Topic: A study to capture the Student voices on their state of academic Happiness in the classroom

Introduction

Introduction to Happiness

Happiness is defined by academicians and researchers in different ways. Huebner (1991) defines happiness as life
satisfaction and a contented life. (Seligman et al., 2004) defined happiness as attaching meaning to life.
Lyubomirsky et al., 2005) defined happiness as the positive feelings and emotions in one's life. Happiness can
also be defined as the overall feelings of an individual, such as joy, gladness, hope and physical and spiritual well-
being (Köknel, 1992). Veenhoven (2008) defines happiness as the evaluation of life. Likewise, Seligman (2011)
identifies happiness as a multidimensional phenomenon consisting of knowing life's purpose, having positive
feelings, responsibility, positive relationships and success.

Research has proven that more than money and physical health, our quality of social interactions is the best
predictor of happiness. This is true for both kids and adults (Bauld, 2021). Our happiness is a very personal and
integral emotion that requires a deeper understanding (Bostani et al., 2020). Happiness influences life expectancy
since there is a correlation between happiness and a healthy and long life (Chei et al., 2018). Various studies have
linked happiness to success in various realms of life, from physical health and joy to holistic interpersonal
relationships and overall well-being (Cohn et al., 2009).

Holder and Coleman (2008) have investigated the demographic and personality factors associated with children's
happiness in British Columbia, Canada. They have noted that happiness is different among children and adults.
Maybe because children don't have the required cognitive maturity and experience that influences adult happiness.
Adult happiness may be influenced by various variables like life health, social relations, security, income level
and working conditions. Whereas children's happiness can be influenced by basic needs like love, trust,
communication, health and play (Ahn, Garcia & Jimeno, 2004; Clair, 2012; Thoilliez, 2011).

Happy classroom

A happy classroom cannot be built overnight, as it takes sustained and continuous efforts from all the
stakeholders. School management and teachers should realize that a happy staffroom is essential for a happy
classroom. Happier students work better, are healthier, perform well in assessments and are successful overall.

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Teachers, students and school administrators are mistaken if they believe prioritizing student happiness interferes
with academic success. Evidence shows that schools that work on student development and well-being have
happier students who perform better academically, and their behaviour improves over time. Scholars have proved
that children’s learning will stagnate when they are stressed, fearful, and unhappy in class (Kumar, Sanjay., 2021).
Happiness is more than just an emotion. Lasting happiness promotes a productive, compassionate and sustainable
society.

Research Problem

As per the 2019 World Happiness Report, one in three people isn’t happy with their lives, and this percentage has
increased drastically over the past decade (Helliwell et al., 2019). Students in the University begin to become
more independent, but if they are immature, they may find it difficult to adjust to the changes in their personal
lives and in academics (Bidwal et al., 2014). Students become stressed because of this (Regehr et al., 2013).
Worldwide reports of low levels of happiness among university students have drawn a lot of attention (Saipanish,
2003). According to a 2017 survey, 13.1 percent of adults aged 18 to 25 had depression, compared to 7.7 percent
of adults aged 26 to 49 and 4.7 percent of adults aged 50 and older.

Justification for Research Problem

According to a prior study by Murdoch Rodowicz et al. (2020), around half of college students experience mild
mental health issues as a result of stress. In China, the prevalence of psychiatric problems among college students
is higher than 20% and has been on the rise (Liu et al., 2019). As per the 2018 National College Health
Assessment Survey, 2% of college students attempted suicide at least once in the previous year, whereas 13% of
students reported suicidal thoughts (Davis et al., 2020). Reduced physical and mental health, even severe mental
illness or suicide, strained relationships with others, and subpar academic performance are just a few of the
detrimental effects of low levels of happiness that will have a negative consequence on a person's future
development and career (Anastasiades et al., 2010).

Deficiencies in the Evidence

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 Numerous research studies have been conducted on happiness, but very few studies have been conducted on
college and university students (Otsuka et al., 2020). There haven't been many studies done to explore the
voices/perceptions of students on their academic happiness when they are in class and in the classroom
environment. Additionally, no comparable research has been carried out among students enrolled in the rigorous
Masters of Education program with a heterogeneous population from across the globe. Therefore, there is an
urgent need to look at the elements that influence student happiness in the classroom, given the rising number of
university students around the world with low levels of happiness concerns observed in the student community.

Research Questions

In this background , we intend to understand what students conceive about happiness and happy classroom.

1. What are the factors that makes students happy during the ongoing session of a class ?
2. What are the factors which makes students unhappy during the course of the class ?
3. If under stress due to academic reasons, how do you cope with stress in the classroom - during the class ?
4. What are your strategies to cope with stress just after the teacher-student engagement - while in the classroom and
outside the classroom ?
5. What academic matters stress out students the most ?
6. What are your expectations from the university and the resource persons to help you relieve your stress and be
happy ?
7. What is your ideal conception of a happy classroom , a happy class environment ?
8. What do you like and don’t like in your classroom environment?
9. Do you believe a happy student can contribute to a happy classroom and vise-versa.

Relating the Discussion to Audiences

The intended audience/ study group are the first-year students of Masters of Education studying at the University
of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Canada. Discussions with some of our fellow students over a period of
time, we realise, they perceive the following characteristics of the course. 1. The teaching pedagogy/teaching
methodology is completely new to them, hence they need more time to adjust to the new system of learning. 2.
Since the first semester is a 12-week intense course, time management is extremely critical so as to be effective in
classroom discussions and exams. 3. Most of the students must earn and learn throughout the course, which
makes it much more challenging as a student. 4. Also, a high benchmark for assessment and a minimum grade of
75% to pass is a factor for anxiety, where some students are in self-doubt if they can achieve

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this. 5. Communication is another barrier to expressing feelings, thoughts and opinions with professors and fellow
students from different countries. With all these factors and many more, most of the student's seem to be happy
and enjoying the new system of learning and classroom environment, but at the same breath, they may be under
stress and are not happy about the course and themselves, and hence few may also be in a dilemma if they chose
the right course.

It is in this background that we would like to conduct a systematic analysis of the factors influencing student's
happiness related to academics in the classroom. With this understanding, the professors and the faculty of the
education department will get insights into the student's emotions, especially factors that make them happy in the
class and not so happy, if any, their coping mechanisms and also their expectations from the course to be happy
and their opinions of a happy classroom. In the process of collecting data from the sample population, a healthy
discussion/interviews among students could probably give ideas to students to handle their course effectively and
successfully, introspect and an opportunity to open up and vent out their suppressed feelings about the course and
the classroom environment. The study will achieve its objectives if, at the end of the study, student's emotions are
captured, and they end up with a higher state of happiness and well-being.

References

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Website

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