ABSTRACT

This edited collection challenges the common preoccupation with knowledge acquisition and academic achievement by comparing the aims and cultural beliefs which drive education in different countries throughout the world.

Through case studies from countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Europe, the authors present how education can be approached holistically to foster student happiness and well-being. The book illustrates wide-ranging interpretations of what it means to provide a "good education," and how student-centered, holistic approaches to learning can be effective in promoting creativity, tolerance, student well-being, and an appreciation of environmental and societal responsibilities. Based on rigorous mixed-method empirical research, it highlights how the integration of happiness in education can not only enhance academic excellence but can also have a positive impact on the students’ overall well-being.

This cutting-edge book focuses on the holistic development and well-being of students and will be a relevant reading for educators, researchers, and students in such diverse fields as psychology, the sociology and philosophy of education, intercultural education, education policy and politics, leadership/management, mental health, and international and comparative education.

chapter 1|18 pages

Happiness Education

Rationale, Aims, Methods, and the Evolution of the Study of Happiness

chapter 2|16 pages

The Correlates of Happiness

Cross-National Data Analyses

chapter 3|21 pages

Connecting to Community in Tanzania

Aims Talk, Holistic Education, and Happiness

chapter 4|20 pages

Happy Students in Bhutan

The Land of Gross National Happiness and Paradoxes

chapter 6|18 pages

Paradoxical Korea

A Tale of Two Cities

chapter 8|22 pages

Vietnam, a Land of Paradoxes

Happiness in an Educational Outlier

chapter 9|13 pages

Finland

Satisfied Students, Less Schoolwork, and High Learning Outcomes Can It Be Real?

chapter 10|16 pages

Well-Being and Happiness among University Students

A Case Study of Ethnic Diversity in the New Multicultural Netherlands

chapter 11|29 pages

Costa Rica

Happy Student in a Land without a Military

chapter 14|34 pages

Conclusion and Synthesis

What Have We Learned about Happiness Education?