Happy Students are Motivated Students: Psychology for Language Teachers

Abstract

Students face many problems in the second language classroom. Some of these may be personal but many are caused by cultural differences between the teacher and students or students and students in the multicultural classroom. Cultural issues will always be with us but this paper considers how we can help students, through the use of positive psychology, to achieve their best. First, we consider the concepts of positive psychology and well-being. We then look at how positive psychology can affect studentsʼ sense of well-being, creating a better learning situation. Finally, we consider some practical applications which can be put into practice in the classroom.