Enhancing psychological flexibility through reading-based bibliotherapy in university students: A mixed-methods study
Journal of Happiness and Health,
No. FirstView Articles,
10 October 2026
,
Page 142-156
https://doi.org/10.47602/johah.v6i2.183
Abstract 2 min read
The objective of this study is to examine the effect of bibliotherapy on the psychological flexibility of undergraduate students enrolled in the Turkish Language Teaching program. The study sample consisted of students enrolled at a public university. The experimental group comprised 38 participants, while the control group comprised 31 participants. Quantitative data were collected from both the experimental and control groups, while qualitative data were obtained through interviews with 17 experimental group participants who volunteered. Quantitative data were collected using the Personalized Psychological Flexibility Scale and analyzed via One-Way Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) to evaluate the intervention’s effect while controlling for baseline differences. Qualitative data were collected using a semi-structured interview form prepared by the researchers. After transcribing the audio recordings, the data were analyzed using a theory-driven approach based on the psychological flexibility model and reflexive thematic analysis approach. Quantitative findings showed that, when pre-test scores were controlled for, participants in the experimental group who participated in bibliotherapy exhibited a significant reduction in avoidance levels compared to the control group, while their levels of acceptance and committed action increased significantly. The qualitative findings revealed that the participants showed positive developments in the core processes of psychological flexibility. These results suggest that bibliotherapy applications can be integrated into Turkish language teacher education programs. Furthermore, it is recommended that the effectiveness of this approach be examined in different teacher training programs and other university departments.
- Bibliotherapy, psychological flexibility, prospective Turkish language teachers, mixed-methods research, teacher education.
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