Happiness as a predictor of resilience in students at a further education college

ABSTRACT

While the positive relationship between happiness and resilience amongst students is established, diversity in further education (FE) students warrants investigation into potential differences in the strength of this relationship. In respect of the multifaceted definition of the concept, two happiness measures were completed by respondents. This allowed investigation into the potential for the two measures to reflect differing features of happiness and allowed a more specific insight into the role happiness plays in the resilience of FE students. In this study, the predictive relationships of happiness with resilience among three level 3 populations – A-Level, BTEC and Access to HE at a further education college in the UK (N = 443) – are examined by means of self-report. Multiple regression analysis showed that happiness measures correlate with resilience, making independent contributions. Relative importance of happiness measures in predicting resilience also differs across pathways. Findings are discussed in terms of diversity of FE students and diversity of happiness within these populations. This research highlights a variation in significance of different facets of happiness on resilience, with implications for pastoral care in FE.

KEYWORDS:

• happiness
• resilience
• education
• further education

Data archiving

The anonymized raw data-set is archived electronically at University of Bolton. The original questionnaire and material used to collect the data for the study described here will be archived in this secure location for at least 10 years following publication of this article.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there are no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

C. A. Short

C. A. Short completed a BSc in Psychology and is currently a PhD candidate in Social Neuroscience at the University of Bolton under the supervision of Dr Pedro Vital and Professor Jerome Carson. Her PhD consists of exploring the interactive social neuroscience of children with Autism Spectrum Conditions. Specifically, she is am interested in the application of interactive methodology to measure social behaviour, social brain and mirror neuron functioning in relation to behavioural therapy outcomes. Currently, she contribute to teaching on Research Methods on the Foundation Psychology degree and various modules on the Psychology undergraduate degree.

S. Barnes

S. Barnes completed a BSc in Psychology awarded by Lancaster University, and subsequently a PGCE in Post-Compulsory Education and Training at Edge Hill University. He has spent the last seven years as a Psychology teacher at Bury College. His teaching responsibilities have spanned both further and higher education, specifically A-Level Psychology, co-ordination of and teaching on the HE4 BSc Psychology, Research Methods for HE5 BSc Criminology and Sociology, and HE6 Psychology in Education. Alongside his teaching responsibilities, he is currently undertaking a PhD in Clinical Cyberpsychology at the University of Bolton, under the supervision of Dr Julie Prescott and Professor Jerome Carson. Specifically, his research interests include the use of therapeutic games via ubiquitous devices and virtual realities for the treatment of anxiety disorders in adolescence.

J. F. Carson

J. F. Carson completed his Psychology undergraduate studies at the University of Reading. From there, and after gaining two years’ clinical experience, he did his clinical psychology training at the University of East London in 1984. He spent 32 years working in the National Health Service, 27 of which were as a qualified clinical psychologist. In 1992 he took up a lectureship at the Institute of Psychiatry in London and in 1997 he was made a senior lecturer. He obtained his doctorate in 2005. He became Professor of Psychology at the University of Bolton in 2005. He has authored over 200 publications. His main research interests are positive psychology, recovery from mental health problems and occupational stress.

I. Platt

I. Platt completed his BSc in Psychology at the University of Bolton. Ian is currently undertaking an MSc in Psychology at the same institution. His particular area of interest is in improving mental health provision and access to higher education for children from underprivileged backgrounds. As well as working in one of the HEFCE’s National Collaborative Outreach Programmes, Ian currently works as a research assistant, looking specifically at mental health provision in North West schools.