The Effect of Character Strength Utilization Program on Self-determination in Elementary School Students

Objectives The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the character strength utilization program on self-determination and subfactors such as autonomy, competence, relatedness in elementary school students. Methods Pretest of self-determination was given out for two different classes of forth grade in elementary school, located in Gyeonggi-do. The researcher’s class of 24 students was set as experimental group and the other class of 24 students was set as control group. In the experimental group, the character strength utilization program was applied over 10 sessions for 4 weeks, and no treatment was given to the control group. After program both groups were subjected to self-determination post test. To verify the effectiveness of the program, analysis of Covariance(ANCOVA) was performed on the pre and post test. In addition to satisfaction of whole program and each session and observations of the researcher were analyzed to make up for the validity of the statistical analysis. Results First, The character strength utilization program has a significant effect on improving class cohesiveness. The experimental group showed a significant improvement in self-determination and its subfactors such as autonomy, competence, relatedness. Second, As a result of analyzing the program satisfaction and researchers' observations, utilization of signature strengths in the areas of relationships, learning, and career paths in daily life helped students autonomously chose their own actions, became aware of their abilities, and communicated positively with people. Conclusions This study verified the effect of promoting self-determination by allowing elementary school students to recognize their own signature strengths and continuously utilize them in their daily lives. Intervention using this program for elementary school students who are expected to experience emotional difficulties due to the long-term pandemic situation can contribute to recovering a healthy school life that pursues intrinsic motivation and interest.