An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Personal Leadership Program Designed to Promote Positive Outcomes for Adolescents

Abstract

While meta-analytic reviews of universal school-based social and emotional interventions indicate overall effectiveness, outcome effect sizes are often small. We report an evaluation of a high school-based Personal Leadership Program, designed to promote positive social, emotional, and motivational outcomes. Program and comparison group participants (n = 102) from South Australian high schools completed pre- and post-program measures of positive functioning: positive emotion, behavioral engagement, positive relations, meaning, and accomplishment, as well as self-esteem and goal setting. Additionally, teacher-reported student engagement was assessed. Program participants demonstrated greater improvement than the comparison group on all variables. Mixed between-within subjects ANOVAs, showed statistically significant time-by-group interactions for six out of nine variables, the exceptions being relationship with parents, relationship with classmates, and accomplishment. There were medium effect sizes for student- and teacher-rated engagement, and large effect sizes for positive emotion, meaning, self-esteem and goal setting. With findings demonstrating improvements in positive functioning across a range of measures of wellbeing this approach to building wellbeing in adolescents, drawing on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and goal setting theory should be further investigated using randomized control trials.