Strengths Use, Environmental Factors, and Academic Outcomes in Newly Matriculated College Students

Abstract

College presents a number of challenges to new students. Few studies have examined how students' strengths may positively impact their college experience and what factors may promote or impede their success. This study examined the relationship between strengths use and academic satisfaction, academic meaning, and leadership, as well as the influence of two environmental moderators-strengths barriers and environmental support. Participants included 371 newly matriculated undergraduate students at a large, public university in the United States. Results partially supported our hypotheses and revealed a number of important relations. Specifically, strengths use did not predict academic satisfaction; however, strengths barriers negatively predicted academic satisfaction and environmental support positively predicted academic satisfaction. Further, neither strengths barriers nor environmental support moderated the relationship between strengths use and academic satisfaction. Strengths use and environmental support positively predicted academic meaning, and strengths barriers negatively predicted academic meaning. Moreover, strengths barriers and environmental support did not moderate the relation between strengths use and academic meaning. Finally, strengths use positively predicted leadership, and strengths barriers negatively predicted leadership; however, environmental support did not significantly predict leadership. Strengths barriers, and not environmental support, moderated the relation between strengths use and leadership. Implications of these findings are discussed.