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Teaching to Strengths: Evaluation of a Character Strength Curriculum and Disciplinary Outcomes

Abstract Details

2020, Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, Psychology.
Within the positive education literature, the present study is the first to examine whether character strengths predict change across a positive education intervention and is one of the few to examine demographic differences in outcomes. The present study evaluated Thriving Learning Communities (TLC) across two academic years (i.e., 2016-2018) and a diverse sample of youth (N = 2,141). Results indicated grade level differences both in mean student-reported character strengths and shift in these characters strengths over time. Regardless of time, fifth- and sixth-grade students reported higher levels of 13 of the 24 VIA character strengths compared to their seventh- and eighth-grade peers. Across time, fifth- and sixth-grade students reported significant decreases in 10 character strengths, while seventh- and eighth-grade students reported significant increases in six character strengths. There were significant decreases in student disciplinary incidents across the two years of TLC implementation, with temperance and humanity virtues significantly predicting change in disciplinary incidents. Students of higher SES and students identifying as White/Caucasian or Black/African American were more likely to demonstrate decreases in disciplinary incidents across TLC implementation compared to their lower SES-, Hispanic-, and Asian/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-identifying peers. These findings may demonstrate TLC meeting the needs of its students as White/Caucasian, Black/African American, and higher SES students experienced higher initial levels of disciplinary incidents, and thereby had greater room for improvement in discipline. Results implicate further exploration of character structure and salience of character strengths at different developmental stages, as well as tailoring of positive education programs to target those character strengths predictive of desired outcomes.
Jennifer Gibson, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Tammy Sonnentag, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Kathleen Burklow, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Lynn Ochs (Committee Member)
58 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Biel, A. P. (2020). Teaching to Strengths: Evaluation of a Character Strength Curriculum and Disciplinary Outcomes [Doctoral dissertation, Xavier University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xavier1564788317136618

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Biel, Andrea. Teaching to Strengths: Evaluation of a Character Strength Curriculum and Disciplinary Outcomes. 2020. Xavier University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xavier1564788317136618.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Biel, Andrea. "Teaching to Strengths: Evaluation of a Character Strength Curriculum and Disciplinary Outcomes." Doctoral dissertation, Xavier University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xavier1564788317136618

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)