Strengths-based Approaches in Co-Curricular and Curricular Leadership: Opportunities to Magnify Students’ Thriving

Abstract

The purpose of this article was to examine the effects of strengths-based approaches in co-curricular and curricular leadership on first-year students' holistic thriving, academic thriving, social thriving, and psychological thriving. We used propensity score matching and regression analyses with survey data from the Thriving Quotient, which was administered to first-year students at a large, public research university (n = 548). The results suggest students' enrollment in a strengths-based leadership minor course was associated with higher levels of thriving in social, academic, and psychological domains. Students' participation in strengths-based student organizations was associated with higher thriving in social domains, while concurrent enrollment in the strengths-based leadership class and participation in strengths-based student organizations was associated with significantly higher holistic thriving, social thriving, and psychological thriving.

The social class barriers to engagement in leadership experiences

“…In higher education, poor and working‐class students frequently encounter challenges fitting in because they are marred by constant feelings of being cultural outsiders, imposters, and strangers; they feel inadequate, isolated, alienated, and like they will never quite measure up; and they struggle to navigate and reconcile the dissonance between their working‐class families and their own emerging middle‐class identities as college graduates (Armstrong & Hamilton, 2013; Hurst, 2010; Stuber, 2011). Leadership opportunities may be able to help poor and working‐class students to achieve a sense of leadership efficacy and build their self‐awareness and confidence, leading to potentially higher graduation rates and psychological thriving (Soria et al., 2019b). Yet, because poor and working‐class students are less likely to participate in leadership opportunities, they experience continued challenges, marginalization, and disenfranchisement in higher education (Soria, 2015).…”

“…Researchers have provided compelling evidence for the numerous benefits college students can attain from engagement in leadership experiences; for instance, students who participate in leadership experiences tend to have improved communication skills, self‐awareness, self‐confidence and leadership efficacy, multicultural awareness and valuing of differences, perspective‐taking abilities, and interpersonal and collaborative skills (Soria & VeLure Roholt, 2018; Soria et al., 2019a, 2020; Zimmerman & Burkhardt, 1999). College students who participate in co‐curricular and curricular leadership experiences also have higher rates of thriving (Soria et al., 2019b) and retention/graduation (Astin, 1993; Soria & Werner, 2018), which demonstrates a return on investment to higher education institutions that offer leadership opportunities. Leadership experiences also provide outcomes to students that benefit society, including a greater commitment to civic responsibility, societal awareness, and civic engagement (Soria, Roberts, & Reinhard, 2015).…”

Self-efficacy in Teamwork and Entrepreneurship in University Students from Social and Health Sciences Programs

“…The choice of tools, lines of action, commitment, effort, and perseverance when facing conflict influences perceived self-efficacy. An increase in the sensation of self-efficacy is related to more affect, physical well being and better selection of future actions (Sansinenea et al, 2008), that is, an adequate social, academic, and psychological domain (Soria, Werner, Roholt, & Capeder, 2019).…”

The Effects of Participation in Recreational Activities on Students’ Resilience and Sense of Belonging

“…For instance, college students' sense of belonging and resilience are positively associated with retention and graduation rates (Hoffman et al, 2002;Stuber, 2011). Sense of belonging and resilience contribute to students' wellbeing by enhancing their levels of overall thriving, psychological wellness, and positive mental health (Soria et al, 2019;Soria & Horgos, 2021). Students with a greater sense of belonging are also more likely to engage in citizenship and social change behaviors, have higher levels of social generativity (a desire to make the world a better place for future generations), and more frequently engage in social perspective taking (seeing the world through others' eyes) (Soria & Mitchell, 2017;Soria & Roberts, 2022).…”