A catalyst for personal growth: The influence of a positive education course on undergraduate student mental health one-year later and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Positive education, which integrates the principles of positive psychology into teaching, offers a promising approach for equipping university students with evidence-based skills to enhance their mental health. However, the long-term impact of positive education on student mental health, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, remains insufficiently understood. However, the longer-term influence of positive education on student mental health and during the COVID-19 pandemic is not well understood. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine if and how students who took a positive education course influenced their mental health one-year after taking the course and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a generic qualitative design and pragmatic philosophical paradigm, we conducted semi-structured interviews with ten students who had completed the positive education course one-year prior. Abductive thematic analysis was performed to generate themes, which included: The Influence of the Course on Mental Health, Helpful Course Components, and Transferring the Course Topics to One's Personal Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic. These results suggest that positive education could play a valuable role in improving undergraduate student mental health in the long-term and providing them with coping resources to cope with stressful times such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• Positive education
• Mental health
• University students
• Well-being