Through a review of the literature, a limited number of empirically based studies and interventions were found evaluating the positive effects of comprehensive summer treatment programs on predictors of youth well-being and other positive psychological constructs. The current study examined the overall efficacy of a brief 2-week summer intervention designed to enhance middle school students' subjective well-being (SWB), gratitude, engagement, and perceived self-efficacy. Participants in the study included rising 6th to 9th grade middle school students who were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: (1) the Leadership and Young Professionals (LYP) treatment group or (2) the writing and reading control group. Data were collected on participants at pre- and post-intervention including self-report measures of students' life satisfaction, gratitude, self-efficacy, engagement and frequency of positive and negative affect. Statistical methods for the study involved univariate analyses, inferential statistics using the General Linear Model (GLM) with pre-test scores as covariates, graphing of group means with 80% confidence intervals, and overall effect size calculations using Cohen's d to evaluate pre- to post-test differences for students in both the treatment and contact control group. The results of the current study provide support for the positive effects of summer-based interventions on enhancing predictors of adolescents' well-being and social functioning. Further study of the LYP intervention with objective measures assessed longitudinally is strongly recommended prior to broad dissemination.
","abstract_html":"<p>Through a review of the literature, a limited number of empirically based studies and interventions were found evaluating the positive effects of comprehensive summer treatment programs on predictors of youth well-being and other positive psychological constructs. The current study examined the overall efficacy of a brief 2-week summer intervention designed to enhance middle school students' subjective well-being (SWB), gratitude, engagement, and perceived self-efficacy. Participants in the study included rising 6th to 9th grade middle school students who were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: (1) the Leadership and Young Professionals (LYP) treatment group or (2) the writing and reading control group. Data were collected on participants at pre- and post-intervention including self-report measures of students' life satisfaction, gratitude, self-efficacy, engagement and frequency of positive and negative affect. Statistical methods for the study involved univariate analyses, inferential statistics using the General Linear Model (GLM) with pre-test scores as covariates, graphing of group means with 80% confidence intervals, and overall effect size calculations using Cohen's d to evaluate pre- to post-test differences for students in both the treatment and contact control group. The results of the current study provide support for the positive effects of summer-based interventions on enhancing predictors of adolescents' well-being and social functioning. Further study of the LYP intervention with objective measures assessed longitudinally is strongly recommended prior to broad dissemination.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Bird, Jason Michael"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.A.","degree_level":"Campus Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Educational Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Bradley H Smith"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2012,"date_issued":"2012-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2012-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:38:31Z","subjects":["Education","Educational Psychology","Gratitude","Intervention","Middle School Students","Self-Efficacy","Subjective Well-Being"],"languages":[],"rights":["© 2012, Jason Michael Bird"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/1873","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Bradley H Smith"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Bird, Jason Michael"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Campus Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.A."]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Education","Educational Psychology","Gratitude","Intervention","Middle School Students","Self-Efficacy","Subjective Well-Being"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© 2012, Jason Michael Bird"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/1873"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Through a review of the literature, a limited number of empirically based studies and interventions were found evaluating the positive effects of comprehensive summer treatment programs on predictors of youth well-being and other positive psychological constructs. The current study examined the overall efficacy of a brief 2-week summer intervention designed to enhance middle school students' subjective well-being (SWB), gratitude, engagement, and perceived self-efficacy. Participants in the study included rising 6th to 9th grade middle school students who were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: (1) the Leadership and Young Professionals (LYP) treatment group or (2) the writing and reading control group. Data were collected on participants at pre- and post-intervention including self-report measures of students' life satisfaction, gratitude, self-efficacy, engagement and frequency of positive and negative affect. Statistical methods for the study involved univariate analyses, inferential statistics using the General Linear Model (GLM) with pre-test scores as covariates, graphing of group means with 80% confidence intervals, and overall effect size calculations using Cohen's d to evaluate pre- to post-test differences for students in both the treatment and contact control group. The results of the current study provide support for the positive effects of summer-based interventions on enhancing predictors of adolescents' well-being and social functioning. Further study of the LYP intervention with objective measures assessed longitudinally is strongly recommended prior to broad dissemination.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Efficacy Study of A Summer Intervention to Enhance Middle School Students' Subjective Well-Being, Gratitude, Engagement, and Self-Efficacy"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Bradley H Smith"],"dc:creator":["Bird, Jason Michael"],"dc:description.abstract":["Through a review of the literature, a limited number of empirically based studies and interventions were found evaluating the positive effects of comprehensive summer treatment programs on predictors of youth well-being and other positive psychological constructs. The current study examined the overall efficacy of a brief 2-week summer intervention designed to enhance middle school students' subjective well-being (SWB), gratitude, engagement, and perceived self-efficacy. Participants in the study included rising 6th to 9th grade middle school students who were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: (1) the Leadership and Young Professionals (LYP) treatment group or (2) the writing and reading control group. Data were collected on participants at pre- and post-intervention including self-report measures of students' life satisfaction, gratitude, self-efficacy, engagement and frequency of positive and negative affect. Statistical methods for the study involved univariate analyses, inferential statistics using the General Linear Model (GLM) with pre-test scores as covariates, graphing of group means with 80% confidence intervals, and overall effect size calculations using Cohen's d to evaluate pre- to post-test differences for students in both the treatment and contact control group. The results of the current study provide support for the positive effects of summer-based interventions on enhancing predictors of adolescents' well-being and social functioning. Further study of the LYP intervention with objective measures assessed longitudinally is strongly recommended prior to broad dissemination.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/1873"],"dc:rights":["© 2012, Jason Michael Bird"],"dc:subject":["Education","Educational Psychology","Gratitude","Intervention","Middle School Students","Self-Efficacy","Subjective Well-Being"],"dc:title":["Efficacy Study of A Summer Intervention to Enhance Middle School Students' Subjective Well-Being, Gratitude, Engagement, and Self-Efficacy"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Studies"],"thesis:degree_level":["Campus Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.A."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:38:31Z"}