The upward spiral of adolescents' positive school experiences and happiness: Investigating reciprocal effects over time

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Abstract

In line with self-determination theory and Fredrickson's (2001) broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, this study adopts a positive perspective on students' school experiences and their general psychological functioning. The reciprocal effects of positive school experiences and happiness, a dimension of affective well-being, are examined over the course of an academic year. Data were collected from 215 secondary school students at 5 measurement occasions. The results of longitudinal cross-lagged structural equation modeling support the notion of an upward spiral of positive school experiences and happiness over time. Positive school experiences had a stable lagged effect on happiness, and, in turn, happiness had a lagged effect on future positive school experiences.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)231-242
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of School Psychology
Volume51
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2013

Fields of science

  • 501001 General psychology
  • 501003 Occupational psychology
  • 501004 Differential psychology
  • 501 Psychology
  • 501016 Educational psychology
  • 501021 Social psychology
  • 501020 Legal psychology
  • 508007 Communication science
  • 508009 Media research

JKU Focus areas

  • Management and Innovation
  • Social Systems, Markets and Welfare States
  • Social and Economic Sciences (in general)

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