Handbook of Positive Psychology in Schools: Supporting Process and Practice

The Handbook of Positive Psychology in Schools offers the most current and comprehensive insights into how positive psychology principles provide a framework for young people to become active agents in their own learning. The third edition of this groundbreaking volume assembles the latest global research identifying fundamental assets—hope, optimism, gratitude, self-efficacy, emotional regulation, among others—that support students’ learning and well-being.

Chapters examining social-ecological perspectives on classroom quality and school climate provide best practice guidance on schoolwide policies and practices. These 35 new chapters explore positive psychology’s ongoing influence and advances on prevention, intervention, and assessment practices in schools.

Table of Contents

SECTION I: CONCEPTUAL AND THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS

1. A Selected Introduction to the Science and Practice of Positive Psychology in Schools
2. PERMAH: A Useful Model for Focusing on Wellbeing in Schools
3. Capacities and Vulnerabilities in the Classroom: Self-Determination Theory and the Promotion of Proactive Human Nature among Students
4. Covitality: Cultivating Psychosocial Strengths and Well-Being
5. Adapting the Dual-Factor Model for Universal School-Based Mental Health Screening: Bridging the Research to Practice Divide

SECTION II: INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSETS

6. Wellbeing Literacy: Language Use as a Way to Contextualize the Process of Positive Education
7. Optimism in the Classroom and Beyond
8. Gratitude in School: Benefits to Students and Schools
9. Cultivating Mindfulness in Schools to Promote Well-Being

10. Social Emotional Learning: What are the Learning Outcomes from a Preschool SEL Program (COPE-Resilience) in Taiwan and Australia

11. Physical Activity and Sport

12. Conceptualizations of Well-being during Middle Childhood: Investigating Developmental Shifts through Visual Narrative Analysis

13. Academic Self-Concept: A Key Construct for Positive Psychology

14. Empathy: A Necessary Ingredient in School-Based Social-Emotional Health and Equity

15. Integrating Assessment into School Environments to Promote Students’ Psychological Well-Being

16. Coming Together: A comprehensive Overview of the Transdisciplinary Perspectives of School Belonging

17. Academic Self-Efficacy

18. Flow in Schools Reexamined: Cultivating Engagement in Learning from Classrooms to Educational Games

19. Promoting Students’ Growth Motivation: Mastery-Structured Classrooms

20. Students’ Growth Orientation: Implications for their Academic Flourishing

21. Achievement Emotions

22. Creativity in the Schools: Creativity Models and New Directions

SECTION III: WHOLE SCHOOL CLIMATE AND CULTURE

23. Prosocial Approaches to School Climate Improvement: Definitions, Measurement, and Improvement Strategies for Thriving Schools

24. Positive Psychology and School Discipline

25. Understanding and Promoting School Satisfaction in Children and Adolescents

26. Student Voice: Youth Disrupting Barriers to Achieving the Good Life

SECTION IV: POSITIVE EDUCATION IN PRACTICE

27. Using Theory of Change for Fostering Well-being and Engagement in Learning Communities

28. Tracking the Effects of Positive Education around the World

29. Enhancing Well-Being in Youth: Positive Psychology Interventions for Education in Britain

30. Application of Positive Psychology in Chinese School Contexts

31. Applications of Positive Psychology in Spain: Strengths-Based Interventions in Diverse Spanish School Ecosystems

32. Measuring and Promoting Resilience in Youth

SECTION V: PERSPECTIVE

33. 'Smart' Technology has an Important Role to Play in Making Learning about Well-being in Schools Engaging and Real for Students

34. Using Experience Sampling Methods to Understand How Various Life and School Experiences Affect Student Well-being

35. The Use of Positive Psychology Intervention to Foster Teacher Well-being

"An expert team of editors and contributors from around the globe has joined forces to produce a comprehensive, scientific, cross-cultural snapshot of contemporary positive psychology in schools. This book offers a refreshing array of perspectives, processes, and practices that can transform schools into places that intentionally promote wellness and success for students of all ages and levels."
- John J. Murphy, Professor of Psychology at the University of Central Arkansas, USA

"The Handbook of Positive Psychology in Schools, Third Edition, is a major accomplishment and an immense body of knowledge for anyone interested in children’s well-being and positive development. Since its initial study by a small group of devoted experts, positive psychology has grown and developed into a scientific movement. These thirty-five chapters, sorted into five sections, presents a thoughtful effort to better understand not only the positive psychology of children, especially in schools, but also how the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant changes in schools and learning as well as in children’s lives."
- Asher Ben-Arieh, Full Professor in the Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel