Positivity and optimism have become a rarity in these times. From the devastating pandemic that wreaked havoc all across to the perpetual rat race & cut-throat competition all around, we, human beings, are surrounded by stress, tension, and negativity from all sides. Add numerous instances of corruption, unimaginable atrocity & inhumanity, and it becomes tough to maintain a positive outlook about the world we live in.
The mental toll on young and innocent minds is all the more significant. Students experience alarming levels of stress and pressure from an early age, the resultant damage of which cannot be calculated using any numeric or algebra calculator. The pressure to succeed at all costs, the excessive expectations, and constant competition from peers & the world at large, exact a heavy price on developing minds and affect their cognitive & emotional faculties. Depression, de-motivation, mental fragility, psychological disorders, etc., are the eventual consequences.
Yet, education is the key to alleviate such stressful situations and find ways to cultivate mental well-being amongst students. The concept of positive education aims to spread such mental well-being by combining positive psychology and academic mastery.
Let’s dwell on the idea more profoundly.
What is Positive Education?
Recent years have seen a rise in scientific research on positive psychology alongside implementation across various fields such as healthcare, organizational & employee well-being, public policies, etc. The potential of applying positive psychological measures & practices in academics has garnered widespread attention & praise from educators, researchers, institutions, and systems.
By definition, Positive Education is a reformative philosophy that integrates ideas of positive psychology with educational norms, rules, practices, and techniques.
Its primary focus is upon mental development, intellectual growth, and overall well-being through knowledge and education.
The ultimate goal of PE is to foster mental well-being while taking forward & attaining the traditional objectives of formal education. In all practicality, the goal is too broad to be achieved with any effectiveness within a short period. The implementation of PE is also limited by the nature of different academic curriculums, educational systems, and pedagogical techniques.
According to a University of Pennsylvania article, the evaluation of Positive Education depends upon three key measures: Measure of Happiness, Measures of Unhappiness, Depression & Anxiety, and Measures of Academic Success.
These three indices are employed to study the necessity and ascertain the effectiveness of POSITIVE EDUCATION in an institution.
With the ultimate goal of preventing mental problems while spreading better education, PE is finding widespread implementations across systems and institutions.
Let’s now look at how academic bodies are gradually implementing PE into their cultures & practices.
The Positive Education Framework
How Positive Education Upholds Well-Being?
Integrating the idea of Positive Education with current academic techniques holds significant benefits from different perspectives.
Psychological Well-Being: Education augmented by positive psychology has a positive impact on the mental health of students. Using lessons to motivate and develop their skills while alleviating negative thoughts, habits, and psychological disorders encourages ideas of meaningful purpose and improve academic immersion.
Cognitive Well-Being: Positive education practices have an extremely high likelihood of enhancing students’ cognitive development, primarily due to their constructive & positive nature. It improves engagement, attention, retention, problem solving, and resiliency.
Social Well-Being: Positive learning programs educate students about the different aspects of socializing, teach them to build positive relationships, aid them to understand & manage emotions better and make better decisions.
Philosophical Well-Being: Education is crucial for personal and communal development. Positive education nurtures virtue ethics, promotes better character development, and fosters a positive outlook on society.
Cultural Well-Being: Positive education assists in nurturing a positive academic environment and work culture amongst students. Imparted knowledge boosts fraternal feelings, teaches good behavior, discipline, and a favorable learning ecosystem.
Economic Well-Being: From an economic perspective, practicing positive education can boost educational systems & implemented policies to a large extent. PE can also prevent the onset of mental illnesses amongst the youth and bring down teenage suicides and other drastic incidences to a considerable extent.
To sum it all up, we can say that Positive Education brings the best of both education and positive psychology practices to boost mental well-being and development & reduce negative thoughts, perspectives & emotions.
Next up, we look at the real-life implementations of the Positive Education Theory by studying different cases.
Implementing Positive Education
Policymakers, decision-makers, and educators are increasingly implementing PE via both explicit lessons & teachings and also implicitly through different aspects of school culture, such as discussions, seminars, activities, disciplinary norms, etc.
Various academic institutions are dedicating specific teams that study student behavior, performance, and feedback and employ PE strategies to blend them with practical curricula.
The Case of St. Peter’s College, Adelaide, Australia
St. Peter’s College introduced well-being and positive education program and performed routine assessments & evaluations. Four primary objectives defined the whole program:
developing a safe, supportive & positive learning environment;
teach & build personal competencies amongst students;
making PE a vital aspect of the roe & responsibilities of all staff;
advance the institute as an international Centre of well-being and academic excellence;
Outcomes: The results were overwhelmingly positive.
Students perceived positive education as a beneficial addition to their academic experience.
The majority of pupils had a good idea about the importance of mental well-being & resiliency and that PE offers significant benefits to such cases.
Senior school students stated that positive education helped them improve academically and socially too. In addition, students prone to academic & psychosocial risks experienced significant benefits from PE practices.
Here’s a glimpse of their 2014 and 2016 survey results.
Source: White, M. A., & Kern, M. L., (2018). Positive education: Learning and teaching for well-being and academic mastery. International Journal of Wellbeing, 8(1), 1-17. doi:10.5502/ijw.v8i1.588
The college conducted surveys in 2014 and 2016, which showed that students with poor performances benefitted from the implemented program and showed stark academic improvement alongside better self-confidence & engagement.
The Case of Sydney’s Ravenswood School For Girls
Sydney’s Ravenswood School integrated Positive Education practices and measures into its very culture & fabric. Training sessions were conducted, and assessment & evaluative tools were put into place. Every student & staff was trained at developing a growth mindset and mental resiliency.
Today, the institute is garnering international recognition for its perfect enmeshment of PE philosophies.
Key Takeaway: In conclusion, we can say Positive Education is an effective tool to combat mental duress through knowledge, positive practices & formative experiences. It teaches developing minds to be solid & resilient in the face of adversities and never get bogged down by distressing situations. Everything can be a lesson with the proper implementation of POSITIVE EDUCATION.
