The UF College of Education’s impact is felt by our global community as Christopher Anthony, Ph.D., associate professor of school psychology, conducts research on student social emotional well-being in Malta.
Anthony and his team are currently conducting a national survey of the social emotional wellbeing and academic learning skills of Maltese children. The team surveyed hundreds of children, teachers and parents with translated assessments. The surveys covered topics such as mental health, social emotional skills and resilience, critical thinking and learning skills of Maltese children from preschool all the way to high school.
“I specifically focus on developing assessments that schools can use to identify kids that need extra attention or as part of the school’s general improvement processes,” Anthony said. “We are hoping that this project provides key information about how Maltese children and youth are doing in these areas and the foundation for continued attention to developing the potential of all Maltese students.”
The research project is funded by the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. Anthony is currently one of 12 researchers at the University of Florida selected for funding towards his project.
Anthony’s research centers around helping children develop the skills they need to thrive both socially and academically.
“Broadly speaking, I focus on trying to help kids grow into fulfilled, resilient, and morally good adults — the kind of people we need in the world who commit to their communities, forge strong ties with friends and family, and who are generally happy and fulfilled as a result,” he said.
Chris Anthony and colleagues in Malta
The anticipated outcomes of the project go beyond Maltese student well-being. Anthony and his team aim to create a tool that can guide educational policy and practice on the topic.
“We are hoping that this study could serve as a baseline, and the study can be repeated periodically so the Maltese Ministry for Education can better understand the effects of its policies on the well-being of Maltese children,” Anthony said. “We also plan to summarize the empirical literature regarding how to intervene and develop the domains we assess so that educators in Malta can not only use the tool we’ve translated to assess where kids are at, but also move them forward.”
Anthony envisions this work serving as a model for other countries, aiming to help students to develop their talents and abilities on a global scale.
“I hope that this study can in some way contribute to my efforts to make this possible for more kids throughout the world,” he concluded.