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Department of psychology, Islamic Azad University, ShK.C., Sharekord, Iran. , Ahmadghazanfari1964@iau.ac.ir
Abstract: (35 Views)
Background: Psychologists have focused on positive thought, emotional, and behavioral aspects. Positive constructs include mental vitality and academic optimism, referring to the growth of students' intellectual and behavioral attitudes. Research shows that one factor increasing mental and academic optimism in adolescents is positive psychology, which promotes the development of positive experiences and traits. However, there remains a research gap regarding the impact of this study on mental vitality and academic optimism in female high school students. This gap underscores the need for further research in positive psychology and its potential impact on female high school students, providing educators, researchers, and psychologists an opportunity to contribute to this important field.
Aims: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of positive psychology training on mental vitality and academic optimism among female high school students in Shahrekord during the academic year 2022-2023.
Methods: The present study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest format, including a two-month follow-up and a control group. The statistical population consisted of all female high school students (second level) in Shahrekord during the 2022–2023 academic year. A multistage random sampling method was used. First, one secondary school was randomly selected. Based on screening results, 40 students who scored one standard deviation below the mean on the Mental Vitality and Academic Optimism questionnaires were selected. Participants were then randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20).
The experimental group received training based on positive psychology (Magyar-Moe, 2009) and learned optimism (Seligman, 2006) over nine 90-minute sessions. Data collection instruments included the Mental Vitality Questionnaire (Ryan & Frederick, 2008) and the Academic Optimism Questionnaire (Shannon Moran et al., 2011). Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and SPSS-26 software. The results were examined using a mixed-design repeated measures ANOVA.
Results: The study results indicated that positive psychology training significantly increased mental vitality and academic optimism among students in the experimental group from the pretest to the post-test (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the follow-up test results demonstrated the stability of the training effects on both.
Conclusion: Therefore, positive psychology training can increase students' and counselors' mental cheerfulness and academic optimism.
Aims: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of positive psychology training on mental vitality and academic optimism among female high school students in Shahrekord during the academic year 2022-2023.
Methods: The present study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest format, including a two-month follow-up and a control group. The statistical population consisted of all female high school students (second level) in Shahrekord during the 2022–2023 academic year. A multistage random sampling method was used. First, one secondary school was randomly selected. Based on screening results, 40 students who scored one standard deviation below the mean on the Mental Vitality and Academic Optimism questionnaires were selected. Participants were then randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20).
The experimental group received training based on positive psychology (Magyar-Moe, 2009) and learned optimism (Seligman, 2006) over nine 90-minute sessions. Data collection instruments included the Mental Vitality Questionnaire (Ryan & Frederick, 2008) and the Academic Optimism Questionnaire (Shannon Moran et al., 2011). Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and SPSS-26 software. The results were examined using a mixed-design repeated measures ANOVA.
Results: The study results indicated that positive psychology training significantly increased mental vitality and academic optimism among students in the experimental group from the pretest to the post-test (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the follow-up test results demonstrated the stability of the training effects on both.
Conclusion: Therefore, positive psychology training can increase students' and counselors' mental cheerfulness and academic optimism.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/02/10 | Accepted: 2025/05/15 | Published: 2026/04/21
Received: 2025/02/10 | Accepted: 2025/05/15 | Published: 2026/04/21
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This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)