Validity and Reliability of the H.E.A.T Module toward Self-Efficacy, Self-Assertiveness and Self-Esteem among Bullying Victims

Mohd Khairulnizam Bin Muslin; Mohd Izwan Bin Mahmud; Ku Suhaila Binti Ku Johari@Ku Ali

doi:10.54392/ajir2547

Authors

Mohd Khairulnizam Bin Muslin Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan, Malaysia Author https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0958-3667
Mohd Izwan Bin Mahmud Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan, Malaysia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7874-0274
Ku Suhaila Binti Ku Johari@Ku Ali Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan, Malaysia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54392/ajir2547

Keywords:

Validity, Reliability, Self Efficacy, Self Assertiveness, Self Esteem, Bullying Victim

Abstract

Bullying is a chronic issue in Malaysia that negatively affects bullying victim’s cognitive, behavior and emotional. Existing intervention often involved single aspects of recovery and lacking holistic integration. This study introduces the H.E.A.T Module, a psychoeducational intervention developed using Sidek’s Model and grounded in Rational Emotive Behavior Theraphy (REBT) The module focusing three construct self-efficacy, self-assertiveness and self-esteem to support bullying victims recovery. Content validity was assessed by six experts in counseling and psychology, while reliability was tested through a pilot study involving 40 secondary school, form one and form two student who had experienced bullying. Results showed high content validity module contents, with an overall score of 91.78%. Reliability analysis produced a Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of .79, exceeding the acceptable for stability and consistency. These findings confirm that the H.E.A.T Module is both valid and reliable, providing a structured and theory-driven intervention with practical implications for school counseling practice and policy-level anti-bullying initiatives.

References

Abdul Mutalib Embong, Wan Nur Hafeza Wan Salam. (2024). Masalah disiplin pelajar: kembalikan kuasa autokratik kepada sekolah. Astro Awani. 3 Ogos.

Ahmed, G.K., Metwaly, N.A., Elbeh, K., Galal, M.S., Shaban, I. (2022). Risk factors of school bullying and its relationship with psychiatric comorbidities: a literature review. The Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery, 58(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41983-022-00449-x

Bandura, A. Self-efficacy and health behavior In A. Baum, S. Newman, J. Wienman, R. West, & C. McManus (Eds.), Cambridge handbook of psychology, health and medicine, Cambridge Northern Illinois University Press, Cambridge, 1997, 160-162.

Bandura, A., & Walters, R. H. (2001). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Bermejo, R.C., Hernández, A.N., Sánchez, L.G. (2022). Study of the Relationship of Bullying with the Levels of Eudaemonic Psychological Well-Being in Victims and Aggressors. Sustainability, 14(9), 5609. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095609

Chai, W., Siew, N.M., & Lee, B. (2021). Kesahan dan kebolehpercayaan modul pembelajaran berasaskan pengintergrasian model pembelajaran inkuiri 5E dan koperatif. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH) 6(8): 339–351. https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v6i8.950

Darjan, I., Negru, M. & Ilie, D. 2020. Self-esteem the decisive difference between bullying and assertiveness in adolescence. Journal of Education Science XXI 1(41):19-34. https://doi.org/10.35923/JES.2020.1.02

David, D., Szentagotai, A., Lupu, V., Cosman, D. (2018). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT): An evidence-based review. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1832. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01423

Dou, Y., Wongpakaran, T., Wongpakaran, N., O’Donnell, R., Bunyachatakul, S., Pojanapotha, P. (2022). Bullying Victimization Moderates the Association between Social Skills and Self-Esteem among Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study in International Schools. Children, 9(11), 1606. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9111606

Dryden, W. (2008). Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy. In Routledge eBooks. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203889084

Dryden, W. (2020). ‘Skills in Single-Session Therapy. Part 1: Creating and Maintaining a Focus’, European Journal of Counselling Theory, Research and Practice, 4(4),1-4. https://ejctrap.nationalwellbeingservice.com/volumes/volume-4-2020/volume-4-article-4/

Ellis, A. (1994). Reason and emotion in psychotherapy (Rev. ed.). New York, NY: Carol Publishing Group

Field, A. (2018). Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics (5th ed.). Sage.

Fraenkel, J.R. & Wallen, N.E., Hyun, H.H. 2012. How to design and evaluate research in education. Ed ke-8. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Golshiri, P., Mostofi, A., Rouzbahani, S. (2023). The effect of problem solving and assertiveness training on self-esteem and mental health of female adolescents: a randomized clinical trial. BMC Psychology, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01154-x

Greenberger, D., Padesky, C.A. (1995). Mind over mood: Change how you feel by changing the way you think. Guilford Press.

Guo, Y., Tan, X., & Zhu, Q. (2022). Chains of tragedy: The impact of bullying victimization on mental health through mediating role of aggressive behavior and perceived social support. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.988003

Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis: A global perspective (7th ed.). Pearson Education.

Haraldstad, K., Kvarme, L. G., Christophersen, K., & Helseth, S. (2019). Associations between self-efficacy, bullying and health-related quality of life in a school sample of adolescents: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7115-4

Harun, M.T., Yaacob, M.I.H. (2021). Assessing the quality of FZ-STEM Module: Validity and reliability aspects. Jurnal Pendidikan Sains Dan Matematik Malaysia, 11(Sp), 107–117. https://doi.org/10.37134/jpsmm.vol11.sp.10.2021

Hazaha, H.S., Tengku Ismail, T.A., Ghazali, A.K., Daud, A., Sulaiman, Z. (2023). Development and validation of an educational module on intimate partner violence for young adults. IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia , 22(3),88-97. https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v22i3

Hikmat, R., Yosep, I., Hernawaty, T., Mardhiyah, A. (2024). A Scoping Review of Anti-Bullying Interventions: Reducing Traumatic Effect of Bullying among Adolescents. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 17, 289–304. https://doi.org/10.2147/jmdh.s443841

Ibrahim, F.M., Dabou, E.A.R., AbdelSamad, S., Abuijlan, I.A. (2024). Prevalence of bullying and its impact on self-esteem, anxiety and depression among medical and health sciences university students in RAS Al Khaimah, UAE. Heliyon, 10(3), e25063. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25063

Isa, N.J.M., Ismail, M. S., Noor, A.M. (2019). Masalah buli dalam kalangan murid: apakah kata guru? Bullying problems among students: what do teachers say?. Perspektif Jurnal Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan, 11(2), 1-14.

Ishak, I., Rahim, N.N.A., Salim, N.I., Husaini, C.U.N.S.T., Jamaludin, I., Khalid, H.M., Lutfi, N.A.A., Afzaruddin, S.S., Ghazali, A.R., Ludin, A.F.M., Warif, N.M.A., Ibrahim, F.W., Othman, F.A., Din, N.C., Harun, D., Yahya, H.M., Rozali, W.N.A.C.W.M. (2022). Development and validation of HuFfAZ ProHealth 1.0©: A Module to Improve the Well-Being of Tahfiz Students in Selangor, Malaysia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(13), 7718. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137718

Kaiser, H.F. (1974). An index of factorial simplicity. Psychometrika, 39(1): 31-36.

Kamal, S.F.M., Nasrah, S.K.M., Abdullah, S.M.S. (2021). Persepsi Kaunselor terhadap Gangguan Stres Pasca Trauma (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) Mangsa Buli di Malaysia. Sains Insani, 6(1), 217–226. https://doi.org/10.33102/sainsinsani.vol6no1.277

Kandasamy, N.K.A., Jaafar, H. (2023). Kesahan dan Kebolehpercayaan Modul Mahir PK Dalam Penyediaan Penyata Kewangan. Deleted Journal, 7(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.53840/attarbawiy.v7i1.150

Khalid, N.M., Ponvel, P., Ibrahim, A., Safien, A.M., Fadzil, N.H.M., Singh, D.K.A., Ludin, A.F. M., Ibrahim, N., Subramaniam, P., Haron, H., Rajikan, R., Vanoh, D., Shahar, S. (2024). Development and evaluation of content validity and acceptance of a multidomain intervention module for reversal of cognitive frailty among older adults. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 19, 1189–1202. https://doi.org/10.2147/cia.s458600

Koçak, O., Semerci, M., Aslan, Y. (2025). The association between self-esteem and physical aggression in elementary school students in Türkiye: the role of being a victim as mediator. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-025-07779-y

Koran, K.S.R, Smith, P.K., Yaakub, N.F. (2021). Towards empowering research in bullying intervention in the evolving environment: The what, why and how. Evaluation Studies in Social Sciences, 2, 4-6.

Kowalski, R.M., Limber, S. P. (2013). Psychological, physical, and academic correlates of cyberbullying and traditional bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, 53(1), S13–S20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.09.018

Maisarah Sheikh Rahim. (2025). Lakukan pemeriksaan mengejut, bendung kes buli di sekolah. Utusan Malaysia.

Maslow, A.H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346

Maslow, A.H. (1954). Motivation and personality. Harper & Row. https://www.holybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/Motivation-and-Personality-Maslow.pdf

Mat, A., Jaafar, W.M.W. (2022). Kesan Modul Terapi Rasional Emotif Tingkah Laku (REBT) Terhadap Sistem Kepercayaan dan Estim Kendiri dalam kalangan Pelatih di Sekolah Tunas Bakti. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 7(1), 50–58. https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v7i1.1215

Mohamed Nahdirsha, M.A.A., Balaraman, R.A. (2020). Pelaporan berita buli dalam akhbar broadsheet Utusan Malaysia dan tabloid Berita Harian di Malaysia. Forum Komunikasi (FK), 15(2), 51-70.

Mullan, V.M.R., Golm, D. Juhl, J., Sajid, S., Brandt, V. (2023). The relationship between peer victimisation, self esteem and internalizing symptoms in adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS ONE, 18(3), e0282224. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282224

Nguyen, B.X., Dang, A.H., Tran, H.T., Nguyen, B.N. (2025). Content validity of a toolkit for measuring teachers' mental health literacy in Vietnam. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 14,123. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_481_24

Nordiana Abd Rahim. (2022) Kesan modul kelompok psikopendidikan ke atas kesejahteraan kewangan, efikasi pengurusan kewangan dan kelangsungan kerjaya dalam kalangan guru keterhutangan serius. Tesis Dr. Fal. Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Normardiana Abdullah. (2022). Pembangunan dan keberkesanan modul 3k-cbt terhadap konsep kendiri, rasa kepunyaan dan keterlibatan murid ponteng. Tesis Dr Fal. Fakulti Pendidikan. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). The assessment of reliability. In Psychometric theory (3rd ed., pp. 248–292). McGraw-Hill.

O’Brien, S.O., Campbell, M.A., Whiteford, C. (2024). Exploring the role of school psychologists/counsellors in addressing bullying: Current practices and suggested future directions. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in School, 34(4), 388-398. https://doi.org/10.1177/20556365241295299

Ormrod, J.E. (2020). Human Learning (8th ed.). Pearson

Pavlov, I.P. (1927). Conditioned Reflexes: An Investigation of the Physiological Activity of the Cerebral Cortex. London: Oxford University Press.

Peprah, P., Oduro, M.S., Okwei, R., Adu, C., Asiamah-Asare, B.Y., Agyemang-Duah, W. (2023). Cyberbullying victimization and suicidal ideation among in-school adolescents in three countries: implications for prevention and intervention. BMC Psychiatry 23(1), 944. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05268-9

Polat, Ş., Eskici, G.T., Şen, H.T. A validity and reliability study of the performance appraisal motivation scale in a Turkish sample. BMC Nurs 24, 1033 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03671-z

Polit, D.E., Beck, C.T. (2006) Essentials of Nursing Research. 6th Edition, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Philadelphia

Pöyhönen, V., Juvonen, J., Salmivalli, C. (2010). What does it take to stand up for the victim of bullying? The interplay between personal and social factors. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 56(2), 143–163. https://doi.org/10.1353/mpq.0.0046

Rettew, D.C., Powlowski, S. 2022. Bullying: an update. Child and adolescent Psychiatric of North America, 31(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2021.09.001

Russell, J.D. (1974). Modular instruction: a guide to the design, selection, utilization and evaluation of modular materials.

Sidek, M.N., Jamaludin, A. (2005). Pembinaan modul: Bagaimana membina modul latihan dan akademik. Serdang: Penerbit Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Sır E., Lok, N. (2024). The effect of self-esteem development programme applied to secondary school students on self-esteem and peer bullying victimization: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Pediatric Nursing,77,e305-e312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2024.04.045

Skinner, B. F. (1965). Science and human behavior. Free Press.

Slavin, R. E., & Davis, N. (2006). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (8th ed.). Pearson.

Speed, B.C., Goldstein, B.L. & Goldfried, M.R. (2018). Assertiveness training: a forgotten evidence-based treatment. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1111.cpsp.12216.

Sulaiman, W.S.W., Jalaudin, N.S., Kamaluddin, M.R. (2019). Pengaruh tingkah laku dibuli terhadap kesihatan mental dalam kalangan remaja sekolah. Jurnal Psikologi Keselamatan, 1, 87-105.

Taber, K.S. (2017). The Use of Cronbach’s Alpha When Developing and Reporting Research Instruments in Science Education. Research in Science Education, 48(6), 1273–1296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-016-9602-2

Trip, S., Vernon, A., McMahon, J. (2016). Effectiveness of rational-emotive behavior therapy in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 34(3), 210–242

Tuckman, B.W. (1965). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63(6): 384–399. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0022100

Van der Ploeg, R., Kretschmer, T., Salmivalli, C., Veenstra, R. (2019). Defending self-efficacy and defending behavior in peer victimization: A longitudinal perspective. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 116.

Vikneswaran, S., Idayu, B.I., Halim, I., Thiyagar, N., Ezarina, Z., Mohammad, R.K. (2021). Factor: evidence from Malaysia national secondary school students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(13). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18137208

Williams, D. M., & Rhodes, R. E. (2016). The confounded self-efficacy construct: conceptual analysis and recommendations for future research. Health Psychology Review, 10(2), 113-128. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2014.941998

Yap, W. X. (2020, February 12). Malaysia ranks 2nd in Asia for cyberbullying among youth. The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025/07/29/cyberbullying-on-the-rise-among-children-teens

Ye, Z., Wu, D., He, X. Ma., Q., Peng, J., Mao, G., Feng L., Tong Yu. (2023). Meta-analysis of the relationship between bullying and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. BMC Psychiatry 23, 215. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-04681-4

Yosep, I., Suryani, S., Mediani, H.S., Mardhiyah, A., Maulana, I., Hernawaty, T., Hazmi, H. (2024). A Scoping Review of Assertiveness Therapy for Reducing Bullying Behavior and Its Impacts Among Adolescents. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 17, 1777–1790. https://doi.org/10.2147/jmdh.s460343

Yun, T.R., Abdullah, M.N.L.Y. (2025). Effects of Cyberbullying behavior on Malaysian Secondary school students’ Anxiety and Self-Esteem: Do levels of cyberbullying and gender matter? International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v15-i3/25036