Character strengths and life satisfaction of Slovenian in-service and pre-service teachers

Gradišek, Polona (author)

Character strengths and life satisfaction of Slovenian in-service and preservice teachers were researched. The VIA-IS self-assessment questionnaire has been translated into the Slovenian language and has been used for the first time in Slovenia. A total of 173 primary school teachers and 77 student teachers from the Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, completed the VIA-IS and the Satisfaction with Life Scale questionnaires. The highest reported strengths in both groups studied were fairness, kindness, integrity and love. Unexpectedly, both in-service and pre-service teachers reported low endorsements of creativity; in-service teachers also showed low endorsement of humour. Surprisingly, the lowest endorsed strength of pre-service teachers was love of learning. Correlations between strengths and life satisfaction were consistent with related research findings. Low endorsement of creativity, teachers’ humour and students’ love of learning are discussed. From the research findings, it can be concluded that professional environment should stimulate, as well as provide support and opportunities for teachers to build not only upon the strengths of humanity and justice, but also on those of wisdom and knowledge. There is a need in the undergraduate level of teacher education for systematic interventions regarding students’ intellectual strengths with a special focus on cultivating their creativity.

• Language: English
• Keywords: character strengths, life satisfaction, in-service teachers, pre-service teachers, positive psychology, values, personality, teachers
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2012
• Number of pages: Str. 167-180
• Numbering: Vol. 2, no. 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-68284
• ISSN on article: 1855-9719
• DOI: 10.26529/cepsj.379
• COBISS.SI-ID: 9477449

Copyright

Podatek o licenci CC BY 4.0 je naveden na pristajalni strani članka (glej zgoraj izvorni URL). (Datum opombe: 20. 8. 2025)

• Publication date in RUL: 10.07.2015

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: CEPS journal : Center for Educational Policy Studies journal = revija Centra za študij edukacijskih strategij
• Publisher: Založba Univerze v Ljubljani = University of Ljubljana Press
• ISSN: 1855-9719
• COBISS.SI-ID: 252707584

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Vrline in osebnostne moči učiteljev in bodočih učiteljev ter zadovoljstvo z življenjem

Abstract

V raziskavi smo proučevali vrline in osebnostne moči učiteljev in bodočih učiteljev ter njihovo zadovoljstvo z življenjem. Vprašalnik vrlin in osebnostnih moči VIA-IS je bil preveden iz angleškega jezika in prvič uporabljen v okviru te študije. V raziskavi je sodelovalo 173 osnovnošolskih učiteljev in 77 bodočih učiteljev, študentov Pedagoške fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani. Udeleženci so izpolnili vprašalnik VIA-IS in vprašalnik zadovoljstva z življenjem. V obeh skupinah udeležencev so bile najvišje izražene osebnostne moči poštenost, prijaznost, pristnost in ljubezen. Učitelji in bodoči učitelji so dosegli presenetljivo nizek rezultat na lestvici ‘ustvarjalnost’, bodoči učitelji pa tudi presenetljivo nizek rezultat na lestvici ‘ljubezen do učenja’. Dobljene korelacije med osebnostnimi močmi in zadovoljstvom z življenjem so skladne z rezultati preteklih raziskav. V interpretaciji se osredinjamo na nizke rezultate na lestvicah ‘ustvarjalnost’ (v obeh skupinah udeležencev), ‘ljubezen do učenja’ (pri bodočih učiteljih) in ‘humor’ (pri učiteljih). Glede na dobljene rezultate ugotavljamo, da bi bilo treba učitelje in bodoče učitelje spodbujati, da bi gradili na vrlinah človečnosti, pravičnosti, modrosti in znanja, ter hkrati omogočiti učno in profesionalno okolje, v katerem bi bilo to mogoče. Rezultati kažejo na potrebo po sistematičnem spodbujanju intelektualnih vrlin na dodiplomski ravni izobraževanja bodočih učiteljev, s posebnim poudarkom na spodbujanju ustvarjalnosti.

• Keywords: vrednote, vrline, osebnostne moči, učitelji, bodoči učitelji, študentje, zadovoljstvo z življenjem, pozitivna psihologija