Positive Psychological Capital Development: A Field Study by the Solomon Four Group Design

Abstract

Positive psychological capital has taken attention in the last decades considering today"s work conditions and employee expectations in gaining competitive advantage. There is growing evidence that positive psychological capital has contribution on employees" desired outcomes and provides a new perspective for understanding and potentially managing negative and stressful organizational circumstances. Recent theory and research have also proposed that positive psychological capital as a state-like construct is open to development and change. The immediate goal of the study is to design and implement a short positive psychological capital training program by following Luthans et al. (in their series of studies in 2006, 2008, & 2010) course of action and control its effectiveness by the Solomon four group experimental design which is one of the most powerful research designs available and rarely used especially for training programs. A sample of 156 management students participated to the training program. The findings of the current research will contribute to human resources development literature as well as to Solomon experimental design application.

Fen Bilimleri Dersinin Öğretiminde Grup Araştırması Yönteminin Farklı Zamanlarda Uygulanmasının Etkililiğinin İncelenmesi

“…In experimental studies that are designed based on these points, typically two groups are included an experimental and a control group. However, these two-group comparisons may lead to biased assessments (Ertosun, Erdil, Deniz, & Alpkan, 2015). For this reason, researchers created Solomon Four-group Experimental Design, which tests four groups (Solomon, 1949).…”

Refining Grit in Academic Performance: The Mediational Role of Psychological Capital

“…To briefly summarize, the PCI training program utilizes a combination of goal setting, vicarious learning, social persuasion, and asset-building techniques to positively influence the PsyCap levels of participants. The effectiveness of the PCI model in developing PsyCap has been demonstrated in a variety of studies in the workplace (Luthans, Avey, Avolio, & Peterson, 2010), online (Luthans, Avey, & Patera, 2008), with college students (Luthans, Luthans, & Avey, 2014), and the rigorous Solomon four group design (Ertosun, Erdil, Deniz, & Alpkan, 2015).…”

“…One important implication of these findings is that management educators can help students apply their grit in more effective ways through tailored Academic PsyCap development activities. Previously reviewed research has summarized the guidelines for the effective development of PsyCap (i.e., the PsyCap Intervention or PCI) with specific applications for the academic domain (see, e.g., Ertosun et al, 2015; Luthans, Avey et al, 2008; Luthans et al, 2014, for detailed descriptions of this intervention process). For innovative management education, the development of these psychological resources might help students apply and relate their grit strategically toward behaviors and attitudes that are likely to enhance, not only their desired longer-term academic performance outcomes but also their career and life goals.…”

Psychological Capital: An Evidence-Based Positive Approach

“…Longitudinal studies support that PsyCap changes over time . Experimental studies also support PsyCap development and change through relatively short training interventions (Dello Russo & Stoykova 2015;Demerouti et al 2011;Ertosun et al 2015;Luthans et al 2006aLuthans et al , 2008bLuthans et al , 2010Luthans et al , 2014, including in a web-based intervention (Luthans et al 2008b). In addition, interventions used in positive clinical psychology, which can be readily adapted for the development of PsyCap, have been shown to be effective in increasing positivity, alleviating negativity and enhancing well-being (Sin & Lyubomirsky 2009).…”