Positive experiences of UNF students: A mixed-method model

Research Authorship:

Samantha Shaner, Hannah Lehman, Lakshmi Narayanan, Ph.D. Shanker Menon, Ph.D. Bruce Wallace, M.A.

Faculty Mentor:

Dr. Lakshmi Narayanan | College of Arts and Sciences | Department of Psychology

Abstract:

Positive psychology is becoming of increasing interest in recent years and topics such as happiness, subjective well-being, life satisfaction are being examined in many areas of psychology (Quick et al, 2007; Simmons& Nelson, 2006). Many large scale studies are being conducted by survey researchers globally to understand these constructs. In addition there is also a lot of interest in examining positive dispositional variables such as Flow, Vigor and Engagement. In this study we looked at the positive experiences students have at UNF and the positive emotions associated with these experiences. We used an online survey on Qualtrics and studied the specific conditions that promote a positive climate for student learning. We also looked at how the perceptions of these positive experiences as well as positive emotions. We also examine how these are related to some dispositional variables such as Flow, Vigor and Engagement. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect the data. The first method attempted to identify specific incidents that made students experience positive stress. The second uses structured questionnaires to collect data on their dispositions. The results were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively.