Perry, Joy; (2022) Achieving happiness in secondary schools: an exploration of student and teacher perspectives. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This thesis is concerned with how happiness is achieved for students in secondary schools and what schooling for happiness might entail. Adopting happiness as a critical and subjective component of well-being, this study explores how elements of school life can encourage experiences of happiness for children, an outcome necessary to their becoming full-formed and flourishing individuals. Relying on qualitative methods of inquiry, this study utilises student and teacher narratives to illuminate both the realities and possibilities of achieving happiness in secondary education. The most significant findings from the study have been categorised into three core themes: 1) personal connection and a sense of community, 2) language and behaviour exhibited between persons and 3) individual recognition and feelings of self-worth. In exploring happiness as it occurs in the everyday school setting, this study contributes to a body of knowledge on well-being and schooling, while serving to highlight the significance in understanding and engaging with the lived experiences of students and teachers. The end goal has been to present a holistic account of the phenomenon using thick description, the product of which can offer insight for the secondary school community to further the prioritisation of student happiness, challenging it to reflect on its current practices and to re-examine its fundamental aims.

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