While many recognise the impact formal education has on human flourishing, often overlooked are the forces in society that shape our conception of the good life. Our understanding of flourishing is formed as much by the culture we live in as by the classrooms we learn in. This oversight impacts our ability to think clearly about flourishing…

What can one person teach another about living meaningfully? Recent discussions about the relationship between education and finding meaning in life have tended to focus on institutional and curricular matters and, as a consequence, have sidelined the importance of the vocation of teaching. Drawing on Raimond Gaita's philosophy of education, I…

This article discusses a new interdisciplinary, mixed-methods approach to using data from the first British Birth Cohort Study, the National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD, 1946). It emerges from a collaboration between two historians of postwar Britain and a mixed-methods life course studies researcher. Our approach brings together…

Amidst the lingering prominence of idealist and rationalist traditions in the philosophy of education, the notion of living, sentient body (or "soma") seems to have received scant attention by educational philosophers hitherto. These traditions--whose strong influence can be traced back to such philosophers as Plato, Descartes, Leibniz…

In this paper, I set an aspect of what it is to live a flourishing life against the backdrop of neo liberal trends that continue to influence educational policy across the globe. The view I set out is in sharp contrast to any narrow assumption that education's main task is the measurement of high performing individuals who will thus contribute to…

China is advancing in its bid to internationalize higher education, but little is known to date about the life satisfaction of overseas students in that country. Life satisfaction can be understood as the extent to which individuals' experiences in a host country help them achieve their personal goals and satisfy their expectations regarding…

In this article authors suggest considering features of hybrid reality, both in psychology and in law. The authors investigate the opportunities and dangers of the virtual world. They reveal the main psychological aspects that provoke the person to plunge into Internet space. Also in the article, the authors show the main tendencies and the…

Purpose: This article develops a critique of contemporary understandings and practices related to well-being in education. It proposes a fuller development of wholeness and purpose that supplements and goes beyond the new well-being agenda. Design/Approach/Methods: This article draws upon a document analysis of conceptual and policy frameworks…

Positive psychology is based on the notion that people are motivated to develop into their best selves and reach their maximum potential. Martin Seligman, a pioneer of positive psychology, defines it as "the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive. The field is founded on the belief that people want…

Education quite often sends the message that life involves choosing a "thesis" and defending it against objections. Educators frequently require students to "pick a side," justifying their positions with the best reasons available. What should educators teach students about the value of holding opinions and beliefs? Should they…

Students' sense of belonging is known to be strongly associated with academic achievement and a successful life at university. To achieve a comprehensive understanding of belonging, this study collected data via the 10 Words Question. Responses from 426 participants were analysed using a sequence of analytic methods including In Vivo coding,…

Creativity brings joy, wonder, efficiency, excitement, and pleasure into our lives. Although creativity can also be malevolent (see, e.g., Cropley et al., Creat Res J 20(2):105-115, 2008), for the most part creativity makes life better, and most of us would like to have and to experience more of it. Nurturing creativity is therefore something that…

Facing increasing critique that PISA focuses too narrowly on cognitive achievement and human/knowledge capital, the OECD has recently shifted some of its focus to student happiness. The 2017 Students' Well-Being report distinguishes between 'happy schools' and 'unhappy schools', showing that among students who combined high performance and life…

There is a growing acknowledgment of the relationship between students' psychological well-being and educational success. However, relatively few studies have focused on a connection between the psychological well-being of students who have high abilities and their school ecology. School-based experiences associated with interactions involving…

Why do certain students thrive when facing adversity while others languish? In the mindset theory, growth mindset is opposed to fixed mindset, and could explain why some people fulfil their potential and others do not. With the COVID pandemic dragging on, having a growth mindset may be even more critical. For students who are able to set their own…