How Children Experience Positive Education - a Qualitative Study Focusing on Positive Relationships
Forsén, Noel (2021)
Forsén, Noel
2021
Julkaisu on tekijänoikeussäännösten alainen. Teosta voi lukea ja tulostaa henkilökohtaista käyttöä varten. Käyttö kaupallisiin tarkoituksiin on kielletty.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2021120158215
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2021120158215
Tiivistelmä
Positive relationships are an integral part of both mental and physical wellbeing. As such they have been a focal point of many positive education programs, but few studies have looked at the mechanism through which positive change is made. This is problematic as educators have expressed difficulty in utilizing tools from positive education in the classroom as a result of the vastness of the field. The current study attempts to gain an understanding of how children internalise teachings from positive education and how this information is translated into their daily lives. The study examines the effects of five lessons on positive relationships as part of a positive education program spanning 32 weeks in total. Participants were children aged 10-12(N=72) from several Finnish schools. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand mediating factors of change in social wellbeing. Participants were interviewed in focus groups consisting of 4-6 students following the lessons. The data was analysed using qualitative content analysis using an inductive approach. Three main categories emerged: conflict management, listening and massage. The students had gained new ways of navigating conflict and could use the lessons on listening to enhance their social cognition. Teaching students how to give a massage served as a way of signalling differences between students and how touch and relaxation can be intertwined. The analysis showed that important factors for transfer of material taught in class to students’ daily lives were peer interaction, educators using an active pedagogy in class and use of stories as prototypes for social interaction. Additionally, the results suggest that theoretical constructs can be remembered well by students in this agegroup, but a concrete experience is required for a change in behaviour. Recommendations for further research is discussed.
Kokoelmat
- 515 Psykologia [233]