Background:

Mental health issues have been increasing worldwide for many decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic has brought mental health issues into the spotlight. Within higher education, promoting the well-being of students has dramatically increased in focus. The Northwestern State University of Louisiana opened the Center for Positivity, Well-being, and Hope using the action research process of reflecting, planning, acting, and observing.

Aims: 

The study’s purpose is two-fold: First, it highlights how to create a collaborative team to reflect, plan, and act to develop a well-being culture in higher education institutions. Second, it investigates the efficacy of the Center through Seligman’s lenses. 

Method:

The researchers shared their experiences in the first three phases of the action research process and then applied an identical concurrent mixed methods design. A purposive sample of individuals and focus groups evaluated the efficacy of the Center through Seligman’s lenses. The researcher administered PERMA-Profiler Measure, the PERMA-Profiler Measure overview, the CoPWH Evaluation I, and the CoPWH Evaluation II questionnaires to collect qualitative and quantitative data.

Results:

Thematic analysis of the qualitative data collected from the individual and focus groups resulted in four to nine themes per each element of well-being. The descriptive statistics of the quantitative data collected from the individual and focus groups provided a mean of 7.34 to 8.97 per element on an 11-point Likert scale. The participants shared many examples of how the Center promotes each element of PERMA and health in college students.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, this action research shares the successful implementation of the cyclic research process in creating a well-being culture in higher education and promoting well-being in college students with the implications for promoting a well-being culture in various educational settings, workplaces, and communities.