The impacts of strength-journaling on the middle school science environment

Abstract

The VIA Institute on Character (VIA) is a non-profit organization that focuses on the scientific study of character strengths and virtues. It provides a framework for identifying and developing individual character strengths through interventions, one of which is strength- journaling. Strength-journaling is a reflective practice designed to enhance personal growth and deepen relationships. In this capstone, a strength intervention was administered in a middle school science classroom to improve the social-emotional quotient of the teacher, increase the salience of learning, and deepen relationships with students. The teacher wrote a journal for each student which highlighted one strength they demonstrated. The journal described the strength exhibited, expressed appreciation for it, and encouraged its development. A Likert-styled survey and an open-ended survey were conducted both before and after the students received the intervention. A t-test analysis of the resulting data did not reveal any significant change, with all data points falling below the critical value of 1.716. Positive results emerged from a thematic analysis of the open-ended survey and additional personal interviews which were conducted after the treatment period. The thematic analysis revealed that students value emotional engagement and social interactions as key factors influencing the retention, recall, and application of learning. Students also commented that teacher-student relational connections significantly contributed to their learning experience, and they expressed appreciation for attempts to deepen those relationships. It was concluded that the positive results were significant enough to continue experimenting with strengths not only with students, but also with staff members in the school. In the future, more strength journals will be written about students, and a special focus will be placed on discussing the VIA strengths with students who are new to the school. Communicating about strengths will become a part of the onboarding process for new teachers, and the development and integration of individual strengths will become a target for all staff members.