The study showed that self-esteem and peer attachment increased significantly after the completion of the self-esteem improvement program. The findings were consistent with the
findings from previous studies partially in terms of increasing self esteem and peer attachment, although the specific contents of the programs were different. Sohn and Yim tested the effects of after-school self-esteem program for grade 1-3 school children. The program was offered for 40 minutes, twice a week for a total of 53 sessions. The program improved self-esteem at its
completion. In Kim and Chung's study, 11 sessions of the self esteem program (60 minutes per session) were provided to grade 4-5 school children from a low-income bracket. Children from that study showed improved self-esteem and peer attachment. The program included building relationships, understanding oneself, improving relationship skills and having a sense of target competency. However, these two studies had limitations due to a missing control group. As such, the generalizability of their findings was limited. Tak [21] compared the effects of a Bibliotherapy program for improving self-esteem in grade 3e5 school children from a low-income bracket with a control group. The program included general self-esteem, homely self-esteem, academic self-esteem and social self-esteem. It was offered for 90 minutes, twice a week for a
total of 10 weeks. The self-esteem in the Bibliotherapy program group was significantly more improved than that in the control group. The findings from the literature were similar to that of this study in terms of improving self-esteem even though the criteria of participants were not exactly the same, as they used school children from low-income families or those with learning disabilities.