Resilience among middle school students.

92 Pages·2013·0.38 MB·English

by  Donaghey, Mary V.

RESILIENCE AMONG MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS
Mary V. Donaghey, M.Ed., LPC, NCC
Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS
Augus t 2013
APPROVED:

Carolyn Kern, Major Professor
Cynthia Chandler, Committee Member
Jonathan Ohrt, Committee Member
Jan Holden, Chair of the Department of
Counseling and Higher Education
Jerry Thomas, Dean of the College of
Education
Mark Wardell, Dean of the Toulouse
Graduate School
Donaghey, Mary V. Resilience among middle school students. Doctor of
Philosophy (Counseling), August 2013, 84 pp., 9 tables, references, 82 titles.
Resilience is the ability to survive and persevere during difficult times. Resilient
people also thrive after overcoming adversity. Adolescents have many developmental
tasks to overcome in their quest to becoming adults. Difficulty with these tasks can lead
to academic and personal failures. Adolescents with low resilience often struggle with
low self-esteem. If students are identified early as having lower levels of resilience,
professional school counselors have an opportunity to provide resilience-enhancing
activities. Prior to middle school, students are assigned all of their classes. During
middle school, students begin to select their elective courses which may be
representative of their interests and current emotional status. By looking at students’
elective courses, I looked for patterns of resilience that may help professional school
counselors proactively identify students in need of additional guidance in order to be
academically successful.
This study utilized a convenience sample of middle school students enrolled in
the 8th grade (N = 190) of a large suburban school district located in the southwest
United States to measure levels of resilience and elective course enrollment. Gender of
the participants was 107 females and 83 males. The students reported their ethnicity as
5.8% African American/Black, 11.1% Asian, 12.6% Hispanic, 1.1% Native American,
1.6% Pacific Islander, 59.5% Caucasian/White, and 8.4% multiracial. I measured
resilience in this study using the Resilience Scale and comparisons based on elective
course. Data analyses include descriptive statistics and ANOVAs. Based on a statistical
significance criterion of p < .05, students enrolled in athletics scored significantly higher
in resilience than did non-athletics students enrolled in physical education/outdoor
education (p = .035). Additionally, Caucasian females were significantly less resilient
than Caucasian males (p = .031). Limitations of the study, implications of the results for
practice, and recommendations for future research are presented.
Copyright 2013
by
Mary V. Donaghey
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My deep, heartfelt gratitude goes to Dr. Carolyn Kern. My counseling journey
began with you in a basic counseling skills course many years ago. You have been with
me for every step of this journey and have encouraged me to continue on when I have
fallen to the wayside. Dr. Cynthia Chandler, Dr. Jonathon Ohrt, Dr. Dee Ray, and Dr.
Janice Holden have each encouraged in their unique ways. Without the support of these
educators, my Ph.D. would still be a dream.
This dissertation is the product of many people stepping in to provide extra help
when needed. I thank Delfino Trejo, Dave Martinez, and Angie Doblado-Fontana for
their translation skills, Christy Stone for providing administration assistance, Libi Smith
and Meggen Havelka for proofreading extraordinaire, and David Tickner for all the
professional advice on district guidelines and personal belief in my abilities.
The belief and support provided by my friends and family cannot be understated.
Thank you to Carla, Karen, and Deb for reminding me that laughter will lift my soul. A
special gratitude extends to Elizabeth for providing years of friendship and the ability to
practice self-care. With an overwhelmed heart, I recognize my brother, Tom, and my
beloved sister, JoAnn. Their love, support, and blunt honesty throughout my life
continually remind me I am capable of so much. Thank you.
I would also like to recognize the Texas Counseling Association for providing an
Educational Endowment Grant to support my research. This professional recognition is
appreciated.
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................vi
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1
Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................ 4
Purpose of the Study....................................................................................................8
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................... 10
Resilience .................................................................................................................. 10
Definition ................................................................................................................ 10
History .................................................................................................................... 13
Measurement ......................................................................................................... 20
Adolescents ............................................................................................................... 23
Adolescent Development ....................................................................................... 23
Obstacles to Developmental Well-Being ................................................................ 25
Facilitative Environment ............................................................................................. 29
Supportive Services ............................................................................................... 29
Elective Courses .................................................................................................... 31
CHAPTER 3 METHODS AND PROCEDURES ........................................................... 33
Research Question ................................................................................................ 34
Research Null Hypothesis ...................................................................................... 34
Definitions of Terms ............................................................................................... 34
Instrumentation ...................................................................................................... 39
Procedures ............................................................................................................. 41
iv
Data Collection ....................................................................................................... 44
Data Analysis ......................................................................................................... 44
CHAPTER 4 RESULTS ................................................................................................ 46
Demographics ........................................................................................................... 47
Gender ................................................................................................................... 48
Ethnicity ................................................................................................................. 49
Gender within Ethnicity .......................................................................................... 50
Elective Course and Selection ................................................................................... 52
Athletics versus Physical Education/Outdoor Education ........................................ 52
Course Selector ..................................................................................................... 54
CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION .......................................................................................... 55
Outcomes and Implications ....................................................................................... 56
Limitations ................................................................................................................. 58
Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 59
APPENDIX A SCHOOL DISTRICT PROPOSAL TO CONDUCT RESEARCH ............ 62
APPENDIX B PARENT INFORMED CONSENT FORM .............................................. 65
APPENDIX C DEMOGRAPHICS ................................................................................. 68
APPENDIX D STUDENT ASSENT FORM ................................................................... 73
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 75
v
LIST OF TABLES
Page
1. Ethnicity Participation compared to District Population …………………………...39
2. One-way Analysis of Variance for Gender …………………………………………48
3. Gender Mean Comparison ………………………………………………………......48
4. One-way Analysis of Variance for Ethnicity ……………………………………......49
5. Ethnicity Mean Comparison …………………………………………………………50
6. Means by Gender within Ethnicities ………………………………………………...51
7. One-way Analysis of Variance for Gender within Caucasians ………………......52
8. One-way Analysis of Variance for Athletics/Physical Education ………………...53
9. Athletics and Non-athletics Mean Comparison …………………………………....54
vi
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Members of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) wrote the
ASCA National Model outlining a framework for school counseling programs. The
model, based on over 50 years of research and practice, provides a consistent
approach for counseling program use nationally. Following this model, professional
school counselors (PSC) provide programs with a focus and direction, enhance student
abilities, and utilize their professional competencies in an ethical manner. The
enhancement of student competencies focuses on academic, career, and
personal/social development (American School Counselors Association, [ASCA] 2013).
The foundation of the ASCA national model is the ASCA student standards
(ASCA, 2004). The standards define specific skills within each of the academic, career,
and personal/social areas. Personal and social skill development focuses on skills
needed to progress successfully into adulthood. Students need to acquire self-
knowledge, interpersonal skills, personal safety skills, and the ability to apply self-
knowledge. Self-knowledge skills include developing positive attitudes towards self,
identifying personal strengths, and understanding self-control. Interpersonal skills
include recognizing and accepting differences among people, and use of both verbal
and nonverbal communication. Personal safety skills include establishing appropriate
personal boundaries, identifying resources for assistance within the community, and
problem-solving/ decision-making strategies for personal safety and health. Applying
self-knowledge includes understanding role of peer pressure, and knowing how
perseverance and persistence benefits them (ASCA, 2004). The skills identified within
1
the personal and social development section of ASCA’s student standards are similar to
skills related to resilience. The PSC ability to recognize resilience in students might
enhance the implementation of their school counseling programs.
Descriptions of resilient people indicate them as having the ability to handle
change, difficult situations, chaos in life, or manage the stress of one’s environment
while thriving in the face of adversity (Henderson, 2011; Hunter & Chandler, 1999;
Masten, 2001; Masten & Obradovic, 2006; Newman, 2005; Richardson, 2002; Wagnild,
2011, Werner & Smith, 1982, 1992, 2001; Zautra, 2009). Resilience is innate but not
always fully developed. People have the ability to enhance resilience with awareness
and effort (Masten, 2001; Richardson, 2002). Resilience is not a static, easily
identifiable trait but a mixture of various skills and attitudes, which fluctuate over time.
Werner and Smith (1977, 1982) noted, while studying a cohort of children from
birth through adulthood, some children at-risk succeed despite the obstacles in their
lives. At-risk children in the Werner & Smith study lived in poverty with few material
goods, had lower educated parents, and/or medical concerns at birth or early childhood.
Their childhood environment provided little to no emotional/educational stimulation. The
majority of birth mothers did not graduate high school and the fathers of the at-risk
children were unskilled or semi-skilled labors. The researchers looked at what made
successful children, despite being considered at-risk, different from their peers, what
made them able to experience life challenges in a more successful, resilient manner.
Protective factors are keys to success in resilient children. Researchers identified
resilient children as having an internal locus of control, supportive relationships, realistic
plans, healthy self-efficacy, communication and problem solving skills, and informal
2