Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T12:46:25.409Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Positive Education for School Leaders: Exploring the Effects of Emotion-Gratitude and Action-Gratitude

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 March 2015

Lea Waters  and
Helen Stokes
Lea Waters*
Affiliation:
Melbourne Graduate School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Helen Stokes
Affiliation:
Melbourne Graduate School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
*
Address for correspondence: Lea Waters, Melbourne Graduate School, University of Melbourne, 100 Leicester Street, Parkville VIC 3010, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

This qualitative study describes the effect of two gratitude interventions designed to trigger emotion-gratitude (gratitude diary) and action-gratitude (gratitude letter) in school leaders. Case study methodology was applied to analyse reflective journals of 27 school leaders. The gratitude diary served to foster a more balanced view of the positive and negative events that occur at school, to engage in more appreciative problem solving (with respect to their role as mediators), to see the value in relationships, and to experience positive emotions such as hope, happiness and optimism. However, the gratitude diary also triggered a frustration in school leaders who were dealing with the paradox of having to look for things to feel grateful for at school when their role required an emphasis on fixing problems. The gratitude letter prompted emotional catharsis, a desire to invest in professional relationships, greater use of gratitude in leadership roles, and sparked reciprocated gratitude from staff and students (as reported by the school leaders). On the downside, the gratitude letter created feelings of vulnerability and concern for the potential ill-ease that the letter might cause for the recipient. Gratitude was not only used during the ‘good times’ of leadership but was also drawn upon to deal effectively with the difficult aspects, such as conflict. The results suggest that both types of gratitude interventions have value for school leaders and that leaders need to mutually attend to the emotional element of gratitude and the action element of gratitude.

Keywords

positive psychologyschool leadershipgratitudecase study methods
Type
Articles
Information
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist , Volume 32 , Issue 1 , July 2015 , pp. 1 - 22
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Psychological Society Ltd 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bartlett, M.Y., & DeSteno, D. (2006). Gratitude and prosocial behavior: Helping when it costs you. Psychological Science, 17, 319–325. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01705.x Google Scholar
Cahill, H., Wyn, J., & Smith, G. (2004). The welfare needs of Victorian Catholic schools, Research Report 25. Melbourne, Australia: Youth Research Centre, University of Melbourne.Google Scholar
Calabrese, R.L., Hester, M., Friesen, S., & Burkhalter, K. (2010). Using appreciative inquiry to create a sustainable rural school district and community. The International Journal of Educational Management, 24, 250–265. doi:10.1108/09513541011031592 Google Scholar
Caldwell, B.J. (2006). Re-imagining educational leadership. Melbourne, Australia: ACER Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chan, D. (2010). Gratitude, gratitude intervention and subjective well-being among Chinese school teachers in Hong Kong. Educational Psychology, 30, 139–153. doi:10.1080/01443410903493934 Google Scholar
Chan, D. (2011). Burnout and life satisfaction: Does gratitude intervention make a difference among Chinese school teachers in Hong Kong? Educational Psychology: An International Journal of Experimental Educational Psychology, 31, 809–823. doi:10.1080/01443410.2011.608525 Google Scholar
Creswell, J. (1998). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Nakamura, J. (2011). Positive psychology: Where did it come from, where is it going. In Sheldon, K.M., Kashdan, T.B., & Steger, M.F., Designing positive psychology: Taking stock and moving forward (pp. 3–8). Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doveston, M., & Keenaghan, M. (2006) Improving classroom dynamics to support students’ learning and social inclusion: a collaborative approach. Support for Learning, 21, 131–137. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9604.2006.00393.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Emmons, R. (2003). Acts of gratitude in organisations. In Cameron, K.S., Dutton, J.E., & Quinn, R.E. (Eds.), Positive organizational scholarship (pp. 81–93). San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.Google Scholar
Emmons, R.A. (2007). Thanks! How the new science of gratitude can make you happier. Boston. MA: Houghton-Mifflin.Google Scholar
Emmons, R.A., & Crumpler, C.A. (2000). Gratitude as a human strength: Appraising the evidence. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 19, 56–69.Google Scholar
Emmons, R.A., & McCullough, M.E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 377–389. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.84.2.377 Google Scholar
Emmons, R., & Mishra, A. (2011). Why gratitude enhances well-being: What we know, what we need to know. In Kennon, M., Sheldon, T., Kashdan, T., & Steger, M.F. (Eds). Designing positive psychology: Taking stock and moving forward (pp. 248–264). New York: Oxford Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195373585.003.0016 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Francis, S. (2013). 10 strategies for successfully avoiding principal burnout. The Queensland Principal, 40, 36–37.Google Scholar
Fredrickson, B.L. (1998). What good are positive emotions? Review of General Psychology, 2, 247–270. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.300 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fredrickson, B.L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology — The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56, 218–226. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fredrickson, B.L. (2004). Gratitude, like other positive emotions, broadens and builds. In Emmons, R.A. & McCullough, M.E. (Eds.), The psychology of gratitude (pp. 145–166). New York: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195150100.003.0008 Google Scholar
Fredrickson, B. (2009). Positivity: Top notch research reveals 3 to 1 ratio that will change your life. New York: Three Rivers Press.Google Scholar
Friedman, I. (2002). Burnout in school principals: Role related antecedents. Social Psychology of Education, 5, 229–251. doi:10.1023/A:1016321210858 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Froh, J., Sefick, W., & Emmons, R.A. (2008). Counting blessings in early adolescents: An experimental study of gratitude and subjective well-being. Journal of School Psychology, 46, 213–233. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2007.03.005 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gable, S.L., & Haidt, J. (2005, June). What (and why) is positive psychology? Review of General Psychology, 9, 103–110. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.9.2.103 Google Scholar
Gordon, C.L., Arnette, R.A., & Smith, R E. (2011). Have you thanked your spouse today?: Felt and expressed gratitude among married couples. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 339–343. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.10.012 Google Scholar
Greenberg, L. (2002). Emotion focussed therapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Gulliford, L., Morgan, B., & Kristjánsson, K. (2013). Recent work on the concept of gratitude in philosophy and psychology. The Journal of Value Inquiry, 47, 283–317. doi:10.1007/s10790-013-9387-8 Google Scholar
Held, B., (2004). The negative side of positive psychology. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 44, 9–46. doi:10.1177/0022167803259645 Google Scholar
Howells, K. (2009) Strengthening relationships and resilience through practices of gratitude. Principal Matters, 80, Spring, 2–6.Google Scholar
Howells, K. (2012). Gratitude in education: A radical view. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. doi:10.1007/978-94-6091-814-8 Google Scholar
Howells, K. (2013). The role of gratitude in helping school leaders strengthen relationships. Perspectives on Educational Leadership, 6, 1–3.Google Scholar
Howells, K. (2014a). An exploration of the role of gratitude in enhancing teacher-student relationships. Teaching and Teacher Education, 42, 58–57. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2014.04.004 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howells, K. (2014b) Exploring cultural diversity through the lens of the practice of gratitude in education. International Journal of Diversity in Education, 13, 41–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howells, K., & Cumming, J. (2012). Exploring the role of gratitude in the professional experience of pre-service teachers. Teaching Education, 23, 71–88. doi:10.1080/10476210.2011.638370 Google Scholar
Hoy, R., & Tarter, J. (2011). Positive psychology and educational administration: An optimistic research agenda. Educational Administration Quarterly, 47, 427–445. doi:10.1177/0013161´10396930 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Isen, A.M. (2000). Positive affect and decision making. In Lewis, M. & Haviland-Jones, J.M. (Eds), Handbook of emotions (2nd ed., pp. 417–435). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Kern, M., Waters, L., White, M., & Adler, A. (2014). Workplace wellbeing: A multifaceted approach to assessing psychological, physical and workplace wellbeing in school staff. Psychology, 5, 500–513.Google Scholar
Kern, M., Waters, L., Adler, A., & White, M. (2014). A multifaceted approach to measuring wellbeing in students: Application of the PERMA framework. Journal of Positive Psychology. Advance online publication. doi:10.4236/psych.2014.56060 Google Scholar
Lambert, N.M., Graham, S.M., & Fincham, F.D. (2009). A prototype analysis of gratitude: Varieties of gratitude experiences. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 1193–1207. doi:10.1177/0146167209338071 Google Scholar
Langdridge, D. (2004). Introduction to research methods and data analysis in psychology. Harlow: Pearson Education.Google Scholar
Lawson, J. (2008). Women leaders in high poverty community schools: Work related stress and family impact. Canadian Journal of Education, 31, 55–77.Google Scholar
MacNeill, N., & Cavanagh, R. (2013). The possible misfit of Csikszentmihalyi's dimensions of flow in contemporary roles of school leaders. Management in Education, 27, 7–13. doi:10.1177/0892020612459288 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCraty, R., & Childre, D. (2004). The grateful heart: The psychophysiology of appreciation. In Emmons, R.A. & McCullough, M.E. (Eds.), The psychology of gratitude (pp. 230–255). New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Marques, S., Lopez, S., & Pais-Ribeiro, K. (2011). Building hope for the future: A program to foster strengths in middle-school students. Journal of Happiness Studies, 12, 139–152. doi:10.1007/s10902-009-9180-3 Google Scholar
McCullough, M.E., Kilpatrick, S.D., Emmons, R.A., & Larson, D.B. (2001). Is gratitude a moral affect? Psychological bulletin, 127, 249. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.127.2.249 Google Scholar
McCullough, M.E., & Tsang, J. (2004). Parent of the virtues? The prosocial contours of gratitude. In Emmons, R.A. & McCullough, M.E. (Eds.), The psychology of gratitude (pp. 123–141). New York: Oxford University Press Google Scholar
Miles, M.B., & Huberman, A.M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Miller, D.N., Nickerson, A.B., & Jimerson, S.R. (2009). Positive psychology and school-based interventions. In Gilman, R., Huebner, E.S., & Furlong, M.J. (Eds.), Promoting wellness in children and youth: A handbook of positive psychology in the schools (pp. 293–304). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Morgan, B., Gulliford, L., & Kristjánsson, K. (2014). Gratitude in the UK: A new prototype analysis and a cross-cultural comparison. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 9, 281–294. doi:10.1080/17439760.2014.898321 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oliver, C. (2005) Critical appreciative inquiry as intervention in organisational discourse. In Peck, E. (Ed.), Organisational development in healthcare: Approaches, innovations, achievements (pp. 205–218). Oxford: Radcliffe Press.Google Scholar
Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. (2004). Strengths of character and well-being. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23, 603–619. doi:10.1521/jscp.23.5.603.50748 Google Scholar
Proctor, C., Tsukayama, E., Wood, A.M., Maltby, J., Eades, J.F., & Linley, P.A. (2011). Strengths gym: The impact of a character strengths-based intervention on the life satisfaction and well-being of adolescents. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 6, 377–388. doi:10.1080/17439760.2011.594079 Google Scholar
Rash, J.A., Matsuba, M.K., & Prkachin, K.M. (2011). Gratitude and well-being: Who benefits the most from a gratitude intervention? Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 3, 350–369.Google Scholar
Rathunde, K. (2001). Toward a psychology of optimal human functioning: What positive psychology can learn from the ‘experiential turns’ of James, Dewey, and Maslow. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 41, 135–153. doi:10.1177/0022167801411008 Google Scholar
Rennie, D. (2012). Qualitative Research as Methodical Hermeneutics. Psychological Methods, 17, 385–398. doi:10.1037/a0029250 Google Scholar
Resnick, S., Warmoth, A., & Serlin, I.A. (2001).The humanistic psychology and positive psychology connection: Implications for psychotherapy. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 41, 73–101. doi:10.1177/0022167801411006 Google Scholar
Roberts, R. (2004). The blessings of gratitude: A conceptual analysis. In Emmons, R. & McCullough, M. (Eds.), The psychology of gratitude (pp. 58–79). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195150100.003.0004 Google Scholar
Robbins, S. (2013). Educational leadership programmes in the UK: Who cares about the school leader, Management in Education, 27, 50–55. doi:10.1177/0892020613476730 Google Scholar
Rusk, R.D., & Waters, L. (2015). A psycho-social system approach to well-being: Empirically deriving the Five Domains of Positive Functioning. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 10, 141–152.Google Scholar
Ryff, C.D.,& Singer, B. (2003). Ironies of the human condition.Well-being and health on the way to mortality. In Aspinwall, L.G. & Staudinger, U.M. (Eds.), A psychology of human strengths (pp. 271–287).Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Scheff, T. (2001). Catharsis in healing, ritual and drama, Lincoln, NE: Universe.com Google Scholar
Seligman, M.E.P. (2002). Positive psychology, positive prevention, and positive therapy. In Snyder, C.R. & Lopez, S.J. (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 3–9). New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Seligman, M., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 5–14. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5 Google Scholar
Seligman, M.E.P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2001). Reply to comments.American Psychologist, 56, 89–90. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.56.1.89 Google Scholar
Seligman, M.E.P., Steen, T.A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60, 410–421. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.60.5.410 Google Scholar
Sheldon, K.M., & King, L. (2001). Why positive psychology is necessary. American Psychologist, 56, 216–217. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.216 Google Scholar
Sin, N.L., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2009). Enhancing well-being and alleviating depressive symptoms with positive psychology interventions: A practice-friendly meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 65, 467–487. doi:10.1002/jclp.20593 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stake, R.E. (1995). The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Supovitz, J. (2009). Can high stakes testing leverage educational improvement? Prospects from the last decade of testing and accountability reform. Journal of Educational Change, 10, 211–227. doi:10.1007/s10833-009-9105-2 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsang, J. (2006). Gratitude and prosocial behaviour: An experimental test of gratitude. Cognition & Emotion, 20, 138–148. doi:10.1080/02699930500172341 Google Scholar
Waters, L. (2011). A review of school-based positive psychology interventions. The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 28, 75–90. doi:10.1375/aedp.28.2.75 Google Scholar
Waters, L (2012). Predicting job satisfaction: Contributions of individual gratitude and institutionalized gratitude. Psychology, 3, 1174–1176. doi:10.4236/psych.2012.312A173 Google Scholar
Waters, L., Barsky, A., & McQuaid, M. (2012). Positive education: A whole-school approach. International Positive Psychology Association Newsletter, 5. Retrieved from http://www.ippanetwork.org Google Scholar
Waters, L., & White, M. (2015). Case study of a school wellbeing initiative: Using appreciative inquiry to support positive change. International Journal of Wellbeing, 5, 19–32. doi:10.5502/ijw.v5i1.2 Google Scholar
Waters, L., White, M., & Murray, S. (2012). Toward the creation of a positive institution. The International Journal of Appreciative Inquiry, 14, 60–66.Google Scholar
Weiner, B., & Graham, S. (1989). Understanding the motivational role of affect: Life-span research from an attributional perspective. Cognition & Emotion, 3, 401–419. doi:10.1080/02699938908412714 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wells, C. (2013). Educational leaders describe a job too big for one: Stress reduction in the midst of leading, AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice, 10, 32–46.Google Scholar
Willig, C. (2008). Introducing qualitative research in psychology (2nd ed.). Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Wong, P.T. (2011). Positive psychology 2.0: Towards a balanced interactive model of the good life. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 52, 69–81.Google Scholar
Wood, A.M., Joseph, S., & Linley, P.A. (2007). Gratitude: The parent of all virtues. Psychologist, 20, 18–21.Google Scholar
Wood, A.M., Joseph, S., & Maltby, J. (2008). Gratitude uniquely predicts satisfaction with life: Incremental validity above the domains and facets of the five factor model. Personality and Individual Differences, 45, 49–54. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2008.02.019 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wood, A.M., Joseph, S., Lloyd, J., & Atkins, S. (2009). Gratitude influences sleep through the mechanism of pre-sleep cognitions. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 66, 43–48. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2008.09.002 Google Scholar
Wood, A., Froh, J., & Geraghty, A. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration. Clinical Psychology Review, 30, 890–905. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.005 Google Scholar
Wyn, J., Turnbull, M., & Grimshaw, L. (2014). The experience of education: The impacts of high stakes testing on school students and their families. Sydney, Australia: Whitlam Institute.Google Scholar
Yin, R.K. (2003). Case study research: Design and methods (3rd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar