Rapid developments in science and technology require us to constantly reorganize our lives and the environment we live in. We have the chance to live a better quality life by reflecting the new trends emerging especially in the scientific field to our daily lives.
According to Peterson & Seligman (2004), the science of psychology is not a sub-discipline of medicine that deals with illness or health, but an important branch of science that serves in different fields such as education, personal development, self-awareness, not only for the welfare of individuals, but also for organizations and social welfare in general.
In addition to being a theoretical approach, positive psychology is also an applied approach that is effective in many fields including education, psychology, counseling and clinical psychology and is constantly evolving. The fact that the science of psychology, which is based on the disease model, is far from aiming to make the person happier is a situation that is often criticized by the positive psychology paradigm. In this respect, positive psychology emphasizes positive emotions in education.
Yeşilyaprak (2006) sees education as the process of developing people's physical, emotional and social abilities both for themselves and for society. The contemporary understanding of education emphasizes the provision of student personality services in organized educational institutions in order to ensure the development of students in all aspects in addition to teaching and management services. Through student personality services, students learn how to learn and live easily; they also construct their own identities (Kepçeoğlu, 1994; Özgüven, 1990).
Educational institutions are one of the most important means for students to become academically equipped as well as psychologically strong. In this respect, educational environments offer important opportunities for children and adolescents to protect their mental health, prevent their mental health from deteriorating and improve their mental health (Blackman et al., 2005; Davis et al., 2006).
When the behaviors of children studying in educational institutions are examined, it is seen that there are two important dimensions, positive and negative. The positive dimension includes issues such as hope, optimism, academic success, subjective well-being and motivation (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; Diener, 1984; Ryan & Deci, 2000; Eryılmaz, 2010; Peterson, 2000; Seligman, 2002).
The common characteristics of the factors in the positive dimension are that they cause people to experience positive emotions. These positive emotions lead people to make discoveries in many areas of life. This discovery leads to feelings of mastery, thoughts and behaviors. In terms of the aims of education, education helps individuals gain skills in personal, social and academic areas (Şişman, 2006). At this point, educational institutions enable people to make discoveries in various fields and develop their capacities (Chafouleas & Bray, 2004).
The negative dimension includes aggression, bullying, depression, anxiety, adjustment disorder, etc. (Alikaşifoğlu et al., Uysal & Kaymak, 2004; Kapçı, 2004; Quay & Hogan, 1999). The negative dimension contains some risks in terms of the educational environment and negatively affects students' learning (Davis et al., 2006). As a result, it causes individuals to exhibit academic failures (Blackman et al., 2005). The most important factor in these failures is the negative emotions experienced by individuals. According to Seligman (2002), who has conducted many studies on learned helplessness, negative emotions also prevent individuals from learning and developing.
According to Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi (2000), the positive psychology approach focuses its research on three important areas: positive experiences, positive characteristics and positive institutions. The scope of people's positive experiences includes their happiness in the present moment, their satisfaction with their past experiences, their high levels of well-being in the past, and their hope and optimism for the future.
Positive traits include qualities such as love, courage, forgiveness, revealing one's subjective side and altruism. Positive institutions, on the other hand, are institutions that benefit individuals and society and the factors necessary to develop these institutions. In addition, issues such as tolerance, altruism, responsibility, being a good citizen, civilization, work ethics and modernization are considered important in this dimension.
Focusing on the positive will also pave the way for a decrease in the tendency towards aggression, an increase in mindfulness, the correct use of energy and healthy relationships, all of which stem from the fact that people today are very problematic. Highlighting the positives without ignoring the negatives in our lives will also be effective in terms of our mental health.
Positive psychology, one of the new approaches of psychology, and positive pedagogy as its application in education are thought to breathe new life into education. As it is known, in addition to behaviorism, psychoanalysis and humanistic approaches as long-term and very effective approaches in psychology, which is a young science, positive psychology, which has developed since the end of the last century, aims to raise individuals who focus on the positive, who can cooperate while solving problems, and who have hope that they can solve problems.
According to this approach, in order for children to acquire the habit of focusing on the positive in the family and at school, parents and teachers themselves need to have this characteristic. It is necessary to focus on the positive without ignoring the negative. Developing positive aspects reduces negativity.
We also need to stop educating children in all subjects and support them in their areas of strength. The torment that is inflicted on children through private tutoring and years of cramming in classrooms does nothing but harm. The right thing to do is to work on developing the child's strengths.
Collaboration and seeking support in problem solving is one of the requirements of positive pedagogy. When it is understood that competition based on competition, which is celebrated in traditional pedagogy, does more harm than good and causes children to become ambitious, the importance of cooperation is emphasized as an alternative. Therefore, emphasizing group processes in schools is a requirement of positive pedagogy.
Positive psychology emphasizes the importance of raising children with the belief and hope that they can solve the problems they may face in life. It is observed that children who believe that a good future awaits them when they develop their capacities in the family and at school are successful at school and in life.
One of the aims of positive pedagogy is to raise individuals with high levels of psychological resilience. Some common characteristics of individuals with psychological resilience are mentioned in the literature.
These features
a) First of all, to have a positive view of themselves,
b) Having confidence in their abilities and strengths,
c) Being able to communicate well with others
d) Have the ability to solve problems easily,
e) Be able to manage well any emotions or impulses that arise strongly,
f) To have the ability to make realistic plans and take steps in accordance with these plans.
Numerous studies have been conducted on what needs to be done to develop psychological resilience. According to the data of these studies, one of the main factors that enable children to develop psychological resilience is the strong and secure bond that parents establish with them as emotionally positive, balanced and reliable adults. In addition, for the emergence of psychological resilience, the child should be allowed to face vital difficulties or risks at a level that the child can cope with. In other words, whether children will be resilient in the face of adversity is partly related to the extent to which they are left alone with these difficulties.
Children's experience of the world as it is, with all its painful and pleasant aspects, increases their psychological resilience. A child who has experienced how to cope in the face of adversity is likely to be more optimistic and confident in later experiences. However, when children never experience disappointment or are prevented from experiencing stress, their capacity to grow and their goals are limited.
One of the most effective ways to increase psychological resilience for children is unconditional love. When children are given love unconditionally and without expectations, they learn to love themselves and others and develop self-confidence. Steps that can be taken on this path can be laughing with children, playing games, spending time alone. Thus, the child will see that his/her parents enjoy being with him/her and will develop the belief that he/she is worth loving.
Another important area is the development of self-efficacy perception. Children's sense of self-efficacy enables them to trust their own decisions and take responsibility for their choices. For this, it is important to recognize new skills and abilities that the child can do, to provide opportunities for this, and to appreciate and support them. Creating different areas where they can test their competence and focusing attention on their successes rather than the areas where they make mistakes will be beneficial.
In addition, providing the social support needed to feel safe also strengthens psychological resilience. Providing social support makes people feel strong and safe. Therefore, the perception of social support also increases psychological resilience and is considered important for mental health. Social support perceived from family, spouse, friends and the state is important for the secure development and safety of the individual. It is thought that one of the characteristics that make the family institution unique is the social support it offers to children, youth and adults.
Secure attachment predicted by attachment theory, which has become popular in recent years, has been shown to be one of the insurances of mental health and to strengthen psychological resilience. Secure attachment is formed in the first years of life through the relationship between the infant and the mother or caregiver. Secure attachment is formed in babies raised by mothers or caregivers who are sensitive to the needs of the baby, meet their expectations in a timely manner, value them, reassure them that they are protected and safe, and offer unconditional love.
All these seem to be important also in childhood and adolescence. It is one of the requirements of positive pedagogy that the practices mentioned above that support development in a positive way are observed in family and school environments.
The influence of schools and teachers on students' positive development is undeniable. According to Pitman (1992), schools and teachers provide opportunities for positive development by helping students to accept and control themselves, to trust themselves, to connect with the school and to develop their competencies. These opportunities, in turn, increase students' attachment to life by experiencing positive emotions. Therefore, according to Noddings (2003), the ultimate goal of education should be to help raise happy individuals.
As a result, revealing the factors that will help students to experience positive emotions will both facilitate the achievement of educational goals and be a means of developing their capacities. In this process, psychological counseling and guidance activities based on positive psychology have a key role.