Mere religiosity is not enough! Spirituality strengthens the relations between religiosity and positive youth development.

Although prior research shows that either religiosity or spirituality facilitates well-being, the interaction of both constructs in predicting positive youth development (PYD) in collectivistic contexts remains unknown. This study examined the moderating role of spirituality on the link between religiosity and PYD, including each of its Cs (i.e., competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring) among 1116 Filipino adolescents. Results demonstrate that both religiosity and spirituality are positively correlated with PYD and its dimensions. Furthermore, there is a significant interaction between religiosity and spirituality for the overall PYD construct and the socio-emotional Cs (i.e., connection, character, and caring). This study highlights the importance of young people's sense of connection with something beyond than themselves (i.e., spirituality) in promoting adolescent thriving.

The perks of being grateful to partners: Expressing gratitude in relationships predicts relational self-efficacy and life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Being grateful to one's partner matters for a diverse range of interpersonal and individual well-being outcomes. However, there is little investigation on the psychological benefits of expressing gratitude to partners during the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Using a short-term longitudinal design, this study of undergraduate students (Mage = 20.31; SDage = 1.81; n = 268) in the United States explores the link between expressing gratitude in romantic relationships, subsequent relationship self-efficacy, life satisfaction, psychological well-being, and the COVID-19 anxiety. Results demonstrated that expressing gratitude in relationships positively predicted subsequent relationship self-efficacy and life satisfaction even after controlling for age, gender, ethnic background, trait gratitude, and auto-regressor effects. These findings show that relational gratitude had incremental validity in predicting relational self-efficacy and subjective well-being above and beyond the effects of demographic factors and dispositional gratitude. This research emphasizes the psychological payoffs of cultivating gratitude in relational contexts.

Knowledge with kindness is power! Knowledge about autism and kindness relate to better attitude towards persons with autism spectrum disorder.

Prior studies have shown inconclusive evidence on how knowledge predicts attitude towards individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in diverse cultural contexts. There is also dearth of research on psychological resources that facilitate inclusive attitude towards students with ASD. This study examines the links of kindness and knowledge about autism to attitude towards ASD among Filipino high school students. An online survey with items measuring kindness and knowledge about autism as well as a vignette-based measure of attitude towards ASD was administered to participants. Results showed that knowledge about autism and kindness positively predicted attitude towards ASD when controlling for age, gender, and previous contact with students with ASD. This research suggests that integrating ASD awareness with kindness education can bolster positive attitude towards persons with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Culture, Motivation, Self-Regulation, and the Impactful Work of Dennis M. McInerney.

This tribute celebrates the distinguished scholarship and extraordinary life of Dennis Michael McInerney, who passed away in Hong Kong on May 20th, 2022. It is a testimony of his impact on our professional and personal lives while highlighting the multitude and depth of his scholarly contributions. McInerney was one of those thinkers who invited us to reconsider how we conceptualize, assess, and apply scientific investigations in our teaching and learning practices. He authored and co-authored numerous widely used books and published numerous research articles in peer-refereed journals. During his remarkable career, McInerney dedicated a significant part to researching the problems associated with studying culture and uncovering how culture is a missing link in most motivation research. He believed there was a noteworthy need to conduct Indigenous educational research to understand the extent to which mainstream motivation theories apply to culturally diverse groups and stand up to cross-cultural testing scrutiny. McInerney's influence and impact will transcend future generations of research, given the gravity of his scholarly contributions.

The Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Encouragement Character Strength Scale in Selected Undergraduate Students and Teachers.

The Encouragement Character Strength Scale (ECSS) is a self-report measure of encouragement, which refers to a tendency to enjoy and perceive oneself as being accomplished in communicating affirmations to motivate others. Although it is theoretically assumed as an overarching construct consisting of two domain-specific factors (i.e., perceived ability and enjoyment), there is inconclusive evidence regarding the most optimal factor structure of the encouragement construct. This study evaluated the factor structure, measurement invariance, and criterion-related validity of the Chinese version of the ECSS among teachers and undergraduate students in mainland China. Results showed that the bifactor model of encouragement demonstrated the best fit among undergraduate students and teachers. There was evidence supporting the measurement invariance of this factor structure across type of samples (i.e., teachers and undergraduate students) and gender. Ancillary bifactor indices indicate the superiority of using the ECSS's overall or general factor over subscale scores. The ECSS total score also showed internal consistency and temporal stability. A review of correlations between encouragement and criterion variables (i.e., kindness, hope, agreeableness, and extraversion) indicates that effect sizes ranged from moderate to large. Furthermore, the encouragement general factor was positively correlated with both psychological well-being and work engagement after controlling for the aforementioned criterion variables and demographic covariates.

The Mental Health Benefits of Kindness-Oriented Schools: School Kindness is Associated with Increased Belongingness and Well-Being in Filipino High School Students.

Prior research has demonstrated the role of kind school climate in students' academic and social-emotional learning outcomes. However, there is sparse literature showing the link of school kindness to mental health functioning. This study examines the association of school kindness with well-being dimensions such as positive emotions and depressive symptoms among 1287 Filipino high school students. It also explored whether school kindness would have indirect effects on well-being via school belongingness. Structural equation modeling via maximum likelihood estimation approach showed that school kindness was linked to higher positive emotions and lower depressive symptoms after controlling for demographic covariates such as age and gender. Further, results of bias-corrected bootstrapping analyses demonstrated that school kindness had indirect effects on positive emotions and depressive symptoms via school belongingness. This research underscores the mental health benefits associated with fostering kindness in school contexts.

Gratitude and kindness at work as predictors of employees' mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This research explored the association of perceptions of gratitude and kindness at work with well-being outcomes, such as relatedness needs satisfaction, life satisfaction, and COVID-19 anxiety among selected Filipino employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that kindness positively predicted relatedness needs satisfaction even after controlling for participants' age, gender, employment status, and length of stay in the organization. Gratitude positively predicted life satisfaction. This research underscores the mental health payoffs associated with fostering gratitude and kindness in organizational contexts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grit, academic engagement in math and science, and well-being outcomes in children during the COVID-19 pandemic: A study in Hong Kong and Macau.

There is evidence showing that the triarchic model of grit and its dimensions (i.e., perseverance of effort, consistency of interests, and adaptability to situations) predict engagement and well-being outcomes in high school and undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. However, there has been limited research on how this model of grit relates to engagement and optimal psychological outcomes in primary school students. This research investigates the association of grit's dimensions with academic engagement in math and science as well as well-being outcomes (i.e., positive emotions, negative emotions, and flourishing) in primary school students. Participants were primary school students (Mage = 10.42; SDage = 1.26) from Hong Kong (n = 279) and Macau (n = 124). Results showed that perseverance of effort positively predicted cognitive and behavioral engagement in math as well as positive emotions even after controlling for demographic covariates (i.e., age, gender, setting, and year level), conscientiousness, and achievement goal orientations. Adaptability to situations positively predicted cognitive and social engagement in math and flourishing. Consistency of interests negatively predicted both cognitive engagement in science and negative emotions. Indeed, this study indicates that perseverance and adaptability may facilitate children's positive academic and psychological functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

Prospering in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: The effects of PROSPER-based intervention on psychological outcomes among preschool teachers.

The growing concerns regarding the risks of transmitting the COVID-19 virus have intensified the job-related stressors commonly encountered by teachers in various cultural contexts. Evidence shows how the COVID-19 crisis has negatively impacted teachers' mental health outcomes such as stress, depression, and quality of life, which highlights the significance of designing psychological programs to boost teachers' well-being. This study examined the effects of a well-being intervention based on the Positivity, Relationship, Outcomes, Strength, Purpose, Engagement, and Resilience (PROSPER) framework on well-being outcomes among 76 in-service teachers (Mage = 26.05 years, SD = 4.71, range = 20-45; female = 93.4%) in Hong Kong. Participants completed survey measures associated with the seven PROSPER outcomes at baseline and 2-month follow-up. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that there were statistically significant multivariate effects for intervention conditions, Wilks' Lambda F(7, 58) = 4.50, p = .01. Results demonstrated that teachers who were assigned to the intervention condition (n = 36) had significantly higher scores than those in the control condition (n = 40) on positivity (b = 0.41, 95% CI [0.16, 0.65], p = .01), strength (b = 0.62, 95% CI [0.23, 1.01], p = .01), purpose (b = 0.61, 95% CI [0.18, 1.04], p = .01), and resilience (b = 0.57, 95% CI [0.07, 1.07], p = .04). Our findings provide evidence on the mental health benefits of the PROSPER-based psychological intervention program for preschool teachers.

Gratitude, relatedness needs satisfaction, and negative psychological outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic: A short-term longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVES: Although gratitude relates to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) well-being outcomes in the United States, more evidence is needed to understand how this psychological strength reciprocally relates to mental health during this pandemic. This study examines the association of gratitude with stress, anxiety, and depression among undergraduate students in the United States via a longitudinal design. METHODS: An online survey was administered to 643 undergraduate students in a public university located in the southeastern region of the United States. There was a 1-month interval between the first and second waves of data collection. RESULTS: Cross-lagged panel structural equation modeling showed that whereas gratitude positively predicted subsequent relatedness needs satisfaction, it negatively predicted later stress, anxiety, and depression. Relatedness needs satisfaction was reciprocally linked to subsequent gratitude. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that gratitude might serve as a protective psychological resource against the detrimental mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Psychometric validity and measurement invariance of the caring for Bliss Scale in the Philippines and the United States.

The Caring for Bliss Scale (CBS) is a new measure that assesses an individuals' capacity to cultivate inner joy and happiness. Developed in the United States, its generalizability remains unknown in non-Western contexts. This research explored the scale's cross-national invariance among college students in the Philippines (n = 546) and the United States (n = 643). A multi-group confirmatory factor analysis using maximum likelihood estimation showed that the unidimensional model of caring for bliss exhibited configural, metric, scalar, and residual invariance across the Filipino and the U.S. samples. This scale also had good internal consistency estimates in both settings. In both contexts, caring for bliss was positively correlated with well-being and negatively correlated with different negative quality of life indicators (i.e., stress, anxiety, and depression). This study offered preliminary evidence regarding the cross-national applicability of the CBS in different cultural settings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The effects of gratitude and kindness on life satisfaction, positive emotions, negative emotions, and COVID-19 anxiety: An online pilot experimental study.

The continuous surge in the number of confirmed diagnoses and fatalities associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused debilitating economic, educational, social, and psychological issues. However, little is known about how psychological interventions may boost well-being outcomes amid the pandemic. This research addresses this gap by examining the effects of gratitude and kindness interventions on life satisfaction, positive emotions, negative emotions, and COVID-19 anxiety via an online pilot experimental study. A 3-week online pilot experiment was implemented among 107 Filipino undergraduate students (M = 20.27; SD = 1.10). These participants were randomly assigned to kindness (n = 37), gratitude (n = 32), and control (n = 38) conditions. The results showed that there were significant differences on positive emotions when controlling for the baseline well-being, gratitude, and kindness scores across all conditions (i.e., gratitude, kindness, and control). Participants assigned in the gratitude and kindness conditions had significantly higher scores on positive emotions than those in the control condition. The findings point to the emotional benefits associated with promoting gratitude and kindness during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research contributes to scarce literature on the applicability of well-being interventions in non-Western cultural contexts.

Are gritty students academically engaged in math and science?

This research examines the cross-cultural differences on triarchic model of grit (TMG) dimensions (i.e., perseverance of effort, consistency of interests, and adaptability to situations) and the associations of grit with academic engagement in Math and Science among secondary school students in one secondary school in Hong Kong (n = 101; M age = 12.44; SD = .60), nine secondary schools in Philippines (n = 575; Mage = 14.66; SD = .83), and two secondary schools in mainland China (n = 710; Mage = 13.39; SD = .56). Result of structural equation modeling via maximum likelihood estimation approach demonstrated that although all TMG dimensions were related to higher engagement in Math and Science, adaptability served as the strongest predictor of these outcomes even after controlling for the participants' cultural settings and conscientiousness. Consistency served as the weakest correlate of engagement outcomes. Conscientiousness, settings, and TMG dimensions explained 46% and 50% of the variance in Math and Science academic engagement respectively. These results provide additional evidence regarding the generalizability of TMG in non-Western societies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Beyond Passion and Perseverance: Review and Future Research Initiatives on the Science of Grit.

Grit, which is originally conceptualized as passion and perseverance for long-term goals, has been associated with optimal performance. Although previous meta-analytic and systematic reviews summarized how grit relates to performance outcomes, they possess considerable shortcomings, such as (a) absence of summary on the association of grit with well-being outcomes; (b) absence of discussion on social, psychological, and emotional mechanisms linking grit to well-being; and (c) lack of elaboration on how alternative models can resolve fundamental problems in the grit construct. This integrative review provides a comprehensive summary on the link of grit to performance and well-being outcomes. Importantly, it elaborates how alternative models can potentially address flaws in the existing grit theory. Future research directions are discussed on how to move forward the science of grit.

Subjective well-being is reciprocally associated with academic engagement: A two-wave longitudinal study.

Previous studies have shown that subjective well-being promotes a wide range of adaptive psychological outcomes. However, the role of subjective well-being in the school context, as a potential facilitator of key academic outcomes, remains underexplored. The primary objective of this study was to examine the extent to which the different dimensions of subjective well-being-life satisfaction, positive affect, and (low levels of) negative affect-were associated with academic engagement through a two-wave longitudinal study. Three hundred and eighty-nine Filipino high school students participated in this research project. Cross-lagged analysis revealed that Time 1 life satisfaction positively predicted Time 2 academic engagement, and that Time 1 negative affect negatively predicted Time 2 academic engagement, even after controlling for autoregressor effects. We also found evidence of reciprocal effects with prior academic engagement predicting subsequent well-being. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Grateful students are motivated, engaged, and successful in school: Cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental evidence.

Previous research on gratitude has mostly focused on its effects on well-being. However, scant attention has been paid to how gratitude is associated with key learning-related outcomes. The aim of this series of studies was to examine how gratitude is associated with students' motivation, engagement, and achievement. Study 1, a cross-sectional study, found that gratitude was positively associated with higher levels of autonomous motivation and engagement (rs ranging from 0.17 to 0.20, p < .05). Study 2, a longitudinal study, found that gratitude was concurrently and prospectively associated with autonomous motivation (rs ranging from 0.20 to 0.78, p < .05), self-reported and teacher-reported engagement (rs ranging from 0.11 to 0.68, p < .05), and achievement (rs ranging from 0.38 to 0.41, p < .05). Study 3, an experimental study, showed that students who were in the gratitude condition perceived themselves to be more engaged (Cohen's d ranging from 0.58 to 0.63) compared to those in the control condition. The three studies provided converging evidence that grateful students have better learning-related outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Everyday discrimination, negative emotions, and academic achievement in Filipino secondary school students: Cross-sectional and cross-lagged panel investigations.

Different forms of overt discrimination have been consistently linked to maladaptive psychological, physical health, and educational outcomes. However, limited research has been carried out to assess the link of subtle forms of discrimination like everyday discrimination on academic functioning in the school context. The current study addressed this research gap through examining the association of everyday discrimination with negative emotions and academic achievement among Filipino high school students. A cross-sectional study (Study 1) showed that everyday discrimination was positively associated with negative emotions and negatively linked to perceived academic achievement. Furthermore, everyday discrimination had indirect effects on academic achievement through the intermediate variable negative emotions. Then, a two-wave cross-lagged panel investigation (Study 2) demonstrated that Time 1 everyday discrimination was linked to higher Time 2 negative emotions. Reciprocal associations were also found among the constructs because Time 1 academic achievement was linked to lower levels Time 2 negative emotions and Time 2 everyday discrimination. The theoretical and practical implications of the research are elucidated.

The triarchic model of grit is linked to academic success and well-being among Filipino high school students.

Previous investigations mostly relied on the two-factor model of grit (with perseverance of effort and consistency of interests as major dimensions) which received a number criticisms in the extant literature. Recent studies have provided promising lines of evidence regarding the triarchic model of grit (TMG) which posits three dimensions of grit in a collectivist setting: perseverance of effort, consistency of interests, and adaptability to situations. However, little is known about how this model of grit may be linked to various indicators of positive educational and psychological functioning. The present research filled this gap through examining the association of the TMG with academic (Study 1) and well-being outcomes (Study 2) among Filipino high school students. Results demonstrated that grit positively predicted academic agentic, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement. Findings of multiple mediation analyses showed that grit had indirect effects on academic engagement via the intermediate variable autonomous motivation even after controlling for age, gender, and conscientiousness. Study 2 showed grit positively predicted life satisfaction, positive affect, and interdependent happiness even after controlling for demographic covariates and neuroticism. Grit negatively predicted psychological distress. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Validation of the Gratitude Questionnaire in Filipino Secondary School Students.

Most studies have assessed the psychometric properties of the Gratitude Questionnaire - Six-Item Form (GQ-6) in the Western contexts while very few research has been generated to explore the applicability of this scale in non-Western settings. To address this gap, the aim of the study was to examine the factorial validity and gender invariance of the Gratitude Questionnaire in the Philippines through a construct validation approach. There were 383 Filipino high school students who participated in the research. In terms of within-network construct validity, results of confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the five-item version of the questionnaire (GQ-5) had better fit compared to the original six-item version of the gratitude questionnaire. The scores from the GQ-5 also exhibited invariance across gender. Between-network construct validation showed that gratitude was associated with higher levels of academic achievement (ß = .46, p <.001), autonomous motivation (ß = .73, p <.001), and controlled motivation (ß = .28, p <.01). Conversely, gratitude was linked to lower degree of amotivation (ß = -.51, p <.001). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Subjective Happiness Optimizes Educational Outcomes: Evidence from Filipino High School Students.

Subjective happiness has been found to be associated with key psychological outcomes. However, there is paucity of research that assessed how subjective happiness is related to a number of positive student outcomes in the educational setting. The objective of the study was to assess the associations of subjective happiness with academic engagement, flourishing, and school resilience among 606 Filipino high school students (m age = 13.87; n boys = 300, n girls = 305, n missing = 1) in the Philippine context. Results of path analysis demonstrated that subjective happiness positively predicted behavioral engagement (ß = .08, p < .01), emotional engagement (ß = .08, p < .01), flourishing (ß = .17, p < .01), and school resilience (ß = .18, p < .01) even after controlling for gender. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.