An Investigation of Character Strengths in Relation to the Academic Success of College Students
Author(s): John W. Lounsbury, Leslee A. Fisher, Jacob J. Levy, Deborah P. Welsh
Abstract: Based on a sample of 237 university undergraduate students, we examined the 24 Values in Action (VIA) character strengths in relation to two indices of academic success--student satisfaction and grade point average (GPA). All 24 character strengths were positively and significantly related to General Life Satisfaction; 22 were significantly, positively related to College Satisfaction; and 16, to GPA. Multiple correlations for each of these sets of predictors were, respectively: R = .57, .47, and .41. Similarities to and differences between the present results and cognate studies based on adult and young adult samples were noted. Individual results were discussed in terms of construct meaning and functional relationships for college student behavior. Findings were interpreted from the perspectives of lifespan development, college student behavior, identity theory, "emerging adulthood", Big Five personality model, and personality research on life satisfaction. Potential implications for college student interventions were drawn, the rich potential for elaborating the construct validity of character strengths vis-à-vis college student behavior was noted, and results were interpreted as providing strong support for the usefulness of the VIA inventory in the college context.
Pages: 52-69
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