Abstract
The study examined the longitudinal associations of adolescents’ character strengths with subjective well-being and school
adjustment during the pivotal period of the transition to middle school. The study followed 417 students and 13 teachers from
four public middle schools in the center of Israel during seventh and eighth grade. Students completed questionnaires about
their character strengths, life satisfaction, and positive and negative affects. Students’ school adjustment was measured
through grade point average and questionnaires given to the students’ teachers. Findings provided extensive support for the
associations among character strengths, subjective well-being (SWB), and middle school adjustment. Intellectual and temperance
strengths were central in the prediction of students’ school performance and achievements. Interpersonal strengths were significantly
related to social functioning at school. Temperance and transcendence strengths were robust positive predictors of students’
SWB. The findings extend existing knowledge about character and its relation to optimal functioning and well-being among young
adolescents, and have important practical implications for applying strengths-building practices at middle schools.
adjustment during the pivotal period of the transition to middle school. The study followed 417 students and 13 teachers from
four public middle schools in the center of Israel during seventh and eighth grade. Students completed questionnaires about
their character strengths, life satisfaction, and positive and negative affects. Students’ school adjustment was measured
through grade point average and questionnaires given to the students’ teachers. Findings provided extensive support for the
associations among character strengths, subjective well-being (SWB), and middle school adjustment. Intellectual and temperance
strengths were central in the prediction of students’ school performance and achievements. Interpersonal strengths were significantly
related to social functioning at school. Temperance and transcendence strengths were robust positive predictors of students’
SWB. The findings extend existing knowledge about character and its relation to optimal functioning and well-being among young
adolescents, and have important practical implications for applying strengths-building practices at middle schools.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Research Paper
- Pages 1-19
- DOI 10.1007/s10902-012-9374-y
- Authors
- Anat Shoshani, School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, P.O.Box 167, 46150 Herzliya, Israel
- Michelle Slone, School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, P.O. Box 39040, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
- Journal Journal of Happiness Studies
- Online ISSN 1573-7780
- Print ISSN 1389-4978