Inclusion of Marginalized Boys: A Survey of a Summer School Using Positive Psychology Interventions

Abstract

Marginalized boys at risk of dropping out of high school have for a long time been a problem in the Western world. 100 such Danish 14-16 year old boys were in the summers of 2013, 2014 and 2015 exposed to a new school program, The Boys Academy, inspired by Seligman and the American KIPP schools suggesting seven character strengths to be put into action along with academic education: self-control, commitment, perseverance, social intelligence, curiosity, gratitude, and optimism. During these three-week summer school periods a study has been conducted by the authors, looking closer at the effects of the program. Academic performance, well-being, motivation and personal development within the seven character strengths were measured. Data consists of interviews, learning scales and different test scores. The results of the study show that all the boys improved substantially in reading, spelling, math, well-being and school motivation during the three week summer school.

Classroom disciplinary climate of schools and gender – evidence from the Nordic countries

“…The focus on boys' scholarly problems has already had important political ramifications. In Denmark, for example, special "boy academies" were recently founded in order to support the reintegration of boys with very poor academic performance into the school system (Andersen, Nissen, & Poulsen, 2016).…”

Do Two Weeks in a Learning Camp after Ninth Grade Make a Difference? Experiences of Demotivated Boys with an Increased Risk of School Dropout

“…This model has been evaluated in Norway and Denmark. The results suggest that participants experience substantial academic improvement and lower dropout rates during lower secondary school and during the first two years of higher secondary school [ 32 , 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Nevertheless, there is a need for the further investigation of the outcomes of this intervention and how these outcomes relate to the theoretical underpinning of the intervention [ 32 ].…”

Theoretical Basis for a Group Intervention Aimed at Preventing High School Dropout: The Case of ‘Guttas Campus’

“…This model has been evaluated in Norway, finding substantial academic improvement and low dropout rates during lower secondary school and during the first two years of higher secondary school [ 23 ]. In Denmark, studies have shown mixed results, but recent improvements in the DrengeAkademiet program seem to have led to more consistent positive outcomes, at least in the short term [ 22 , 24 ]. One of the originators of the Norwegian version, Tronsmo [ 25 ], pointed to the integration of educational, social, and relational factors and coherence as the strengths of this model, stating that the long-term effects are dependent on the success of the mentor group follow-up.…”