The privacy of students who participated in The Powerful Teen Study was ensured in part through these cardboard desk covers, provided by AT staff and student assistants at the time the high school surveys were conducted. Photo illustration.
By Sheila Reynolds, Surrey North Delta Leader
Self-esteem, gratitude and parent involvement put teens at a lower risk for violence, according to preliminary findings from a survey of local youth.
The Powerful Teen Study by the Surrey-based Acting Together project, which involved a survey of more than 400 Grade 8 students, indicate character strengths and connections with adults lead to a reduced belief in violence.
“Schools and some youth programs already seek to build character strengths,” said Dr. Roger Tweed, one of the project’s co-investigators. “These findings confirm the relevance of character strengths and suggest there may be value in additional efforts to build gratitude, humility, self-esteem, and authenticity.”
The project involves Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey School District and Simon Fraser University. Participating students, with support from teachers and administrators, filled out confidential 22-page surveys that asked questions about things such as their social connections and beliefs about crimes and gangs. The young people were surveyed twice during the 2010-2011 school year, with a follow-up survey scheduled to take place in 2012-2013. Some parents and teachers were also surveyed.
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Tags: Feature One
