Aim: The current paper has two aims; (a) to explain the relationships between theory-based positive predictors of students’ happiness, (b) to validate the need to explicit strength teaching in schools.
Method: A convenience sample of 406 Finnish 10-15-year-old students filled a questionnaire of school-related measures. A structural equation model was built to analyze the relationships between the measures of strength usage, engagement in schoolwork, school-related happiness, and overall happiness.
Results: The model fit the data well (RMSEA = .058, CFI=.92, TLI=.92). Strength usage directly predicted engagement in schoolwork (.66), school-related happiness (.35) and global happiness (.12). Furthermore, global happiness was indirectly predicted by strength usage via EDA and SCHI. The complete SEM figure will be provided in the extended abstract.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that strength usage is a powerful predictor of engagement in schoolwork and a potent contributor of overall student happiness. Implications for further strength instruction are discussed.