Strengths use and deficit improvement of first-year university students: A structural model for social support and student outcomes

Abstract

This study aimed to examine first-year students’ proactive behaviour towards strengths use (PBSU) and deficit improvement (PBDI), their relationship with students’ social support and essential student outcomes (student burnout, student engagement, life satisfaction, satisfaction with studies, study–course fit and intention to drop out). A sample of first-year students (N = 776; 19–20 years = 67%; female = 62%; black = 58%) from a large South African university completed the Strengths Use and Deficit Correction (SUDCO) questionnaire; the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Student Survey (MBI–SS); as well as measures of present social support, engagement, satisfaction with life, person-study-course fit and intention to drop out. Structural equation modelling was used to test the relationships among the variables in the structural model using Mplus 8.6. Overall, this study’s findings show that PBSU and PBDI are significantly related, with the exception that support from parents did not predict deficit improvement and PBDI did not predict intention to drop out. The results further show that PBSU was much more strongly related to support from parents, cynicism, life satisfaction, satisfaction with studies, study-course fit and intention to drop out. In contrast, PBDI was much more strongly related to support from significant others, exhaustion and engagement. The results confirm that engaging in proactive behaviour towards strengths use and deficit improvement may result in positive student outcomes. The findings of this study suggest a need for university institutions to implement initiatives to promote social support programmes for students to leverage their strengths, creating learning environments conducive to student success.