Character Strengths of Ninth Grade Students in Accelerated Curricula: A Mixed-Methods Investigation

Students in accelerated curricula tend to have greater stress when compared to students in general education (Suldo, Shaunessy, & Hardesty, 2008). It is important for stakeholders to be able to help these students reach their goals and attain happiness. One potential method to help these students is to attend to their character strengths. People who effectively utilize their character strengths have achieved numerous positive outcomes including greater levels of well-being, self-esteem, and positive affect (Proctor, Malby, & Linley, 2011; Quinlan, Swain, Cameron, & Vella-Brodrick, 2014; Wood, Linley, Maltby, Kashan, & Hurling, 2011). Unfortunately, there is a lack of research on students’ strengths, and there is no research looking specifically at the strengths of students in accelerated curricula. This study addressed this gap in the literature by examining the character strengths of students in accelerated curricula. Participants included 253 ninth-grade students in accelerated curricula, specifically enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) classes or a pre-International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma program. A mixed-method design was utilized. For the quantitative part of the study, the researcher looked at the most frequent self-identified character strengths of all the participants and examined if the endorsed strengths differed for subgroups of students based on ethnicity, academic program, academic risk, or emotional risk. The most prevalent strength was humor, followed by love, creativity, kindness and curiosity. More Asian students identified with love of learning compared to students from other ethnic groups, and more White students identified with social intelligence. Across program, more AP students identified with creativity and fairness, and more IB students identified with self-regulation and kindness. In regard to risk status, more students without academic risk identified with persistence/perseverance. More students without emotional risk identified with creativity, persistence/perseverance, leadership, and teamwork, whereas more students with emotional risk identified with love, hope, and humor. For the qualitative part of the study, the researcher examined a subset of 121 participants who participated in a selective intervention because they were identified as demonstrating early signs of academic or emotional risk. The researcher examined how these students described their behaviors and actions in a way that illustrated their strengths. The qualitative analyses revealed three main themes: Manifestation, Importance, and Origination. This thesis can assist educators understand how high-achieving students describe and view their character strengths as meaningful. The rich descriptions of each character strength can be useful for educators in targeting character strengths in students and creating strengths-based interventions to increase students’ happiness and overall flourishing, according to the PERMA framework (which is made up of positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment). Further research should be conducted on why strengths differ between AP and IB students, as those findings may have implications for those who participate and ultimately succeed in these rigorous programs

A Longitudinal Examination of Coping and Subjective Well-Being Among High School Students in Accelerated Curricula

High school students in accelerated curriculum, which include Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, face greater amounts of academic stress than those in the general education curriculum (Suldo & Shaunessey, 2013). It is crucial to understand how these students cope with their academic demands and the impact that their use of various coping factors has on their overall subjective well-being. This study utilized a longitudinal non-experimental design to a) examine the stability of coping factors, b) examine the relationship between individual coping factors and subjective well-being, c) investigate the impact of socioeconomic status on the relationship of coping and subjective well-being, d) and explore how academic achievement and school satisfaction influence the way in which coping predicts subjective well-being. This study analyzed archival data collected within a longitudinal study with two waves of data collected nine months apart—August 2017 and April 2018— from a larger study funded by the Institute for Education Sciences (IES; R305A150543). The same participants were measured at both time points. The sample consisted of 472 students who provided self report data at Time 1 and Time 2. The participants were drawn from 15 high schools within three school districts. Participants completed the Coping with Academic Demands Scale (CADS), Students Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS), and School Satisfaction Scale of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS). Participants’ school records indicated their grade point averages (GPAs). Socioeconomic status was indicated by student self-report of parental education levels. Regarding trends in changes in coping factors over time, the mean scores on factors of skip school, substance use, reduce effort, sleep, take short cuts, and social venting increased from the beginning of freshman year to the end of freshman year. The mean levels of factors of time and task management, seek academic support, and spirituality decreased over time. In terms of relationship between each coping factor and subsequent subjective well-being (SWB), more frequent use of coping through spirituality and turning to family positively predicted later SWB whereas social venting negatively predicted later SWB. None of these three coping factors were found to be moderated by socioeconomic status. Additionally, school satisfaction and GPA were not found to be mediators for the relationship between those three specific factors and subsequent SWB. Implications of potential findings for key stakeholders, including educators, administrators, and school psychologists are discussed, such as advocating for the implementation of universal programming and providing specific strategies to assist in increasing 9th grade students’ usage of effective coping strategies. Finally, key limitations of the study are presented

A Longitudinal Examination of Coping and Subjective Well-Being Among High School Students in Accelerated Curricula

High school students in accelerated curriculum, which include Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, face greater amounts of academic stress than those in the general education curriculum (Suldo & Shaunessey, 2013). It is crucial to understand how these students cope with their academic demands and the impact that their use of various coping factors has on their overall subjective well-being. This study utilized a longitudinal non-experimental design to a) examine the stability of coping factors, b) examine the relationship between individual coping factors and subjective well-being, c) investigate the impact of socioeconomic status on the relationship of coping and subjective well-being, d) and explore how academic achievement and school satisfaction influence the way in which coping predicts subjective well-being. This study analyzed archival data collected within a longitudinal study with two waves of data collected nine months apart—August 2017 and April 2018— from a larger study funded by the Institute for Education Sciences (IES; R305A150543). The same participants were measured at both time points. The sample consisted of 472 students who provided self report data at Time 1 and Time 2. The participants were drawn from 15 high schools within three school districts. Participants completed the Coping with Academic Demands Scale (CADS), Students Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS), and School Satisfaction Scale of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS). Participants’ school records indicated their grade point averages (GPAs). Socioeconomic status was indicated by student self-report of parental education levels. Regarding trends in changes in coping factors over time, the mean scores on factors of skip school, substance use, reduce effort, sleep, take short cuts, and social venting increased from the beginning of freshman year to the end of freshman year. The mean levels of factors of time and task management, seek academic support, and spirituality decreased over time. In terms of relationship between each coping factor and subsequent subjective well-being (SWB), more frequent use of coping through spirituality and turning to family positively predicted later SWB whereas social venting negatively predicted later SWB. None of these three coping factors were found to be moderated by socioeconomic status. Additionally, school satisfaction and GPA were not found to be mediators for the relationship between those three specific factors and subsequent SWB. Implications of potential findings for key stakeholders, including educators, administrators, and school psychologists are discussed, such as advocating for the implementation of universal programming and providing specific strategies to assist in increasing 9th grade students’ usage of effective coping strategies. Finally, key limitations of the study are presented