Education Commons^™

Relationships Between Self-Directed Learning And Character Strengths In Doctoral Students, Cynthia Noblin Perry

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between self-directed learning (measured using the PRO-SDLS) and character strengths (measured using the VIA-IS-P), as well as gender, age, and stage of doctoral study, in Ph.D. students. This relationship is examined using Hiemstra and Brockett's Person Process Context (PPC) model of self-directed learning and Peterson and Seligman's positive psychology VIA Model for Character Strengths and Virtues. The multiple regression study found that ten of 24 character strengths, as well as age, were associated with one or more of the four components of self-directed learning (initiative, control, self-efficacy, and motivation), as well as the composite measure.

Exploring The Role Of Core Positive Selves With Men Convicted Of Child Sexual Offenses: A Character Strengths Initiative, Tiffany A. Miner

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

The aim of this study was to help men convicted of child sexual offenses learn to recognize and engage their character strengths over 12 months. Participants were six men convicted of contact and noncontact (internet) child sexual offenses. All participants were members of a community-based reintegration group for registered citizens. In the first weeks of the study, participants received the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths survey. The survey, containing 240 questions—10 items for each of the 24 character strengths outlined—helped participants identify their top character strengths. The study explored (a) how the men could use their character strengths to …

Boredom Proneness And Character Strengths Related To Academic Achievement In Adolescence, Bonnie Iannaccone

Ed.D. Dissertations

Abstract

Susceptibility to boredom can interfere with students’ ability to achieve their academic potential, with enduring negative consequences. In the present study, the researcher investigated differences in boredom proneness and character strengths in adolescent high school students and the ability of boredom proneness scores and character strengths to predict academic achievement. Results indicated that 9 of 10 students were moderately or highly prone to boredom. Students’ whose top character strength was humility were more highly prone to boredom than students’ whose top-ranked character strengths were bravery, prudence, or curiosity. From boredom proneness and character strengths data the researcher concluded that …

Conceptualizing And Validating The Character Virtues Index (Cvi), Mark Allen Liston

Dissertations

Can a valid, reliable measure of multi-dimensional adolescent character be developed? Goals were: 1) To construct a grid of trait lists by experts in Positive Psychology (PP), Character Education (CE), and Positive Youth Development (PYD) to create the Character Taxonomy as a conceptual basis; 2) to construct the Character Virtues Index (CVI) as a brief measure of the taxonomy’s traits; and 3) to validate CVI. The Character Taxonomy produced 18 traits that were hypothesized to cover the various dimensions of character. Two CVI field tests produced a reliable measure with 11 factors for a validation study. The validation study of …

Improving Elementary Teachers’ Well-Being Through A Strengths-Based Intervention: A Multiple Baseline Single-Case Design, Mollie Marie Mccullough

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Teaching is considered to be one of the most highly demanding professions, and one that is associated with high levels of stress and sometimes deleterious outcomes. Although research demonstrates that burnout and attrition are often associated with specific characteristics of the occupation (e.g., challenging workload, standardized testing, merit-based salary) minimal research focuses on how to better support teachers’ well-being. The field of positive psychology affords a new perspective in how to obtain quality mental health without solely focusing on psychopathology within a deficits-based approach. This includes the implementation of interventions (i.e., positive psychology interventions [PPI]) that target constructs of well-being …

Character Strengths Of Students At Risk Of Dropping Out Of High School, Sarah Baker

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The goal of this study was to determine the participants' perceptions about what strengths at-risk students who follow through and graduate from high school have, using the conceptual framework of positive psychology, and its classification system of virtues and character strengths. To reveal the strengths of these students, this study used a qualitative methodology, interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). In addition, the participants were asked to fill out a Likert scale survey to rate how frequently at-risk students who graduated employed each of the 24 VIA characteristics. The purpose of this study was to add to the under-researched area of identifying …