Positive Feelings at School: On the Relationships Between Students’ Character Strengths, School-Related Affect, and School Functioning

Abstract

The present study was designed to examine the relationships between students' character strengths, school-related affect, positive school functioning (i.e., motivation to learn, interest, and engagement at class), and school achievement following the ''engine model of well-being'' that is focusing on inputs (e.g., personality traits), processes (e.g., moods, emotions), and outcomes (e.g., engagement, accomplishments) within the context of well-being research. A sample of 196 children completed the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth, which assesses 24 character strengths, and the PANAS-C that assesses school-related positive and negative affect. Additionally, homeroom teachers rated students' positive school functioning (i.e., motivation, engagement, and interest at school) and their overall school achievement. The character strengths of zest, love of learning, perseverance, and social intelligence showed the strongest positive correlations with school-related positive affect. Teamwork, hope, self-regulation, and love were substantially negatively correlated with school-related negative affect. Certain character strengths showed positive relationships with positive school functioning and overall school achievement. A path model, testing the ''engine model of well-being'', found-additionally to direct effects-indirect relationships between character strengths and positive school functioning (through school-related positive affect), which in turn leads to higher school achievement. The presented findings show character strengths as meaningful resources in the schooling context. Character strengths emerge to be crucial for students to experience school-related positive affect, which in turn supports students' positive school functioning and their overall school achievement. The results demonstrate the complex interplay between students' personality traits, affect, school functioning, and achievement at school.

Good character at school: positive classroom behavior mediates the link between character strengths and school achievement

“…It is likely that the high intrinsic motivation to learn also leads to better learning outcomes, and that the positive emotions associated with learning additionally foster school achievement (cf. Schutz and Lanehart, 2002 ; Weber et al, 2014 ). In the initial study by Weber and Ruch (2012) , love of learning, perseverance and prudence were among the most important variables in predicting positive classroom behavior and also had an indirect effect on school achievement through positive classroom behavior.…”

Predictors of Student Success in Canadian Polytechnics and CEGEPs

“…In addition to the need for further research, findings suggest some possible implications for such research among emerging adults and post-secondary students in Canada. Based on their research with early adolescents, Weber, Wagner, and Ruch (2016) suggested that researchers should focus on designing interventions for building character strengths (e.g., LaSalle, 2015;White & Waters, 2015), and that this approach might be an important complement to current approaches which focus on addressing students' deficits. The current study suggests that an approach intended to build perseverance might also be worthy of exploration in post-secondary contexts.…”

“…The current study suggests that an approach intended to build perseverance might also be worthy of exploration in post-secondary contexts. Past research linking perseverance to students' positive feelings about school (Weber et al, 2016) and college satisfaction (Lounsbury et al, 2009) suggests the possibility of benefits beyond school success.…”

Öz Düzenlemenin Üst-Biliş ve Akademik Motivasyon Arasındaki İlişkide Düzenleyici Etkisi

“…It is stressed that the use of metacognitive strategies such as critical thinking, seeking help, timemanagement, deepening and organizing would reduce students' academic anxiety and develops positive emotions toward school (Savia, 2008;Sakız, 2014). Various studies have expressed a relation between positive emotions such as self-esteem, self-efficacy, optimism and hope and adolescents' academic success (Ciarrochi, Heaven and Davies, 2007;Snyder et al, 2002;Weber, Wagner and Ruch, 2016;Yılmaz, Yiğit and Kaşarcı, 2012). Although self-regulation and metacognition show similarities in terms of mutual processes and include components needed for academic success, it is believed that metacognition is fundamentally required for learning to occur and transform this process into positive attitudes and behavior toward learning.…”