Positive Psychology in Education Nicki, Lisa, Abigail, Kiki, Grace
Bullying in Scotland vs. US Scotland
United States
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30% of children who responded to the 2014 respectme survey reported that they had been bullied
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In a 2014 survey in Scotland, 25% of 13-year-old girls reported being bullied via electronic media
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According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 1/3 of all students aged 12-18 reported having been bullied at school 56% of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school.
Behavior Management in Scotland and US Scotland ●
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Positive impact in schools where there is a focus on social/emotional wellbeing, respect, trust Established policies against bullying → lower levels of bullying behaviours Different policies have different outcomes ○ Restorative vs. suspension/expulsion
US ●
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Positive Behavior Support ○ Emphasize student expectations for behavior and learning ○ Teach socioemotional skills More severe interventions for students with repeated behavior problems ○ Secondary + Tertiary interventions
3 Interventions From the Lecture ●
Restorative Approach: focuses on repairing the harm instead of punishing the offender
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Solution Oriented: fix a behavior of the “problem child” and be fair
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Engagement
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Explanation
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Expectation Clarity
The Motivated School: helping students meet 3 universal needs: ○
Affiliation
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Autonomy
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Agency
PsyCap, SDT, and the 3 Interventions Restorative Approach ● Psychological Capital ○ Cultivating resilience: bouncing back from conflict/failure ● Questions central to restorative approach ○ What happened? ○ How did you feel about it? ○ What can we do to put things right? Solution Oriented Approach ● Psychological Capital ○ Cultivating hope: setting attainable goals, breaking down larger goals, taking steps The Motivated School ● Self-Determination Theory ○ Affiliation - Relatedness ○ Agency - Competence ○ Autonomy - Autonomy
Promoting Positive Behavior in Schools The research found that: ●
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Schools are using a wide range of approaches to encourage positive behaviour, e.g. a curricular focus on social and emotional wellbeing, restorative approaches, nurturing approaches, peer mentoring, solution oriented approaches. Positive and supportive approaches are increasingly being used far more than punitive methods. Staff said that ‘promotion of positive behaviour through whole school ethos and values’ is the most helpful approach to improving behaviour. The staged intervention model is a key component in local authority behaviour and relationships policies
Intervention: Using Restorative Practices Restorative practices: (according to University of Edinburgh study) ●
Drawing attention to the need to deal with low-level negative behavior
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Showed the importance of school ethos promoting positive behavior
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Influenced a change in the culture and formal policies of Scottish education
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Benefited teachers as well as pupils and parents by bringing about lower levels of poor behavior and creating a more inclusive environment in schools
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Led to higher levels of teacher confidence and skills in dealing with difficult child behavior
Class Discussion ●
Discuss which theories of positive psychology could also apply to education interventions, or could be used to solve problems such as bullying
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Who was your favorite teacher and why? How did this person manage classroom behavior?
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What defines a bully to you?
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Have you seen a trend in dealing with bullies or with teachers treating students overall?
References Hefferon K. & Boniwell, I., (2011). Positive Psychology. Theory, Research, and Applications. UK: McGraw Hill. Improving behaviour in Scottish schools. (2019, August 13). Retrieved from https://www.ed.ac.uk/education/rke/making-a-difference/improving-behaviour-in-scottish-schools. Kratochwill, T. R., DeRoos, R. R., & Blair, S. R. (n.d.). Classroom management module. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/education/k12/modules-classroom-management. Sheldon, K. M., Steger, M. F., & Kashdan, T. B. (2011). Designing positive psychology: Taking stock and moving forward. New York: Oxford University Press. Statistics. (2019, June 5). Retrieved from https://meganmeierfoundation.org/statistics. White J. Addressing school violence and bullying: Evidence review. Edinburgh: NHS Health Scotland; 2019.