Prelims

Positive Education at All Levels: Learning to Flourish

ISBN: 978-1-83753-157-8, eISBN: 978-1-83753-156-1

Publication date: 13 February 2024

Citation

(2024), "Prelims", Tytherleigh, M. (Ed.) Positive Education at All Levels: Learning to Flourish (Positive Psychology in Practice), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. i-x. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83753-156-120241009

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024 Michelle Tytherleigh


Half Title Page

POSITIVE EDUCATION AT ALL LEVELS

Series Page

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY IN PRACTICE

Series Edited by:

  • Professor Jerome Carson, Professor of Psychology at the University of Bolton, UK

  • Dr Michelle Tytherleigh, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at The University of Chester, UK

Positive psychology is the fastest growing area of psychology, and this series presents the latest developments in the field, providing a range of scholarly yet practical books for academics, practitioners, and students.

Positive Psychology in Practice features volumes investigating fields such as addiction, resilience, positive education, and healthcare. These volumes are authored by academics who have published and carried out research in that specific area, and many are co-authored by practitioners to provide real-world context and application.

Positive Psychology in Practice volumes:

  • Positive Psychology for Healthcare Professionals: A Toolkit for Improving Wellbeing, authored by Jan Macfarlane and Jerome Carson

  • The Positive Psychology of Laughter and Humour, authored by Freda Gonot-Schoupinsky, Merv Neal and Jerome Carson (forthcoming 2024)

  • Digital Technologies and Positive Psychology, authored by Steven Barnes and Julie Prescott

Editorial board:

  • Dr Chathurika Kannangara, Associate Teaching Professor, University of Bolton

  • Dr Roshelle Ramkisson, Visiting Professor of Psychiatry, University of Bolton

  • Ros Ben-Moshe, Psychologist, University of Melbourne, Australia

  • Professor Samuel Ho, Polytechnic University of Hong Kong

  • Dr Mark Durkin, Lecturer in Psychology, Leeds Trinity University

Title Page

POSITIVE EDUCATION AT ALL LEVELS

Learning to Flourish

EDITED BY

MICHELLE TYTHERLEIGH

University of Chester, UK

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Emerald Publishing, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL.

First edition 2024

Editorial Matter and Selection © 2024 Michelle Tytherleigh.

Individual chapters © 2024 The authors.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

Reprints and permissions service

Contact: www.copyright.com

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. No responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of information contained in the text, illustrations or advertisements. The opinions expressed in these chapters are not necessarily those of the Author or the publisher.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-83753-157-8 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83753-156-1 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83753-158-5 (Epub)

Contents

List of Figures and Tables vii
About the Contributors ix
1 Introduction
Michelle Tytherleigh and Jerome Carson 1
2 Positive Education in Primary Schools
Claudine McFaul 19
3 Positive Education in Secondary Schools
Ian Platt 41
4 Positive Education in Higher Education
Rosie Allen and Chathurika Kannangara 65
5 How Do We Know Educational Interventions Work?
Kevin D. Hochard 87
6 Parents’ Role in Positive Education and Positive Psychology Parenting
Ian Platt, Claudine McFaul and Michelle Tytherleigh 111
7 Positive Education for Positive Educators
Michelle Tytherleigh and Hannah Dunn 131
8 Conclusions and Next Steps Forward
Michelle Tytherleigh 153
Index 157

List of Figures and Tables

Figures

Fig. 1. PERMA Framework With Child-appropriate Positive Psychology Themes. 26
Fig. 2. The Thriving Student Framework (Kannangara et al., 2018). 74
Fig. 3. Bolton Uni-Stride Scale (BUSS; Kannangara et al., 2020). 76
Fig. 4. Possible Points of Comparisons in Experimental Studies. 89
Fig. 5. Hierarchy of Evidence From Study Designs and the Type of Research Questions They Address. 91
Fig. 6. Six Themes Covered by Bounce Back. 124

Tables

Table 1. SEARCH Pathways and Categories of PPIs Most Commonly Used in Schools to Address Each SEARCH Pathway. 13
Table 2. Factors to Consider When Implementing PPIs in Pre/Primary Schools. 30
Table 3. Hummingbird Primary Session Plan. 32
Table 4. Lessons Learned and Key Takeaways Following the Implementation of Hummingbird Primary. 34
Table 5. Four Main Approaches to Intervening in Student Mental Health Adopted by Schools. 48
Table 6. A Checklist for Assessing Educational Interventions. 107
Table 7. A Comparison of Positive Discipline, Positive Parenting and Positive Psychology. 115
Table 8. Commonly Used Adaptions of PERMA by Schools. 135

About the Contributors

Rosie Allen is a final year PhD student who is interested in Mental Health Research in young people and students. After sparking her passion for research during an internship at the University of Bolton in 2017, Rosie now works as a Research Assistant at the University of Manchester.

Jerome Carson has been a Professor of Psychology at the University of Bolton since 2012. Prior to this, he worked in the British National Health Service as a Clinical Psychologist. He has been conducting research in the field of positive psychology since 2007. Along with Dr Chathurika Kannangara, he helped set up the first MSc in Positive Psychology in the North-West of England. His other research interests are recovery from mental health problems, autoethnography, alcohol addiction and bereavement. He has published over 300 journal papers and book chapters. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal Mental Health and Social Inclusion and Co-editor of Social Work and Social Sciences Review. Along with Dr Michelle Tytherleigh, he is the Series Editor for the Emerald Positive Psychology collection.

Hannah Dunn is a Teacher of A-Level Psychology and an Associate Lecturer in the Psychology Department at Buckinghamshire New University, working on the Applied Positive Psychology and Mental Health and Wellbeing MSc courses. This allows her to put her passion for positive education into practice and to spread the word to other like-minded professionals. Alongside this work, Hannah delivers positive educational consultancy to schools and colleges. Hannah is a Chartered Psychologist (C.Psychol), and BPS Member and has a research interest in the use and development of self-compassion amongst teachers.

Kevin D. Hochard is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Deputy Head of the School of Psychology at the University of Chester. Kevin is interested in the development of psychological interventions for mental health and resilience with a particular focus on their application to suicide prevention. He also researches how sleep and sleep disorders impact on mental health. Kevin cares deeply about research methods and statistical analysis, given their impact on the quality of evidence throughout.

Chathurika Kannangara is the University’s Director of Research Quality at the University of Bolton, she is also an Associate Teaching Professor in Psychology. Her PhD involved an investigation into positive psychology applications in enhancing wellbeing. Her research interest and expertise are within the area of applications of positive psychology theory to enhance wellbeing. She has published her work on grit, resilience, growth mindsets, and wellbeing.

Claudine McFaul is a Practising Counsellor and an Academic at The Open University in the School of Psychology and Counselling. Her research is based on the humanistic and existential tradition and aims to understand how to support clients navigate the conflicts and transitions experienced throughout their life journey. These might revolve around how to work with loss, change, regret and navigating mid-life transitions, but also cover techniques and interventions that might help individuals to enhance hope, perspective and meaning. Her current research project aims to understand how positive psychology interventions can be applied in community and therapeutic settings. She has developed a positive psychology course for children in primary schools and has also created an interactive online resource called Bounce Back to support family wellbeing after the pandemic.

Ian Platt is the Project Lead for the Hummingbird Project, a brief multicomponent Positive Psychology Intervention in primary and secondary schools, at Medequip4Kids. He is also currently writing up his PhD at the University of Bolton. He previously worked with adults suffering from depression and his particular area of interest is improving mental health provision and access to higher education for those from underprivileged backgrounds.

Michelle Tytherleigh is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Chester and a Chartered Psychologist (C.Psychol), and BPS Member. In her current role at Chester, and building on her previous experience whilst working as a Senior University Teaching Fellow, this has allowed her to explore and develop a greater understanding of the overlap between psychology and pedagogy, and the role that positive education can play. Her research interests lie very much within the field of positive psychology and a strengths-based approach to learning and wellbeing in students. Michelle is also an Associate Fellow of the British Psychology Society, an International Affiliate of the American Psychological Association and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).