Abstract:

The task of teaching in schools for adult people is very satisfactory due to their level of interest and attention. However, teachers also report that the advanced age and usual experiences in life history like family problems, death, physical illness, fear of the future, etc. often become obstacles in the classroom. Achieving the proposed academic goals is difficult when negative emotions such as sadness, anxiety, worry or despair are present in the students. This is why it is necessary to adapt teaching methodologies to the adult students characteristics and needs.
Positive Psychology considers that cultivating and enhancing human strengths, developing human virtues and happiness pursuit could help improve quality of life and wellbeing. Different studies have found that promoting positive emotions, thoughts and attitudes can have very beneficial effects. Positive emotions can soften stress (Fredrickson y Levenson, 1998; Fredrickson, Mancuso, Branigan y Tugade, 2000; Salameh y Fry, 2004; Carbelo y Jáuregui, 2006; Martin, 2007), facilitate the implementation of more flexible behaviors, and help broaden our behavioral repertoire (Isen, 1999). More specifically, research has shown that gratitude experiences may be associated with higher levels of wellbeing and happiness (Bono y McCullough, 2006). Also, promoting humor is one of the easiest, fast, safe, economical and socially acceptable way to generate a positive feeling (Jaúregui, 2008). And finally, as Seligman says (2003), cultivating positive strategies concerning future may have a protective effect against depression and also promote better job and academic performance and better physical health, to name a few effects (Hervás, Sánchez y Vazquez, 2008). This preliminary study describes the intervention with 15 students of a school for adult people in the town of Betxí (Castellón). Once administered the protocol of initial evaluation (pretest), participants were assigned randomly to two different groups: the group of “positive intervention” and the group of “traditional intervention”. In order to work the curricular contents, two different methodologies were used: one of them was based on Positive Psychology, that is, on the promotion of positive emotions (gratitude, humor and positive view of the future), and a traditional methodology that does not include the promotion of positive emotions. After the intervention, students completed the questionnaires again (post-test).
Our study describes an educational intervention in a school of adult people using an innovative methodology: the use of positive emotions as facilitators of learning and also, as a tool to improve adult student’s mood.

Keywords:

new methodologies, methodological innovation, school of adult people, adult teaching, positive psychology, positive emotions, and learning facilitation.