How Early Childhood Educators Apply Character Strengths to Workplace Challenges: Findings From a Positive Psychology Intervention

• In Event: Changing Values, Practices, and Perspectives in Moral Education

Abstract

This qualitative study investigated how early childhood educators (n=17) in a large urban city in the northeastern United States used personal character strengths to address workplace challenges. Educators most frequently used the strengths of kindness, leadership, fairness, hope, love and self-regulation to address challenges. After writing an action plan to apply character strengths, teachers reported a 71% success rate in fully or mostly resolving the challenge addressed. They also reported modeling/teaching character strengths to children in 31% of related cases. Using this method appears to encourage the modeling/teaching of character strengths to children, particularly kindness, forgiveness and social intelligence. Early childhood educators and the children they serve are both likely to benefit from PD connecting character strengths to the workplace.

Authors

• Michael J. Haslip, Drexel University

• Leona Donaldson, Drexel University