We were honored to attend the American Psychological Association’s 2018 annual conference to present the results of our study. This is a new analysis of our data that, essentially, says that young students perform better when they are taught the basics of socioemotional skills, like passion and goal setting, first before more academic subjects, such as reading, writing and arithmetic.
Abstract
Optimistic thinking is a facet of social and emotional learning linked to better stress-coping and problem-solving in children; however, few educational programs are specifically designed to improve this important aspect of self-awareness. This study examined the efficacy of an educational tool used among diverse students in an afterschool setting designed to help children explore their purpose in life, identify values, and connect with emotions like passion and hope. We hypothesized that through interaction with these materials, children would improve their understanding of and ability to dream about their futures, which would increase optimistic thinking. A total of N=58 elementary and middle school students (average 4th grade) participated in the study over two semesters. The majority of participants were female (62%). Ethnicity was reported as 72% African-American, 15% Multi-racial, 11% Caucasian, and 2% another ethnicity. Pre- and post-assessments were conducted at the first and last sessions of each semester using the optimistic thinking subscale of the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA). Children who participated in the full-year program demonstrated a significant increase on the optimistic thinking scale of the DESSA during both semester one, t (21)=7.41, p<.001 (29.53% average increase), and semester two, t(21)=5.34, p<.001 (19.3% average increase). Overall, children’s optimistic thinking, a vital component of social and emotional learning, significantly increased after interacting with an educational tool developed to teach them to dream about their life goals.
Introduction
Optimistic thinking, or positive predictions about the future, is a facet of social and emotional learning associated with beneficial stress-coping strategies, problem-solving, and goal-setting in children. Optimism can be conceptualized as part of self-awareness, one of the core social and emotional learning competencies. Per Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), self-awareness is: “The ability to accurately assess one’s strength and limitations with a well-grounded sense of confidence, optimism, and a ‘growth mindset.’”
Few educational tools are specifically designed to improve optimistic thinking in an elementary education setting. Dream It! was developed to introduce children to the concepts of self-awareness and put them into action through a series of interactive, fun, thought-provoking activities to help children explore their purpose in life, identify values, and connect with emotions like passion and hope.
Aim
The current study sought to examine the efficacy of an educational tool, Dream It!, created to explore and improve self-awareness skills among diverse students in an afterschool setting. We hypothesized that through interaction with these materials, children would enhance their understanding of and ability to dream about their futures, which would increase optimistic thinking.
Method
Participants
In total, N=58 students participated; N=49 completed semester one, N=31 completed semester two. Of those, N=22 completed the full-year program. Grade level ranged from 2-8; average was 4th grade.
Procedure
Facilitators met with children weekly for a total of eight, one-hour sessions each semester. Dream It! was delivered in two parts:
- Semester One: Exploration of dreams, emotions, and values
- Semester Two: Problem-solving and overcoming obstacles
Pre- and post-assessments were conducted by facilitators at the first and last sessions of each semester using the optimistic thinking subscale of the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA). Children also rated their experience with Dream It! in a single postassessment at the end of semester one.
Statistics
Children who participated in the full-year program (N=22) showed a significant increase on the optimistic thinking scale of the DESSA during both semester one, t (21)=7.41, p<.001, and semester two, t(21)=5.34, p<.001, compared to baseline assessments; however, optimistic thinking increased more during semester one compared to semester two, t(21)=2.12, p<.05.
Children who only participated in semester one (N=27) also had a significant increase in optimistic thinking compared to baseline, t(26)=9.52, p<.001. In contrast, children who only participated in semester two (N=9) did not demonstrate a significant change in optimistic thinking compared to baseline, t(8)=1.20, ns.
At the end of semester one, children responded to three questions about their experience with Dream It!:
- Do you think about your goals more since using “Dream It!”?
- Would you recommend “Dream It!” activities to classmates?
- Did you look forward to “Dream It!” sessions each week?
Results
Overall, children’s optimistic thinking, a vital component of social and emotional learning, significantly increased after interacting with an educational tool developed to teach them to dream about their life goals in the context of a facilitated after-school program. Key findings include:
- Children’s optimistic thinking improved the most when engaged in activities focused on creating dreams and exploring passion (semester one content) compared to activities focused on problem-solving and overcoming obstacles (semester two content).
- It is important to build a foundation of dreaming before moving on to higher-level thinking about implementing dreams to improve optimistic thinking.
- Children were highly favorable in their ratings of Dream It!, including 100% of children reporting increased thinking about life goals after participating in semester one.
Conclusions
The process of how to dream can be taught to elementary and middle school children, and the results can be effectively measured by examining change in optimistic thinking.
Educational curriculum, such as the Core Curriculum Standards, may benefit from the addition of social and emotional learning programming that teaches students how to find their passion during elementary and middle school. While not a focus of the current study, it is possible that increased optimistic thinking, and other aspects of self-awareness, may improve children’s engagement with subjects like science, technology, engineering and math which children could view as the tools to making their dreams come true.
Future directions include an assessment of teachers’ experience and overall effectiveness and ease of implementation of Dream It! into traditional classroom instruction.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the University of Cincinnati, YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, School for Creative and Performing Arts, Academy of Multilingual Immersion Studies, Faces Without Places, Sue Wilke, Chair of the Northside Education Committee, Steve Sunderland, PhD, Director of the Cancer Justice Network, and Tommy Reuff, Director of Happen Inc.
Disclosure: Sara Williams and Scott Stoll are authors for Magination Press and receive royalties.
Articles about our original research
So far, we have collaborated on 6 university-led research projects, each one using the scientific process and building on the methods of the previous studies. We have also held a lot of informal workshops at schools and non-profit organizations to test our material. And behind the scenes, we are doing ongoing research, literature reviews and consulting social-emotional professionals to make sure everything we do is evidence-based and peer-reviewed. See all our research projects below.
Dream It! Achieves a Research Publication Milestone
Great news!!! Today is an exciting day for the science of dreaming (goal setting, aspiration, passions). We are proud to announce that our latest dream research study has been published in the peer-reviewed, scientific journal Child & Youth Care Forum.
Impact and feasibility of the Dream Workshop
A summary of a research study conducted by the University of Cincinnati to test the efficacy of a Dream Workshop and whether it improved children’s self-confidence as measure of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).
Improving social and emotional awareness using the Dream It! Playbook
Student’s using the workbook “Dream It!” had a scientifically proven, evidence-based improvement in optimistic thinking and perseverance (along with improvements in hope, growth-mindset and overall school climate) among elementary school students. Highlights from our most-important study to date, including lots of pictures and graphs.
Improving Children’s Optimistic Thinking by Teaching them to Dream about Life Goals
We were honored to attend the American Psychological Associations 2018 annual conference to present the results of our study. This is a new analysis of our data that, essentially, says that young students perform better when they are taught the basics of socioemotional skills, like passion and goal setting, first before more academic subjects, such as reading, writing and arithmetic.
The Dream Workshop Pilot Program
We tested the Dream Playbook in over a dozen schools. We called it our “Dream Workshop” but it was so much fun that the students called it “The Dream Club.”
Promoting Optimistic Thinking in YMCA After-School Students
The Dream Playbook was tested by the University of Cincinnati in a year-long study called “Promoting Optimistic Thinking in YMCA After-School Students” as part of community service and outreach program.
