Resilience Enhancement through PERMA Model Integrated into an EFL Writing Classroom
Keywords:
EFL Resilience, PERMA Model, EFL Writing Skill, Thai Higher EducationAbstract
This study aimed 1. to examine the effects of a PERMA based instructional intervention on Thai university EFL students’ overall resilience, and 2. to compare post intervention changes across the seven resilience components of the 7Cs framework. A quasi experimental one group pretest–posttest design was employed in this study. The sample comprised 42 second‑year English‑major students selected through purposive sampling from an intact EFL writing class, with the sample size determined by full class enrollment and an attendance criterion of at least 80%. Throughout five weeks of research course, the PERMA intervention was embedded in routine writing activities delivered across five lesson plans. Resilience was measured using the researcher‑developed 21‑item 7Cs of Resilience (7CsoR) scale. Content validity was examined using the Index of Item–Objective Congruence (IOC), and internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Changes in resilience were analyzed using paired‑samples t‑tests after verifying normality with the Shapiro–Wilk test. Effect sizes were calculated using Cohen’s dz, and a Bonferroni adjustment was applied to control for multiple comparisons across dimensions.
In response to Objective 1, the results indicated a statistically significant and practically meaningful improvement in students’ overall resilience following the PERMA based intervention, reflecting enhanced capacity to persist, adapt, and regulate themselves during EFL writing tasks. Regarding Objective 2, the intervention did not affect all resilience components uniformly. Performance‑proximal and self‑regulatory dimensions; specifically, Competence, Confidence, and Coping, showed the greatest improvement, suggesting strong responsiveness to PERMA‑aligned writing activities. Connection demonstrated a modest, emerging increase, while Control, Contribution, and Character remained
largely stable. Overall, the findings indicate that PERMA‑informed instruction is particularly effective in enhancing resilience components closely linked to task engagement and self‑regulation, whereas value‑ and identity‑oriented dimensions may require longer‑term or more targeted support
References
Alahmari, A., & Alrabai, F. (2024). The predictive role of L2 learners’ resilience in language classroom engagement. Frontiers in Education, 9, Article 1502420.
Bai, B., & Wang, J. (2020). The role of growth mindset, self-efficacy, and intrinsic value in self-regulated learning and English achievement. Language Teaching Research, 24(1), 26–39.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: W. H. Freeman.
Baumsteiger, R., & Siegel, J. T. (2019). Measuring prosociality: The development of a prosocial behavioral intentions scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 101(3), 305–314.
Carver, C. S. (1997). You want to measure coping but your protocol’s too long: Consider the Brief COPE. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4(1), 92–100.
Cheng, Y.-S. (2004). A measure of second language writing anxiety: Scale development and preliminary validation. Journal of Second Language Writing, 13(4), 313–335.
Darasawang, P., & Todd, R. W. (2012). The effect of policy on English language teaching at secondary schools in Thailand. Language Policy, 11, 207–221.
Dewaele, J.-M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2014). The two faces of Janus? Anxiety and enjoyment in the foreign language classroom. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 4(2), 237–274.
Duan, S., Han, X., Li, X., & Liu, H. (2024). Unveiling student academic resilience in language learning: A structural equation modelling approach. BMC Psychology, 12, Article 177.
Eisenberg, N., Fabes, R. A., & Spinrad, T. L. (2006). Prosocial development. In N. Eisenberg, W. Damon, & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Social, emotional, and personality development (6th ed., pp. 646–718). Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons.
Esmaeilee, S., Mahdavi Zafarghandi, A., Khatibi Sabet, M., & Hassaskhah, J. (2025). Positive psychology interventions and L2 speaking: A PERMA based study on IELTS proficiency. Language Testing in Asia, 15, Article 41.
Flower, L., & Hayes, J. R. (1981). A cognitive process theory of writing. College Composition and Communication, 32(4), 365–387.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2004). The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 359(1449), 1367–1377.
Fullerton, D. J., Zhang, L. M., & Kleitman, S. (2021). An integrative process model of resilience in an academic context. PLOS ONE, 16(2), e0246000.
Ginsburg, K. R., & Jablow, M. M. (2015). Building resilience in children and teens: Giving kids roots and wings (3rd ed.). Itasca, IL : American Academy of Pediatrics.
Grotberg, E. H. (1995). A guide to promoting resilience in children: Strengthening the human spirit. Early Childhood Development: Practice and Reflections No. 8. The Hague: Bernard van Leer Foundation.
Guo, Y., & Li, M. (2022). Development and validation of the Foreign Language Learning Resilience Scale. System, 107, 102793.
Hedeshi, A., & Ghanizadeh, A. (2024). Modeling EFL learners’ academic resilience: A positive psychology perspective. System, 120, 103226.
Helgesen, M. (2016). Happiness in ESL/EFL: Bringing positive psychology to the classroom. In P. D. MacIntyre, T. Gregersen, & S. Mercer (Eds.), Positive psychology in SLA (pp. 305–323). Bristol, England: Multilingual Matters.
Jiang, D., & Kalyuga, S. (2022). Learning English writing skills in collaborative settings: A cognitive load perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 932291.
Jeon, I. (2021). The effects of positive psychology intervention on young EFL learners’ L2 oral fluency, engagement, and affective domains (Master’s thesis). Ewha Womans’ University, Seoul, South Korea.
Kampookaew, P. (2020). An analysis of grammatical errors made by Thai EFL university students in an EAP writing class. rEFLections, 27(2), 246–273.
Kim, T. Y., & Kim, Y. (2021). Structural relationship between L2 learning motivation and resilience. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 50(2), 417–436.
Lantolf, J. P., & Thorne, S. L. (2006). Sociocultural theory and the genesis of second language development. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York, NY : Springer.
Ly, M. T. T., & Nguyen, H. B. (2025). Strengthening students’ well being via intervening PERMA based lessons in their English speaking learning: A counterbalanced design. Educational Process: International Journal, 15, e2025144.
MacIntyre, P. D., & Gregersen, T. (2012). Emotions that facilitate language learning: The positive-broadening power of the imagination. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2(2), 193–213.
Manochphinyo, A. (2024). Writing anxiety and coping strategies among Thai EFL university students. PASAA, 68, 1–31.
Martin, A. J., & Marsh, H. W. (2008). Academic buoyancy: Towards an understanding of students’ everyday academic resilience. Journal of School Psychology, 46(1), 53–83.
Masten, A. S. (2001). Ordinary magic: Resilience processes in development. American Psychologist, 56(3), 227–238.
Morgan, B., & Simmons, L. (2021). A ‘PERMA’ response to the pandemic: An online positive education programme to promote wellbeing in university students. Frontiers in Education, 6, Article 642632.
Nanni, A., & Rhein, D. (2024). Positive psychology interventions in Asian ELT classrooms. The International Journal of Literacies, 31(1), 47–61.
Pearlin, L. I., Menaghan, E. G., Lieberman, M. A., & Mullan, J. T. (1981). The stress process. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22(4), 337–356.
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Rogers, C., McMurry, B. L., & Dewey, D. P. (2024). Teaching positive psychology lessons in an intensive English program. ELT Journal, 78(2), 185–196.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective. London, England: Routledge.
Sander, P., & Sanders, L. (2003). Measuring confidence in academic study. Psychology Teaching Review, 9(1), 15–22.
Schwarzer, R., & Jerusalem, M. (1995). Generalized Self-Efficacy scale. In J. Weinman, S. Wright, & M. Johnston (Eds.), Measures in health psychology: A user’s portfolio (pp. 35–37). Windsor, England : NFER-Nelson.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. New York, NY: Free Press.
Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5–14.
Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(1), 80–93.
Ungar, M. (2011). The social ecology of resilience: Addressing contextual and cultural ambiguity of a nascent construct. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 81(1), 1–17.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Wang, Y., Yu, S., & Jiang, L. (2024). Academic emotions and resilience in postgraduate L2 writing. System, 119, 103185.
Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988). The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 30–41.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Applied Psychology and Buddhism for Society
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
