Wearing Snyder Adult Hope ScaleBryce and his team were able to measure path thinking, which helps people get from A to B, and agency thinking, which demonstrates a person’s belief in their ability to achieve their goals. Bryce’s team found that increased hope outcomes were related to higher academic performance and reduced stress and anxiety; and for college students, increased hope was related to higher retention rates from the first to the second year of university.
Then his team applied WOW! (desire, outcome, obstacle, plan) that creates a framework for hope in the classroom. Developed by psychologist Gabriele Oettingen, the WOOP method allows educators to guide students through an effective process. goal setting process. The desire and outcome steps of WOOP are self-explanatory; A basic foundation for a project, lesson, or school year can be created by having students state their goal and desired outcome.
According to Bryce, the obstacle and planning steps of the WOOP method are the most important. Identifying potential obstacles during goal setting allows students to think ahead and build additional scaffolding to help them achieve their goals and desired outcomes. And the practice of planning helps build students’ self-confidence, increasing their hope and strengthening their ability to pivot when faced with barriers.
Extending hope to later years
Hope is not just a scientific practice; It can also come organically. Young children are very good at having hope, Bryce said. Take a 4-year-old child who tries and fails to climb to the top of a structure on the playground. They may fall, but they believe in their ability to reach their goal and will naturally get back up to try again, and maybe even try again in a different way. As children get older, Bryce continued, they begin to doubt themselves and their ability to achieve their goals. Bryce suggested this could be due to growing cynicism in early adolescence or a diminishing support system.
Bryce and his fellow researchers have found that there is a marked decline in hope for adolescents in eighth grade. And this finding was consistent across countries. While there is no definitive answer as to why this decline exists in this particular age group, Bryce postulated that the decline could be related to a combination of puberty, developmental changes, and the generally difficult situation. transition period between seventh and ninth grade.
Ultimately, having a peer or older adult as a sounding board can help combat cynicism and keep you looking toward the future, Bryce said. That sounding board isn’t necessarily there to commiserate or ruin. “They’ll say, ‘Yeah, let’s move on; what’s the next step?'” according to Bryce.
