University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Capstone Projects Capstones 8-1-2020 Set Up to Succeed and Set Up to Play: Cooperative Games as a Pathway for Adolescent Girls in High-Achieving Schools to Be Well and Lead Well Emily M. Entress Clark University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/mapp_capstone Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, School Psychology Commons, and the Secondary Education Commons Entress Clark, Emily M., "Set Up to Succeed and Set Up to Play: Cooperative Games as a Pathway for Adolescent Girls in High-Achieving Schools to Be Well and Lead Well" (2020). Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Capstone Projects. 205. https://repository.upenn.edu/mapp_capstone/205 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/mapp_capstone/205 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Set Up to Succeed and Set Up to Play: Cooperative Games as a Pathway for Adolescent Girls in High-Achieving Schools to Be Well and Lead Well Abstract Adolescent girls are the future leaders of the world. They are desperately needed and increasingly in pain. Adolescent youth are facing a mental health epidemic caused by many complex factors. High-achieving settings are now considered a high-risk factor for adolescents, along with youth experiencing trauma, discrimination, and poverty. These students face immense pressure to excel, social isolation, and limited relationships. Positive Psychology provides a pathway for school environments to build structures that support adolescent well-being. Specifically, this paper will focus on how cooperative games and play are a pathway to increase well-being and build leadership competencies in adolescent girls. Keywords education, adolescent well-being, adolescent, high school, girls, games, play, collaboration, high-achieving, cooperation, PERMA, leadership, positive relationships, engagement, achievement Disciplines Curriculum and Instruction | Leadership Studies | School Psychology | Secondary Education This working paper is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/mapp_capstone/205 SET UP TO SUCCEED & SET UP TO PLAY 1 Set Up to Succeed and Set Up to Play: Cooperative Games as a Pathway for Adolescent Girls in High-Achieving Schools to Be Well and Lead Well Emily Entress Clark University of Pennsylvania A Capstone Project Submitted In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Positive Psychology Advisor: Julia Pool August 1, 2020 SET UP TO SUCCEED & SET UP TO PLAY 2 Set Up to Succeed and Set Up to Play: Cooperative Games as a Pathway for Adolescent Girls in High-Achieving Schools to Be Well and Lead Well Emily Entress Clark [email protected] Capstone Project Master of Applied Positive Psychology University of Pennsylvania Advisor: Julia Pool August 1, 2020 Abstract Adolescent girls are the future leaders of the world. They are desperately needed and increasingly in pain. Adolescent youth are facing a mental health epidemic caused by many complex factors. High-achieving settings are now considered a high-risk factor for adolescents, along with youth experiencing trauma, discrimination, and poverty. These students face immense pressure to excel, social isolation, and limited relationships. Positive Psychology provides a pathway for school environments to build structures that support adolescent well-being. Specifically, this paper will focus on how cooperative games and play are a pathway to increase well-being and build leadership competencies in adolescent girls. Keywords: adolescent well-being, leadership, collaboration, cooperation, games, high- achieving, education, schools, mental illness, positive relationships, engagement, achievement SET UP TO SUCCEED & SET UP TO PLAY 3 Table of Contents Credits .......................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................. 8 Components & Overview .......................................................................................................................................... 10 Positive Psychology .................................................................................................................................................... 11 Glossary ...................................................................................................................................................................... 13 The Players ................................................................................................................................................................. 15 Adolescent Girls ..................................................................................................................................................... 15 The Rise of Mental Illness ...................................................................................................................................... 16 High-Achieving Settings ......................................................................................................................................... 17 The Current Pathway: Pressure to Excel ................................................................................................................ 19 Barriers to Engagement........................................................................................................................................... 21 Social media ....................................................................................................................................................... 22 Extrinsic motivation ........................................................................................................................................... 23 Barriers to Relationships ......................................................................................................................................... 24 Primary caregivers ............................................................................................................................................ 24 Educators ........................................................................................................................................................... 26 Peers .................................................................................................................................................................. 26 Barriers to Achievement ......................................................................................................................................... 27 Contingent self-worth ......................................................................................................................................... 27 An Additional Pathway: Play through Games ........................................................................................................ 29 Play ......................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Games ..................................................................................................................................................................... 31 Cooperative Games ................................................................................................................................................. 33 Name of the Cooperative Game ................................................................................................................................ 34 Leadership ............................................................................................................................................................... 35 Leadership as a Collaborative Process .................................................................................................................... 37 Process-Oriented ............................................................................................................................................... 37 Asset-Based ........................................................................................................................................................ 38 SET UP TO SUCCEED & SET UP TO PLAY 4 Shared ................................................................................................................................................................ 38 Set up to Play ............................................................................................................................................................. 39 Set up to Play and Engage ...................................................................................................................................... 39 Set up to Play and Relate ........................................................................................................................................ 42 Set up to Play and Achieve ..................................................................................................................................... 46 Set up to Lead 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