The Effect of Positive Psychology Interventions on Learning Engagement and Self-efficacy of China Higher Vocational Students

Abstract

This study examines the effects of positive psychology interventions on the learning engagement and self-efficacy of vocational college students. A single-group pretest-posttest experimental design was employed, involving 86 first-year students from a vocational college. The interventions, implemented in a classroom setting, included gratitude exercises, strengths-based interventions, and Three Good Things practice, among others. The effectiveness of the interventions were statistically evaluated using pretest-posttest assessments, analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results indicated that the positive psychology intervention significantly enhanced students’ self-efficacy (p < .001), whereas the improvement in learning engagement was not statistically significant (p > .05). The lack of significant improvement in learning engagement may be due to the short duration of the intervention and multiple factors influencing learning engagement. Learning engagement requires a comprehensive approach to improvement. Interventions have increased students' psychological resources - self-efficacy–but it is not sufficient to directly change learning behavior. These findings provide insight into the development of more effective psychological support strategies for vocational education.