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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Educ.
Sec. Mental Health and Wellbeing in Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1501130
This article is part of the Research Topic Psychoeducational Approaches to Mental Health for Educators and Students View all 14 articles

Harnessing Virtues for Educational Success: Introducing the Positive Development and Assessment Competencies Theory (PDAC)

Provisionally accepted
Pedro Vazquez-Marin Pedro Vazquez-Marin 1Samantha Curle Samantha Curle 2MariCarmen Gil Ortega MariCarmen Gil Ortega 2*Andres Sandoval-Hernandez Andres Sandoval-Hernandez 2Luis Medina-Gual Luis Medina-Gual 3
  • 1 Sevilla University, Seville, Andalucia, Spain
  • 2 University of Bath, Bath, England, United Kingdom
  • 3 Ibero American University, Mexico City, México, Mexico

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study investigates the role of positive psychology virtues in predicting educational competencies 5th and 6th-grade students. The evidence-based benefits of fostering virtues in educational settings, including academic success, emotional resilience, ethical behaviour and social integration, are well documented. This research further emphasises the contribution of virtues to the formation of well-rounded individuals, prepared for lifelong learning and personal growth. Using a quantitative, correlational, cross-sectional design, data were collected from 993 students through validated questionnaires. Random forest logistic regression analysis identified six as significant predictors of perceived competencies, with Transcendence standing out as a particularly strong and consistent predictor across multiple competencies. These findings emphasise the profound impact of virtues on student development. The study also introduces the Positive Development and Assessment Competencies Theory (PDAC), which advocates for the integration of virtuebased interventions and character strengths into educational programs. PDAC aims to enhance the assessment of subjective competencies, improve educational interventions, and promote student well-being.

    Keywords: Positive Psychology, Virtues, educational competencies, Positive Development and Assessment Competencies Theory (PDAC), Student well-being

    Received: 22 Oct 2024; Accepted: 13 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Vazquez-Marin, Curle, Gil Ortega, Sandoval-Hernandez and Medina-Gual. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: MariCarmen Gil Ortega, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, England, United Kingdom

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.