| Current data reveal increased enrollment in online courses at community colleges nationwide and at the same time attrition or withdrawals from online courses remains higher than from face-to-face courses. Research has shown that positive psychology in educational settings, including present-day techniques of identifying and developing students' intrinsic strengths, leads to positive educational outcomes. When implemented into the college classroom, strengths-based education results in greater self-confidence and greater academic self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not a relationship exists between student intrinsic strengths and successful completion of online and face-to-face college courses.;During spring 2009, data from The Gallup Organization's StrengthsQuest tool and demographic survey were collected from online and face-to-face student participants at a large, urban southwestern community college. At the conclusion of the semester, final semester grades were gathered from the college's student information system. Of the 120 face-to-face students and 109 online students, the top 10 strengths from a list of 34 strengths were compiled for each group. Chi-square test of independence compared data for significance. It was found that specific strengths play a role in the final grade outcome of community college online and face-to-face courses.;For the online students, there were six strengths (Achiever, Learner, Relator, Input, Harmony, and Includer) that showed a statistically significant relationship to successful completion of online college courses. The Achiever and Learner strengths were unique to the online students. For the face-to-face students, there were six strengths (Responsibility, Empathy, Positivity, Adaptability, Restorative, and Developer) that revealed a statistically significant relationship to completion of college courses. For the four strengths (Realtor, Input, Harmony, and Includer) shared by both groups, there was a statistical significance for both the online and the face-to-face participants when alpha equaled .001. |
