Students’ Happiness, Resilience and Social Participation

Abstract

Positive Psychology is an emerging field of psychology highlighting the increase of human strengths. Previous research has shown a need to study positive aspects including happiness and resilience in relation to negative life events (Lower, 2014).The authors investigated the relationship of happiness, resilience and social participation among the grantees of Expanded Students’ Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) in Bohol, Misamis Occidental, Samar and Zamboanga del Norte.  Participants were 258 ESGP-PA grantees composed of 179 females and Bachelor in Secondary Education majors. Instruments used to measure the three variables were the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, Devereux Adult Resiliency Survey and Participation Scale. Results reveal that the participants have a moderate level of happiness, a high resiliency and a no restriction in social participation. Moreover, there is a positive correlation between happiness and resilience, while a negative correlation for both happiness and restrictions for social participation including resilience and restrictions for social participation. Although happiness and resilience are related, they are not significantly correlated.  Only the relationships between happiness and social participation along with resilience and social participation show significant results. Therefore, social participation among the ESGP-PA grantees is influenced by both happiness and resilience. The result provides a clear perspective on the extent of the grantees’ social participation while receiving the aid. This has implications on the effectiveness of the ESGP-PA program to produce students to become agents of their own development and contribute to community and society’s progress instead of being passive beneficiaries.