Proponents of positive psychology have argued for more comprehensive assessments incorporating positive measures (e.g., student strengths) as well as negative measures (e.g., psychological symptoms). However, few variable-centered studies have addressed the incremental validity of positive assessment data. The authors investigated the incremental validity of positive emotions relative to negative emotions in predicting adolescents’ adaptive school functioning. Positive emotions demonstrated significant incremental validity in predicting school satisfaction, adaptive coping, and student engagement, but not self-reported GPA. The findings offer some support for the utility of positive measures in psychoeducational assessments.
Achenbach, T.M., & Rescorla, L.A. (2001). Manual for the ASEBA school-age forms and profiles. Burlington: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, and Families.
2.
Appleton, J.J., Christenson, S.L., Kim, D., & Reschly, A.L. ( 2006). Measuring cognitive and psychological engagement: Validation of the Student Engagement Instrument. Journal of School Psychology , 44, 427-445.
3.
Betts, J., Appleton, J.J., Reschly, A.L., Christenson, S.L., & Huebner, E.S. ( 2008). A study of reliability and construct validity of the Student Engagement Instrument across multiple grades. Manuscript submitted for publication.
4.
Buhi, E.R., Goodson, P., & Neilands, T.B. (2008). Out of sight, not out of mind: Strategies for handling missing data. American Journal of Health Behavior, 32, 83-92.
5.
Causey, D.L., & Dubow, E.F. ( 1992). Development of a self-report coping measure for elementary school children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 21, 47-59.
6.
Edelbrock, C., & Achenbach, T. ( 1984). The teacher version of the child behavior profile I. Boys aged 6-11. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , 52, 207-212.
7.
Epstein, J.C., & McPartland, J.M. (1977). The Quality of School Life Scale. Riverside, CA: Riverside .
8.
Fredrickson, B.L. ( 2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology . American Psychologist, 56, 218-226.
9.
Greenspoon, P.J., & Saklofske, D.H. (2001). Toward an integration of subjective well-being and psychopathology. Social Indicators Research, 54, 81-108.
10.
Hebert, M., Parent, N., & Daignault, I.V. (2007). The French-Canadian version of the Self-Report Coping Scale: Estimates of the reliability, validity, and development of a short form. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 40, 2-15.
11.
Huebner, E.S. ( 1994). Preliminary development and validation of a multidimensional life satisfaction scale for children. Psychological Assessment , 6, 149-158.
12.
Huebner, E.S., Gilman, R., Reschly, A., & Hall, R. (in press). Positive schools. In S. Lopez & C. R. Snyder (Eds.), Oxford handbook of positive psychology (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press .
13.
Karatzias, A., Power, K.G., Flemming, J., Lennan, F., & Swanson, V. ( 2002). The role of demographics, personality variables and school stress on predicting school satisfaction/dissatisfaction: Review of the literature and research findings. Educational Psychology, 22, 33-50.
14.
Karver, M., & Bickman, L. ( 2002). Positive functioning: Does it add validity to maladaptive functioning items? Evaluation and Program Planning, 25, 85-93.
15.
Kuncel, M.R., Crede, M., & Thomas, L.L. ( 2005). The validity of self-reported grade point averages, class ranks, and test scores: A meta-analysis and review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 75, 63-82.
16.
Ladd, G.W., Buhs, E.S., & Seid, M. ( 2000). Children’s initial sentiments about kindergarten: Is school liking an antecedent of early classroom participation and achievement ? Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 46, 255-279.
17.
Laurent, J., Catanzaro, S.J., Joiner, T.E., Rudolph, K.D., Potter, K.I., Lambert, S., et al. (1999). A measure of positive and negative affect for children: Scale development and preliminary validation. Psychological Assessment, 11, 326-338.
18.
Lopez, S.J., Snyder, C.R., & Rasmussen, H.N. (2003). Striking a vital balance: Developing a complementary focus on human weakness and strength through positive psychological assessment. In S. J. Lopez and C. R. Snyder (Eds.), Positive psychological assessment: A handbook of models and measures (pp. 3-20). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
19.
Martin, K., Huebner, E.S., & Valois, R.F. ( 2008). Does life satisfaction predict victimization experiences in adolescence? Psychology in the Schools, 45, 705-714.
20.
Pekrun, R., Goetz, T., Titz, W., & Perry, R.P. ( 2002a). Academic emotions in students’ self-regulated learning and achievement: A program of qualitative and quantitative research . Educational Psychologist, 37, 91-105.
21.
Pekrun, R., Goetz, T., Titz, W., & Perry, R.P. ( 2002b). Positive emotions in education. In E. Frydenberg (Ed.), Beyond coping: Meeting goals, visions, and challenges (pp. 149-173). New York: Oxford University Press.
22.
Reschly, A.L., Huebner, E.S., Appleton, J.J., & Antaramian, S. (2008). Engagement as flourishing: The contribution of positive emotions and coping to adolescents’ engagement at school and with learning. Psychology in the Schools, 45, 419-431.
23.
Reynolds, C.R., & Kamphaus, R.W. (1992). Behavior Assessment System for Children. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
24.
Roecker Phelps, C.E. ( 2001). Children’s responses to overt and relational aggression . Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 30, 240-252.
25.
Roeser, R.W., van der Wolf, K., & Strobel, K.R. ( 2001). On the relation between social-emotional and school functioning during early adolescence: Preliminary findings from Dutch and American samples . Journal of School Psychology, 39, 111-139.
26.
Seligman, M.E.P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 5-14.
27.
Suldo, S.M., & Shaffer, E.J. ( 2008). Looking beyond psychopathology: The dual-factor model of mental health in youth. School Psychology Review, 37, 52-68.
28.
Watson, D., Clark, L.A., & Tellegen, A. ( 1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1063-1070.
