The Feasibility of Implementing Froh’s Gratitude Curriculum with Adolescents in an Emotional Support Classroom

Abstract

This feasibility study examined if adolescents (n=14) ages 10-14 who were assigned to an emotional support classroom could learn the principles of gratitude through a teacher taught gratitude curriculum. I was interested in the following research questions: (1) Can the Froh curriculum be implemented with fidelity in an adolescent ES class? (2) When implemented with fidelity, does the curriculum result in adolescents in ES classes learning gratitude skills? (3) Does the curriculum lead to increases in gratitude and pro-social behavior as measured by independent scales? (4) How do students feel about the curriculum? The results were that the fidelity measure yield 100% and students scored an average of 78% on the lesson posttests indicating that they had a basic understanding of the content. A significant result was found using a paired samples t-test and a non-parametric Wilcoxin test for the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6) p = .019, and the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) pro-social behavior subscale score p = .002 from pre to post-testing. The Gratitude Intervention Rating Scale: Post Implementation, results showed that students felt they learned the lessons. The students felt that their teacher should use the curriculum with other students because they felt it helped them in their daily lives. Overall, the results indicated that it is feasible to use Froh’s (2014) gratitude curriculum with students assigned to an emotional support classroom.