The Positive Psychology Virtues in the New Palestinian Textbooks

Fakher Khalili,Saida Affouneh,Ali Zuhdi Shaqour,Muna Shaath,Ashraf Sayegh

doi:10.13189/ujer.2020.082640

Fakher Khalili, Saida Affouneh + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.082640

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Abstract

The purposes of this research are to evaluate virtues and strengths included in the new Palestinian textbooks and to assess the acquisitions of these virtues and strengths among the lower elementary students from their teachers' perspectives. The study benefited from the Positive Psychology framework to capture and assess those virtues and strengths either in the new Palestinian textbooks or among the students. To achieve the two previous objectives, two methodologies were utilized, a content analysis and an online survey. In the content analysis method; 82 study textbooks units were selected and analyzed. In the quantitative method, 351 teachers were selected. The results showed that the most frequently mentioned virtues were wisdom and justice, with the least mentioned being temperance and transcendence. The results also revealed that teachers highly assessed the acquisition of virtues and strengths among students. Teachers' demographic factors had impacts on assessing the acquisitions of the virtues and strengths among students. It is concluded that there is a clear imbalance in the distributions of both virtues and strengths. Therefore, the Palestinian school textbooks developers should consider including more of the positive psychology virtues and strengths such as virtues of temperance and transcendence.

Highlights

One of important functions of the school is the promotion of student well-being and meet their mental health needs
The results show that the most six frequently used words related to strengths mentioned in the new textbooks are Citizenship (13.52%), Judgement (11.63%), Love of learning (10.98%), Creativity (8.62%), Kindness (7.58%), and Integrity (7.14%)
The results show that relatively the lowest six frequently used words related to strengths mentioned in the new textbooks are gratitude (0.18%), hope (0.32%), forgiveness and mercy (0.36%), modesty and humility (0.49%), prudence (0.60%), and self-regulation (0.73%)

Summary

Introduction

One of important functions of the school is the promotion of student well-being and meet their mental health needs. One promising framework for doing so, known as whole child education, has emerged from the field of positive psychology [1]. Whole-child education or positive education emphasizes the promotion of positive mental attributes. Positive psychology and positive education focus on factors that enable children and adolescents to thrive and grow [2]. Schwartz [4] defined character strengths as positive traits reflected in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Character strengths are a subset of personality traits on which we place moral value [6]. These subsets of personality traits are known as virtues [6]

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