Strengths at school
Traditionally, schools have often focused on students' difficulties and what they need to get better at. In recent years, research has shown that there is an important complement – also noticing and developing students' strengths. This approach is called strengths-based education and builds on the idea that all students have personal strengths that can be developed and used to promote both learning and wellbeing.
At school, strengths are about qualities that help students learn, collaborate and cope with challenges. Examples of such strengths are curiosity, courage, perseverance, creativity, kindness, generosity, hope, gratitude, humour, ability to collaborate, leadership, self-regulation, fairness, social intelligence and a love of learning.
Working with strengths does not mean ignoring difficulties or ceasing to give support where it is needed. On the contrary, it is about starting from what already works and using students' strengths as a foundation for further development. When students get the chance to discover their strengths and use them in their learning, their motivation, engagement and belief in their own ability increase. Research also shows that they experience greater wellbeing, better relationships with teachers and classmates, and a stronger sense of meaning in their schoolwork.
The teacher plays a key role in this work. It is not enough for students to know their strengths – they also need to be seen and encouraged to use them in everyday life. A study by Quinlan and colleagues showed that students' positive emotions, engagement and participation increased the most in the classes where teachers actively noticed and highlighted students' strengths in their teaching. When teachers see what works and help students use their strengths, better conditions are created for both learning and wellbeing.
Research also shows that a strengths-based approach does not only benefit students. Teachers are also positively affected. When teachers get the chance to identify and use their own strengths in their work, their job satisfaction, energy and sense of meaning increase. They also experience greater wellbeing and are better equipped to handle the challenges the teaching profession involves. A strengths perspective can therefore contribute to a more positive school culture where both students and staff develop together.
A strengths-based approach starts from what already works and uses students' strengths as a foundation for further development – which strengthens motivation, wellbeing and relationships for both students and teachers.
Pomelo builds on a strengths-based perspective in which students get to identify and develop their personal strengths, while the school gains tools for creating a learning environment that highlights what works and strengthens learning, wellbeing and mental health.
Quinlan, D. M., Swain, N., & Vella-Brodrick, D. A. (2012). Character Strengths Interventions: Building on What We Know for Improved Outcomes. Journal of Happiness Studies, 13, 1145–1163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-011-9311-5
Quinlan, D., Vella-Brodrick, D. A., Gray, A., & Swain, N. (2019). Teachers Matter: Student Outcomes Following a Strengths Intervention are Mediated by Teacher Strengths Spotting. Journal of Happiness Studies, 20, 2507–2523. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-0051-7
Kumar, A., & Mohideen, F. (2021). Strengths-Based Positive Schooling Interventions: A Scoping Review. Contemporary School Psychology, 25, 86–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-019-00260-1