Usage Snyder’s Hope Scale for AdultsBryce and her team were able to measure path thinking, which helps people get from a to b, and agency thinking, which demonstrates a person’s belief in their ability to achieve their goals. Bryce’s team found that increased hope scores were associated with higher academic achievement, reduced stress and anxiety; and for students, increased hope is associated with higher retention rates from the first to the second year of college.
Then her team applied WOW — a desire, an outcome, an obstacle, a plan — that creates a framework for hope in the classroom. Developed by psychologist Gabriele Öttingen, the WOOP method allows educators to guide students through effective goal setting process. The steps of WOOP desire and outcome are clear; a basic scaffold for a project, lesson, or school year can be created by having students state their goal and desired outcome.
According to Bryce, the hurdles and planning steps of the WOOP method are the most important. Identifying potential obstacles during goal setting allows students to think ahead and build additional scaffolding to help them achieve their goals and desired outcomes. And the practice of planning helps build students’ self-esteem—raising their hope and strengthening their ability to change when faced with barriers.
Extending hope in later years
Hope is not just a scientific practice; it can also come organically. Little kids are really good at hoping, Bryce said. Take a 4-year-old trying and failing to climb to the top of a playground structure. They may fall, but they believe in their ability to achieve their goal and will naturally get up to try again and maybe even try again in a different way. As children grow, Bryce continued, they begin to doubt themselves and their ability to achieve their goals. Bryce suggested that this could be due to growing cynicism in early adolescence or a declining support system.
Bryce and fellow researchers found that there was a marked decline in hope for adolescents in eighth grade. And this finding was consistent across countries. Although there is no definitive answer as to why the decline exists for this particular age group, Bryce postulates that the decline may be related to a combination of puberty, developmental changes, and the generally difficult transition period between seventh and ninth grade.
Ultimately, having a peer or older adult as a reference can help combat cynicism and make you look forward to the future, Bryce said. That sounding board isn’t necessarily there to empathize or reason. “They’ll say, ‘yeah, let’s go ahead; what’s the next step?’ according to Bryce.
