 to 150, with higher scores indicating higher levels of learning motivation.	Baseline and 4 months (post-intervention)
Emotional Intelligence Scale	The final version of the Emotional Intelligence Scale consists of 60 items across five dimensions: (1) Emotion Management (13 items), (2) Empathy (12 items), (3) Emotion Regulation (13 items), (4) Emotional Knowledge (12 items), and (5) Social Communication (10 items). Items are rated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Never) to 5 (Always). Negatively worded items are reverse-scored before calculating the total and subscale scores. The total score ranges from 60 to 300, with higher scores indicating higher levels of emotional intelligence.	Baseline and 4 months (post-intervention)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: King Faisal University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Rommel MA AlAli, King Faisal University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 6, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 31, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): June 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 10, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 10, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): September 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 18, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 15, 2026
• Last Verified: September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: KFU-REC-2024Dec-EA000805; KFU265147 (Other Grant/Funding Number: King Faisal University)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No