Positive Education

Purpose: Considering rich theoretical underpinnings of positive psychology (PP), the current study aimed to investigate the effects of an extra educational curriculum on the basis of PP on distress and attainment of Iranian high school students who are living in dormitories in boarding schools. Methodology: This is an empirical study with a post-test only control group design in which a sample of 346 male students were selected through convenience sampling from two boarding schools in Qom city during 2018-2019. A translated and validated version of K10 distress questionnaire (Kessler et al, 2010) was administered to them and 67 students with high distress symptoms were identified and randomly allocated to a control group (N=23), experimental group one (N= 22) and experimental group two (N=22). First, the experimental group underwent 16 sessions (twice a week for 90 minutes) of PP curriculum integrated with religious counseling. Employing a post-test only control-group design, the group’s performance on a distress scale (Goldberg, 1981) and their mean scores were compared after the intervention. Kruskal-Wallis and ANOVA tests were used to compare differences between the groups. Findings: Findings revealed that positive curriculum alleviated distress symptoms of the experimental groups vis-à-vis the control (χ2 (2) = 52.851, p ≤ 0.001). Also, to investigate the effect of the intervention on educational attainment, their semester mean scores were analyzed through ANOVA (F = 8.244(2, 66), p≤0.001) where promising results were obtained. Conclusion: It was concluded that both interventions exerted meaningful effects on the attainment and distress of dorm-living students. Also, follow-up studies added proof on the permanence of the effects.

Purpose: One of the methods of curriculum design is based on the positive education approach. Therefore, the aim of this study was to design and validate a curriculum model based on the positive education approach in Iran's secondary education. Methodology: This study was applied and mixed-methods in terms of objective and implementation, respectively. The research population in both design and validation parts consisted of experts and scholars in the fields of educational studies, educational management, educational psychology, and research and planning experts for the compilation of secondary education textbooks. The sample of this study, based on the principle of theoretical saturation, included 22 individuals who were selected through purposive sampling and were subjected to semi-structured interviews and completion of a researcher-made questionnaire. The data obtained from the interviews and questionnaires were analyzed using coding methods based on grounded theory, exploratory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling. Findings: Coding findings revealed that for the curriculum model based on the positive education approach in Iran's secondary education, 50 components were identified in 4 categories: causal factors (16 components), contextual and intervening factors (18 components), strategies (8 components), and effects and outcomes (8 components). Validity was confirmed through triangulation method and peer review, and reliability was calculated at 77 percent using the inter-rater agreement method. Findings from the exploratory factor analysis showed that the factor loading of each of the 50 components was appropriate, and 11 components were able to explain 86.4 percent of the total variance of the curriculum based on the positive education approach in Iran's secondary education. Structural equation modeling findings indicated that the curriculum model had a suitable fit and significantly impacted all four categories: causal factors, contextual and intervening factors, strategies, and effects and outcomes. Conclusion: Curriculum specialists and planners, based on the categories and components of this study, can take effective steps towards improving the curriculum based on the positive education approach in Iran's secondary education.