Year: 2015
Type: article
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Gratitude is associated with many benefits and positive life outcomes.However, few gratitude interventions have been applied to students as young as six, and little is known about their impact on students' engagement in school.This study implemented a gratitude intervention tailored towards younger students in order to determine its effects on grateful feelings, grateful thinking, and student engagement.Twenty elementary students (e. g., ages six to ten) at a private Montessori school underwent a four-week intervention.Raising awareness of adult benefactors within the school community was emphasized.It was found that younger children could be taught to recognize different aspects of beneficial exchanges and to express gratitude in appropriate degrees.In addition, student self-reports, teacher reports, teacher observations, and homework rubrics revealed post-intervention increases in student engagement.In conclusion, the gratitude intervention had positive effects on social-emotional development and student engagement.
Author: Vanessa Callaghan
Institution: St. Catherine University
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W628853799