Research
The Clifton StrengthsFinder 2.0 Technical Report (PDF)
Summary of reliability and validity evidence, including the purpose and application of the assessment, an explanation of the assessment scoring, validity research, development data etc.
The Clifton StrengthsFinder and Student Strengths Development (PDF)
An overview of the development of the Clifton StrengthsFinder (now called CliftonStrengths), and a review of research exploring the nature and impact of effort to promote student strengths development within secondary and postsecondary education.
Stability of CliftonStrengths Results Over Time (PDF)
A paper assessing the test-retest reliability of the CliftonStrengths assessment.
Great Jobs, Great Lives – The 2014 Gallup-Purdue Index Report (PDF)
Gallup and Purdue created an index that examines the long-term success of graduates as they pursue a good job and a better life. This index provides insight into the relationship between the college experience and whether college graduates have great jobs and great lives.
"Capitalizing on Personal Strengths in College", Bowers & Lopez (2010)
This study aims to gather descriptive information about students' use of strengths using qualitative theory. Strengths programming directors nominated students based on explicit criteria. The students were interviewed on their backgrounds, strengths programs, signature strengths, strengths application, capitalizing, and benefits of capitalizing. Data indicate that college students who are the best of the best at using their strengths--the capitalizers--utilize sustained social supports and build on successful experiences that give them the confidence to apply their strengths in new situations.
To better understand how to promote optimal human functioning in ways that are grounded in research and theory, this study empirically explores a hypothesized link between prevalent strengths intervention practices in postsecondary educational settings and existing literature on implicit self-theories of ability.
"The Clifton Strengthsfinder® and Student Strengths Development: A Review Of Research", Louis (2012)
The integration of a strengths perspective into increasingly diverse types of educational environments and practices demands concomitant research that explores the effectiveness of these efforts and informs future practice. An overview of the development of the Clifton StrengthsFinder is presented, followed by a comprehensive review of research that explores the nature and impact of efforts to promote student strengths development within secondary and postsecondary education. This review concludes with a series of suggestions for future research on strengths-based initiatives.
This goal of this study was to examine the benefits of a campus-wide initiative to build first-year students' strengths awareness. The results of a survey of the first-year class (n = 1,421) suggest a positive and significant relationship between students' strengths awareness and their belief that the strengths initiatives on campus positively influenced their sense of belonging. The results also suggest a positive and significant relationship between students' strengths awareness and retention to their second year of study. Qualitative analyses of survey data suggested strengths initiatives enhanced students' self-awareness and confidence, facilitated introductory conversations with peers through the development of a common language, and fostered friendships and a deeper understanding of others--factors that are hypothesized to have contributed to students' sense of belonging and retention.
"Strengths-Based Leadership Development: Insights From Expert Coaches", Welch et al. (2014)
In this article a multiple case study method was applied to investigate how expert coaches help leaders reach their greater potential through using their strengths. The nuances and challenges to this approach are also explored. Four overarching themes are derived from the analysis, and these are illustrated with stories from expert coaches.
