Abstract:

Academic training in higher education extends beyond the acquisition of theoretical knowledge, encompassing the holistic development of students, including personal, social, emotional, and ethical dimensions that influence their academic trajectory, well-being and future professional practice. Higher education institutions thus function not only as spaces for knowledge production and dissemination but also as environments that foster health, autonomy and human development. Such a perspective broadens the understanding of the educational process, acknowledging that academic performance, motivation to learn, and the capacity to cope with challenges are closely linked to students’ health and well-being. Within this framework, the concept of Positive Health advances an expanded view of well-being, moving beyond the traditional biomedical model. By emphasizing individual resources, capacities and potential, this approach encourages students’ agency in self-care and in the construction of a balanced and meaningful academic trajectory.

This study aimed to explore the integration of Positive Health, the Health Spider tool and autoscopy within nursing higher education, highlighting pedagogical practices that promote not only mastery of academic content but also self-care skills, critical reflection and healthier learning pathways.

Characterized as a qualitative and reflective study, it examined theoretical contributions on health promotion and pedagogical strategies for holistic student development. The research was conducted at Academic Unit of Nursing, University of Minho, Portugal, involving 80 first-year students from middle-class Portuguese backgrounds, mostly aged 18 years (96.25%). To explore the integration of these concepts, a three-stage pedagogical process was implemented throughout the semester: diagnosis, reflection, and intervention. During the diagnosis phase, students completed the Health Spider assessment, which revealed moderate levels of academic organization (M = 5.4), emotional balance (M = 5.8), and self-care (M = 5.1), indicating the need for strategies that support self-regulation and well-being. In the reflection phase, students engaged in autoscopy practices, including video recordings and reflective writing about study habits and academic challenges.

Qualitative feedback showed improvements in awareness of study habits (70%), emotional self-regulation (60%), time management (80%), and reflection on teaching identity (65%), promoting metacognitive development. In the intervention phase, students set personal goals related to time management, self-care routines and participation in learning activities.

Post-intervention Health Spider results showed significant improvements in academic organization (+29.6%), emotional balance (+18.9%), self-care (+27.4%), social relationships (+12.9%) and academic motivation (+21.7%). Paired-samples t-tests confirmed significance, particularly for academic organization (t(9)=8.45, p<.001). Findings suggest that integrating Positive Health principles with reflective tools such as Health Spider and autoscopy supports meaningful learning, metacognitive skill development, teacher identity strengthening and mental health promotion in higher education. These strategies foster holistic student development and healthier learning processes, emphasizing the importance of strengthening personal resources that sustain academic and personal well-being.

Keywords:

Holistic Development, Higher Education, Reflective Learning.