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The purpose of this paper is to highlight the positive academic and professional outcomes for students who undertake degree apprenticeships which use strength-based approaches in their curriculum and assessment. The design and implementation of programmes of work-based study which focus on an individual’s inherent talents are a new lens for higher education (HE), one that enables institutions to see diverse groups of students fulfil their potential and gain academic qualifications. Strength-based degree apprenticeships offer an effective way to align the needs of industry with the ambitions of individuals who wish to gain university level qualifications whilst in the workplace.

The research adopted a mixed-methods approach. Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in industry and HE were undertaken and thematically analysed. Student data were analysed quantitatively for students in the degree apprenticeship programmes which incorporate a strength-based approach to learning and assessment.

The findings from this study highlight that the degree apprenticeships’ strength-based curriculum and assessment have spearheaded its success. On average, degree apprentices attain 10 per cent higher grades than students undertaking the same programme through the traditional degree route. Moreover, the module design and tailored support has contributed to over 91 per cent of apprentices graduating with a 2:1 or above.

This research is exploratory in nature, focusing on one university’s experiences and outcomes regarding a strength-based approach curriculum and assessment on degree apprenticeships.

The findings describe how the knowledge exchange and culture of the HE sector has shifted, and the university’s efforts to make progressive relationships with employers. Moreover, this paper describes the challenges in designing curricula and assessing students based on the strengths and skills required for their employment, rather than university mandated learning outcomes. The findings of this paper could influence a strength-based framework for the development of degree apprenticeships in the UK.

Some students with documented learning needs (e.g., learning disabilities, physical challenges) receive strong support through the legislation, funding, and accountability systems associated with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (1973). However, in the absence of supportive federal policy, other students with documented learning needs (e.g., high cognitive ability) experience varying levels of support due to differences in state and local policies, funding, and accountability requirements. These differences are due in large part to misconceptions about students with advanced learning needs (e.g., that they can meet grade-level standards without intervention) and equity concerns (e.g., students with the greatest perceived needs should be served first). Special education has a long history of alleviating educational mismatches by preparing students for challenging learning opportunities, providing classroom support structures, and monitoring educational placements through a system of regular evaluation and adjustment. Students served in gifted and talented education can benefit from these same asset-based, sociocultural approaches. However, efforts to support students with advanced learning needs are more likely to be consistently and successfully applied if they are backed by changes to existing policies, funding, and accountability systems.

Although positive psychology emphasizes the importance of reflecting on success in promoting strengths use and self-efficacy, no research has developed a measure of reflection on success. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate the scales for reflection on success and failures.

Study 1 was conducted to extract the dimensions of reflection on success and failures using survey data from nurses (n = 298), whereas Study 2 involved validation of the scales using a two-wave survey of physical therapists (n = 291).

In Study 1, the factors of “reflection on success” and “reflection on failures” were extracted by exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2, the discriminant validity of the two scales was established via confirmatory factor analyses. The structural equation modeling results indicated that reflection on success promoted work authenticity, work engagement and strengths use, while reflection on failures only promoted work engagement, indicating the convergent validity of the scales.

As the research subjects were medical professionals in Japan, the scales need to be validated with samples from a wide range of occupations and cultural backgrounds, in future research.

The present research expands the literature on reflection and strengths-based approach by introducing the “success–failures” dimension based on positive psychology, broaden-and-build theory and job demands–resources theory.

In this chapter, an overview is presented, related to complexities around transition to junior secondary schools for students who have experienced literacy difficulties in their primary school years. The personal and social consequences of ongoing literacy difficulties for those students is examined and the barriers to participation and engagement are identified. Then, current approaches to literacy teaching and learning in adolescence are considered, including specific references to personalised learning, strengths-based approaches differentiation and use of technology.

Existing methods of enhancing-based public speaking efficacy are based on the deficit-based model. On the other hand, public speaking is an ability that has a potential to produce anxiety, fear of negative evaluation. The purpose of this paper was to explore the use of strength-based learning pedagogy, i.e. appreciative inquiry to work upon enhancing public speaking skills of engineers.

An appreciative inquiry was conducted on 15 engineers using 4D model. The data were gathered using narrative analysis and grounded theory.

Participants shared their stories of past, present and future to derive meaningful insights that have potential to bring development.

The study has an underpinning in Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory. As practitioners of self-determination theory open the positive space for individuals to learn, appreciative inquiry aids in opening such positive space so that learners can experiment openly without any fear of negative evaluation. It prepares them by enhancing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

The study motivated engineers to focus on effortless delivery of their speeches and eliminate other associated fear. The study can be used as a classroom pedagogy.

As public speaking is associated with fear of negative evaluation and anxiety, it has a potential to affect self-confidence and self-image adversely. As appreciative inquiry fosters one’s confidence positively through constructionism, the appreciative inquiry can be a choice of pedagogy and has positive implications for learners at the social level.

The study presents a fairly novel approach as it focuses on encouraging engineers to improve their presentation skills and to focus on what they do well (rather than what their weaknesses are) so they can build their confidence.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the need for a pedagogical shift from “problems” to “possibilities”, which will help ease the transition of students into higher education (as well as the transitions between levels of study and employment), especially those coming from under-represented and under-privileged backgrounds, known in the UK as the widening-participation category.

GSM London is the first higher education provider in the UK to implement a strengths-based approach to staff and student development. This study looks at the delivery plan for strengths-based education, especially how it can inform and reshape information literacy instruction in the library and other academic skills modules.

Higher education is an important environment to help learners develop their talents into strengths, which can be defined as “the ability to provide consistent and near-perfect performance in a given activity” (Buckingham and Clifton, 2005, p. 20). There is a perception that widening-participation students have more significant gaps or weaknesses upon entering university education. This case study confirms that not remediation but a strengths-based approach has the strongest potential to enable students to better manage their weaknesses and become independent learners.

Further research is required, as not enough empirical data could be collected after only one semester of strengths-based learning implementation at GSM.

The author attempts to re-conceptualise information literacy instruction and propose a mapping exercise, in which library instruction is aligned to the principles of strengths-based education and the language of 34 themes in the popular strengths assessment tool from the Gallup organisation. The expectation is to build fluid transitions between levels of study and academic matters and extracurricular activities that students take part in. This approach can also assist learners far beyond the library and long after they leave university, equipping students with a skillset that enables a more meaningful participation in society.

The purpose of this study was to examine how well a strength-based program grounded in positive psychology principles can advance the practical critical thinking skills of those pursuing the teacher training course.

This study used a single-group pre-test post-test design with 35 teacher-trainees from the Bachelor of Education course. The two-and-a-half-week strength-based program used the values in action survey to identify strengths. Pre- and post-test scores, measured with the Cornell Critical Thinking Test – Level Z, underwent Statistical Package for Social Sciences analysis including paired samples t-test for subcomponent and overall composite analysis.

Analysis of the pre- and post-test scores demonstrated a statistical significance in the critical thinking scores obtained by the teacher-trainees. Post-test scores were consistently significant. Out of the elements of critical thinking, induction, meaning, observation and credibility were more prominent. Deduction and assumption identification were also having a significant effect.

Most critical thinking programs focus on evaluating specific teaching methods for improving critical thinking skills. In education, positive psychology studies often center on students’ well-being, attention spans and academic success, aligning with wellness programs. Despite the importance of strengths in positive psychology, there is a lack of research on using a strength-based approach to boost critical thinking skills. This study aims to enhance teacher-trainees’ critical thinking by leveraging their individual strengths, moving away from traditional instructional strategies.

Assessing learners with extensive support needs has traditionally been rooted in deficit perspectives, in which student incapacities are highlighted. We start this chapter with an overview of this historical view and identify its shortcomings. Next, we identify alternate assessment and progress monitoring as key efforts for shifting the lens from deficit-oriented assessment toward more grade-aligned, inclusive-, and strengths-based strategies. We also identify strategies for comprehensive assessment that can continue this shift in approach. Finally, we conclude with ideas for future directions in assessing learners with extensive support needs.

Strengths-based coaching has emerged in past decades as an asset-based approach that can help individuals identify, harness, and leverage their strengths to achieve professional and personal goals. This paper shares the design and outcomes of a year-long strengths-based coaching program to support leadership development within the context of one university’s women’s leadership initiative.

Program outcomes and changes in participants’ perceived confidence in identifying and applying their strengths in different contexts were evaluated through an online survey using a Likert-based REDCap survey tool after participation in the program. Findings strongly suggest that most participants lacked the self-confidence and/or self-awareness to recognize their own strengths in a granular way prior to the program. Themes that emerged in the survey findings point to the following program outcomes: participants gained an increased ability to identify and value one’s own leadership strengths, an increased ability to recognize and value the strengths of others, and a supportive community of women leaders to share experiences and reflect on the application of their strengths as part of their leadership journey.

Further studies are needed to understand and measure how a program such as this can impact one’s leader identity, self-awareness, and self-confidence. Given the critical need for women’s leadership opportunities, this program shows promise as a means to strengthen women’s leadership across career stages and disciplines.

The strength-based approach is promulgated as a management practice that improves individual productivity and performance. This study's purpose is to explore the prospective applicability of the strengths-based approach to managing and developing employees in small businesses. The study focuses on four domains of practice: selection, training, performance evaluation and task assignment.

The study employed semi-structured, face-to-face interviews to obtain data. The units of analysis were managers and employees of small businesses. Eleven managers and 19 employees were interviewed. Data analysis involved thematic analysis with the NVivo 12 software program.

First, the small businesses used a strengths-based approach for employee selection during employees' temporary status of employment and in employee task assignment. However, managers did not employ a strengths-based approach to employee selection during selection interviews, training or performance evaluations. Second, the managers perceived strengths identification as a difficult task. Based on personal observations, they perceived employees' positive character traits, job-related skills and work-related efficiency as employee strengths.

This study informs managers about a potential alternative to the traditional weakness-based management practice. The findings and conceptual arguments suggest that a strengths-based approach can provide a cost-effective alternative to the resource-intensive approaches commonly employed to enhance employee productivity and performance.

The study provides the first empirical evidence on the prospective applicability of the strengths-based approach to small businesses and explores conceptually the suitability of the said approach to this context.