Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

How to Grow up Happy: An Exploratory Study on the Meaning of Happiness from Children’s Voices

  • Published:
Child Indicators Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The methodological approach that we have been developing for over 10 years in the Research Group on Pedagogy of Children Values, at Complutense University of Madrid (Spain) is based on a pedagogical theory of children as active subjects. This article focuses on our last project “Growing up Happy” and addresses two main questions: a) what makes children feel happy, and b) how can we use this information for education. To explore these questions, we put the voices of the children themselves at the center of the research. With the financial support of Fundación Crecer Jugando (Growing By Playing Foundation), we carried out field work at three public and two privately-subsidized Spanish Primary Schools involving students from first to sixth grades. As our interest is in education, our aims were twofold: to learn what children say, believe, and imagine, as well as to make recommendations for educational practice.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. http://www.ucm.es/info/quiron/pedinfant/ See: Jover, and Thoilliez (2010); Thoilliez (2010); Gil et al. (2006); Gil and Jover (2003); Gil and Jover (2000); Jover and Reyero (2000); Gil and Jover (1998).

  2. To whom should be added the explanation given by Ryan and Deci (2001, 142), who pointed to theoretical precedents as the Human Potential Movement, developed in the 1960 s in the U.S., and to the more contemporaneous momentum of Positive Psychology.

  3. Educational implications that have been subjected to interesting discussions in the field of philosophy of education, and that the recent inclusion within British curriculum of SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) has revived. In this respect, see White (2007), Miller (2008), Smith (2008), Suissa (2008), Cigman (2008), and Jonas (2010). Previously, Smeyers, et al. (2006) reflected upon the thin line that separates the therapeutic from the educational.

  4. Such insufficiencies are now gradually being acknowledged from within psychology. “Epistemological” solutions are now being found in education, assuming and integrating a clearly pedagogic perspective on happiness and well-being. We have noted a clear transferral, if not direct appropriation, of education discourse in fragments such as: “Two competitive approaches to well-being have emerged as competing opponents in the research area: subjective well-being (SWB) and psychological well-being (PWB) (…) The former focuses on hedonic elements of life (…) PWB, on the other hand, is the result of a need for a theory-driven conceptualization of well-being and the indifference of the current conceptualization of SWB toward existential dimensions such as meaning, growth, and direction” (Simsek, 2009, p. 506).

  5. Article 12.1 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child provides that “States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child”. In article 12 of the General Comment CRC/C/GC/12 on ‘The right of the child to be heard’ (adopted by Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2009) we can read as follows: “The views expressed by children may add relevant perspectives and experience and should be considered in decision-making, policy making and preparation of laws and/or measures as well as their evaluation”. See as well Resolution S-27/2 ‘A world fit for children’ adopted by General Assembly in 2002.

  6. “Such an approach, although well-intentioned, raises serious issues. First, it treats childhood as a lump, as if an 8-month-old were the same as an 8-year-old, and voids childhood of a developmental focus. Second, it does not address the problem of how to involve a newborn, or the youngest children. In addition, participation is conceived of as taking place only between the researcher and the child. This fails to recognise that children typically have parents who bear the primary legal responsibility for them and, by implication, for their safety and their material, social and emotional well-being. Parents have known their child since birth, across multiple environments. Yet parental participation receives limited consideration in this approach” (OECD, 2009, p.26).

  7. Fernando Bárcena has extensively explored from a philosophy of education position, the concept of childhood as “the anthropological experience of beginning” (Bárcena, 2002a), reflecting on the possibilities of an education conceptualized in these terms. Our research places the “subject of education”, the child, as an “experiencing subject” (Bárcena, 2002b, 41), attempting to grasp his happiness’ experience by showing directly the voices of children who took part in the field work.

  8. The full version of the questionnaire can be seen in Jover and Thoilliez (2010, 126-127), where we present the instrument and work-in-progress of this research.

  9. It should be born in mind that the number of children in the age groups at each extreme (6-7-year-olds and 12-year-olds) was quite small, which may be affecting the results.

  10. In Spain, people herald in the New Year by eating twelve grapes at the twelve strokes of midnight.

  11. “The concept of the child that emerged in the Enlightenment was based on the idea that children are fundamentally different from adults, that children are not born into adulthood but must achieve it, and that it is the responsibility of adults to both protect children and lead them down the road to adulthood. But even during the Enlightenment most children did not have what we would call a childhood. This is because childhood is not just an idea. It is a hard-earned historical achievement. For much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries people did not have much choice but to treat children as small adults. Only in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with the sharp decline in child labour and the advent and extension of compulsory schooling, could childhood really be said to exist in the modern sense” (Guldberg, 2009, p. 51).

  12. For the origins of this interest specifically referring to childhood up to the current perspective on the establishment of indicators capable of quantifying the well-being of children, see Ben-Arieh (2010).

  13. The Unicef (2007) report’s results about Spanish children’s situation have been recently confirmed by Bradshaw and Richardson (2009).

References

  • Altarejos, F. (1983). Educación y felicidad. Pamplona: Eunsa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aristotle (1989). Ética a Nicómaco. Madrid: Centro de Estudios Constitucionales. [Edición bilingüe y traducción por María Araujo y Julián Marías; Introducción y notas de Julián Marías].

  • Bárcena, F. (2002a). Educación y experiencia en el aprendizaje de lo nuevo. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 60(223), 501–520.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bárcena, F. (2002b). El aprendizaje del comienzo. Variaciones sobre la educación, la creación y el acontecimiento. Educación y educadores, 5, 39–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bauer, J. J., Mcadams, D. P., & Pals, J. L. (2008). Narrative identity and eudaimonic well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9, 81–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Arieh, A. (2010). From child welfare to children well-being: the child indicators perspective. In S. B. Kamerman, S. Phipps, & A. Ben-Arieh (Eds.), From child welfare to child well-being. An international perspective in the service of policy making (pp. 9–22). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, J., & Richardson, D. (2009). An index of child well-being in Europe. Child Indicators Research, 2, 319–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, J., Hoelscher, P., & Richardson, D. (2006). Comparing child well-being in OECD Countries: Concepts and methods. Innocenti Working paper, IWP-2006-03. Florence: Unicef Innocenti Research Centre. http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/iwp2006_03_eng.pdf

  • Bradshaw, J., Hoelscher, P., & Richardson, D. (2007). An index of child well-being in the European Union. Social Indicators Research, 80(10), 133–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruni, L., & Porta, P. L. (2006). Introduction. In L. Bruni & P. L. Porta (Eds.), Handbook on the economics of happiness (pp. xi–xxxvii). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Casas, F., Figuer, C., González, M., Malo, S., Alsinet, C., & Subarroca, S. (2007a). The well-being of 12-to 16-year-old adolescents and their parents: results from 1999 to 2003 Spanish samples. Social Indicators Research, 83, 87–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casas, F., Figuer, C., González, M., & Malo, S. (2007b). The values adolescents aspire to, their well-being, and the values parents aspire to for their children. Social Indicators Research, 84, 271–290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casas, F., Coenders, G., Cummins, R. A., González, M., Figuer, C., & Malo, S. (2008). Does subjective well-being show a relationship between parents and their children? Journal of Happiness Studies, 9(2), 197–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cigman, R. (2008). Enhancing children. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 42(3–4), 539–557.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chamberlayne, P., Bornat, J., & Wengraf, T. (2000). Introduction: the biographical turn. In P. Chamberlayne, J. Bornat, & T. Wengraf (Eds.), The turn to biographical methods in social science. Comparative issues and examples (pp. 1–30). London and New York: Routledge.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Chaplin, L. N. (2009). Please may I have a bike? better yet, may I have a hug? an examination of children’s and adolescents’ happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies, 10, 541–562.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, H., & Furnham, A. (2004). Perceived parental rearing style, self-esteem and self-criticism as predictors of happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies, 5, 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crivello, G., Camfield, L., & Woodhead, M. (2009). How can children tell us about their well-being? exploring the potential of participatory research approaches within ‘young lives’. Social Indicators Research, 90, 51–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cummins, R. A. (2003). Normative life satisfaction: measurement issues and a homeostatic model. Social Indicators Research, 64, 1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cummins, R. A. (2010). Subjective wellbeing, homeostatically protected mood and depression: a synthesis. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11, 225–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dearden, R. F. (1978). Happiness and education. In R. F. Dearden, P. H. Hirst, & R. S. Peters (Eds.), A critique of current educational aims. Part I of Education and the development of reason (pp. 95–110). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Hedonia, eudaimonia, and well-being: an introduction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9, 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dew, T., & Huebner, E. S. (1994). Adolescents perceived quality of life: an exploratory investigation. Journal of School Psychology, 32(2), 185–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95(3), 542–575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being: the science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. American Psychologist, 55(1), 34–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Suh, E., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125(2), 276–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eide, B. J., & Winger, N. (2005). From the children’s point of view: methodological and ethical challenges. In A. Clark, A. T. Kjørholt, & P. Moss (Eds.), Beyond Listening. Children’s perspectives on early childhood services (pp. 71–90). Bristol: The Policy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fattore, T., Mason, J., & Watson, E. (2007). Children’s conceptualisation(s) of their well-being. Social Indicators Research, 80, 5–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fattore, T., Mason, J., & Watson, E. (2009). When children are asked about their well-being: towards a framework for guiding policy. Child Indicators Research, 2, 57–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flouri, E. (2004). Subjective well-being in midlife: the role of involvement and closeness to parents in childhood. Journal of Happiness Studies, 5, 335–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gil, F., & Jover, G. (1998). La experiencia de los derechos humanos en contextos de aprendizaje escolar: una investigación a través de las nuevas tecnologías. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 211, 561–585.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gil, F., & Jover, G. (2000). Las tendencias narrativas en pedagogía y la aproximación biográfica al mundo infantil. Enrahonar, 31, 107–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gil, F., & Jover, G. (2003). La contribución de la educación ética y política en la formación del ciudadano. Revista de Educación, special issue, 109-129.

  • Gil, F., Jover, G., & Reyero, D. (2006). La educación de la sensibilidad solidaria desde la reconstrucción de la memoria lúdica. Teoría de la Educación. Revista Interuniversitaria, 18, 153–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilman, R., & Huebner, E. S. (2006). Characteristics of adolescents who report very high life satisfaction. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35, 311–319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • González-Bueno, G., Von Bredow, M., & Becedóniz, C. (2010). Propuesta sobre un sistema de indicadores sobre bienestar infantil en España. Madrid: UNICEF España. http://www.unicef.es/documentacion/documentos_ampliado.htm?iddocumento=91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, S., & Hill, M. (2005). Researching children’s experience: methods and methodological issues. In S. Greene & D. Hogan (Eds.), Researching children’s experience. Approaches and methods (pp. 1–21). London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guldberg, H. (2009). Reclaiming childhood. Freedom and play in an age of fear. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harter, S. (1999). The construction of the self: A developmental perspectives. New York: Guildorf Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harter, S. (1982a). The perceived competence scale for children. Child Development, 53(1), 87–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harter, S. (1982b). A cognitive-developmental approach to children’s understanding of affect and trait labels. In F. C. Serafica (Ed.), Social-cognitive development in context (pp. 27–61). New York: Guildorf Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holder, M. D., & Coleman, B. (2009). The contribution of social relationships to children’s happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies, 10, 329–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holder, M. D., & Coleman, B. (2008). The contribution of temperament, popularity, and physical appearance to children’s happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9, 279–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Homel, R., & Burns, A. (1989). Environmental quality and the well-being of children. Social Indicators Research, 21, 133–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huebner, E. S. (1991). Correlates of life satisfaction in children. School Psychology Quarterly, 6(2), 103–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huebner, E. S. (1994). Preliminary development and validation of a multidimensional life satisfaction scale for children. Psychological Assessment, 6(2), 148–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huebner, E. S., Laughlin, J. E., Ash, C., & Gilman, R. (1998). Further validation of the multidimensional student’s satisfaction scale. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 16(2), 118–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huebner, E. S., Valois, R., Paxton, R. J., & Drane, J. W. (2005). Middle school students’ perceptions of quality of life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 6(1), 15–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jonas, M. E. (2010). When teachers must let education hurt: Rousseau and Nietzsche on compassion and the educational value of suffering. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 44(1), 45–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jover, G., & Reyero, D. (2000). Images of the other in childhood: researching the limits of cultural diversity in education from the standpoint of new anthropological methodologies. Encounters on Education, 1, 125–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jover, G., & Thoilliez, B. (2010). Biographical research in childhood studies: exploring children’s voices from a pedagogical perspective. In S. Andersen, I. Diehm, V. Sander, & H. Ziegler (Eds.), Children and the good life: new challenges for research on children (pp. 119–129). London: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kahneman, D., Diener, E., & Schwarz, N. (Eds.). (2003). Well-being: The foundations of hedonic psychology. New York: Russel Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kraut, R. (1979). Two conceptions of happiness. The Philosophical Review, 88(2), 167–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marías, J. (1987). La felicidad humana. Madrid: Alianza.

    Google Scholar 

  • McEwan, H., & Egan, K. (Eds.). (1995). Narrative in teaching, learning, and research. New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, A. (2008). A critique of positive psychology –or ‘the new science of happiness’. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 42(3–4), 591–608.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naval, C., & Altarejos, F. (2000). Filosofía de la educación. Pamplona: Eunsa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noddings, N. (2003). Happiness and education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • OECD (2009). Doing better for children. http://www.oecd.org/els/social/childwellbeing

  • Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2006). Character strengths and happiness among young children: content analysis of parental descriptions. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7, 323–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rees, G., Bradshaw, J., Goswami, A., & Keung, A. (2010). Understanding children’s well-being: a national survey of young people’s well-being. London: The Children’s Society. http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/resources/documents/Campaigns/19938_full.pdf

  • Richardson, D., Hoelscher, P., & Bradshaw, J. (2008). Child well-being in central and Eastern European Countries (CEE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Child Indicators Research, 1(3), 211–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rojas, E. (1987). Una teoría de la felicidad. Madrid: Dossat.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. H. (2008). Know thyself and become what you are: a eudaimonic approach to psychological well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9, 13–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saha, R., Huebner, E. S., Suldo, S. M., & Valois, R. F. (2010). A longitudinal study of adolescent life satisfaction and parenting. Child Indicators Research, 3(2), 149–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Savater, F. (1986). El contenido de la felicidad. Madrid: Ediciones El País.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheldon, K. M., & Kasser, T. (1998). Pursuing personal goals: Skills enable progress, but not all progress is beneficial. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24(12), 1319–1331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simsek, Ö. F. (2009). Happiness revisited: ontological well-being as a theory-based construct of subjective well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 10, 505–522.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smeyers, P., Smith, R., & Standish, P. (2006). The therapy of education. Philosophy, happiness and personal growth. New York: Palgrave Mc Millan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, R. (2008). The long slide to happiness. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 42(3–4), 559–573.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spaemann, R. (1991). Felicidad y benevolencia. Madrid: Rialp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spilsbury, J. C., Korbin, J. E., & Coulton, C. J. (2009). Mapping children’s neighborhood perceptions: implications for child indicators. Child Indicators Research, 2, 111–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suissa, J. (2008). Lessons from a new science? On teaching happiness in schools. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 42(3–4), 575–590.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suldo, S. M., & Huebner, E. S. (2006). Is extremely high life satisfaction during adolescence advantageous? Social Indicators Research, 78, 179–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thoilliez, B. (2010). La educación intercultural y el valor de la solidaridad en los relatos infantiles. Contrastes: revista cultural, 58, 115–121. Special Issue: Nuevos modelos educativos para una sociedad intercultural.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trilla, J. (2002). La aborrecida escuela. Junto a una pedagogía de la felicidad y otras cosas. Barcelona: Laertes.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNICEF (2007). Pobreza infantil en perspectiva: Un panorama del bienestar infantil en los países ricos. Innocenti Report Card 7. Florencia: Centro de Investigaciones Innocenti de UNICEF. http://www.unicef.es/contenidos/595/informe.pdf

  • Waterman, A. S. (1993). Two conceptions of happiness: contrast of personal expressiveness (Eudaimonia) and hedonic enjoyment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64(4), 678–691.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waterman, A. S. (2007). On the importance of distinguishing Hedonia and Eudaimonia when contemplating the hedonic treadmill. American Psychologist, 62(6), 612–613.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waterman, A. S., Schwartz, S. J., & Conti, R. (2008). The implications of two conceptions of happiness (hedonic enjoyment and eudaimonia) for the understanding of intrinsic motivation. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9, 41–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, J. (2007). Wellbeing and education. Issues of culture and authority. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 41(1), 17–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woodhead, M., & Faulkner, D. (2008). Subjects, objects or participants? Dilemmas of psychological research with children. In M. Christensen & A. James (Eds.), P (pp. 10–39). Research with Children. Perspectives and practices. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zullig, K. J., Koopman, T. M., & Huebner, E. S. (2009). Beyond GPA: toward more comprehensive assessments of students’ school experiences. Child Indicators Research, 2, 95–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgemnts

I would like to thank all the members of the Research Group on Pedagogy of Children’s Values at Complutense University of Madrid as well as the Directors of Growing by Playing Foundation, who have both supported and funded this research. I wish to also thank both reviewers of this article for their helpful comments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Theory and History of Education. Faculty of Education, Complutense University of Madrid, Calle Rector Royo Villanova, s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Bianca Thoilliez

Authors
  1. Bianca Thoilliez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bianca Thoilliez.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Thoilliez, B. How to Grow up Happy: An Exploratory Study on the Meaning of Happiness from Children’s Voices. Child Ind Res 4, 323–351 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-011-9107-5

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-011-9107-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation