A case study of an affective education course in Taiwan

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the components of a framework for affective education implementation based on a positive psychology approach. A fifth grade class of 31 students in a public rural elementary school in Taiwan participated in a 13-week long affective education course that consisted of six units: Self-discovery, Love and Gratitude, Empathy, Emotions, Optimism, and Hope. Storytelling and interdisciplinary instruction were utilized as two primary teaching strategies. Constructivist grounded theory case study was used as a qualitative methodological approach and four data sources including participant observations, field notes, artifacts, and self-assessment were collected. A framework for affective education implementation that emerged from the data consisted of three levels: the classroom in/out level, the school/family level, and the society/culture level. Findings on the components of a framework for affective education implementation are presented and discussed.