Rate My Professor Jill Hayhurst

Hayhurst's academic interests lie in social, developmental, and positive psychology, focusing on theory of mind, civic engagement, prosocial behaviour, wellbeing, generosity, belonging, resilience, youth development, education assessment, social identity theory, intergroup discrimination, control, and self-esteem. Her expertise spans early childhood development and theory of mind, primary education wellbeing, civic engagement, belonging, and resilience, as well as educational assessment and curriculum. Notable publications include 'Somewhere I Belong: Long-term Increases in Adolescents’ Resilience are Predicted by Perceived Belonging to the In-group' (Scarf et al., 2016), 'Enhancing Resilience in Youth through a 10-Day Developmental Voyage' (Hayhurst et al., 2015), 'Promoting Resilience in Adolescents: A New Social Identity Benefits Those Who Need it Most' (Scarf et al., 2019), 'Increasing Resilience in Adolescents: The Importance of Social Connectedness in Adventure Education Programmes' (Scarf et al., 2017), 'Elevated Self-Esteem 12 Months Following a 10-Day Developmental Voyage' (Hunter et al., 2013), 'Satisfying Psychological Needs on the High Seas: Explaining Increases in Self-Esteem Following an Adventure Education Programme' (Scarf et al., 2018), and 'Exposure to Repeated Behaviors in Everyday Life and Pattern Recognition Ability Predict Preschoolers’ Subsequent Theory of Mind' (Ruffman et al., 2026). Her scholarship, cited over 1,080 times on Google Scholar, advances understanding of interventions like developmental voyages that foster positive youth outcomes and civic values in New Zealand.