Open AccessPromoting wellbeing through positive education: A critical review and proposed social ecological approach
Author(s) -
Simon Coulombe,
Kendra Hardy,
Rachel Goldfarb
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
theory and research in education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.627
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1741-3192
pISSN - 1477-8785
DOI - 10.1177/1477878520988432
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , psychology , social ecological model , well being , sociology , pedagogy , public relations , ecology , political science , psychiatry , psychotherapist , biology
Youth wellbeing is a pressing international problem, and it is a key concern of educational institutions, considering the substantial amount of time that youth spend in school. Educators require empirically validated and theoretically sound methods to support students’ wellbeing. This article critically examines the literature on youth wellbeing and interventions in positive education and proposes an innovative, social ecological approach to promoting wellbeing in education. Personal Projects Analysis is a complementary approach addressing several gaps identified in existing interventions (e.g. lack of consideration of ecological and cultural contexts, need for a person-centred approach to support unique goals of diverse students). Implications and applications are discussed to demonstrate how school leadership and educators can apply Personal Projects Analysis to promote the wellbeing of all students.