by Mercedes Ledwith, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Research in Positive Psychology continuously helps evolve mainstream education as we know it; by implementing strategies and interventions that go beyond academic achievement to truly promote student flourishing.
Flourishing can mean different things depending on the context and the culture. What remains consistent, however is the understanding that flourishing can only take place in an environment that actively supports it. Culture and environment are in constant dialogue, influencing how students experience learning, and relationships with their peers.
Viewing a child through the lens of their cultural heritage creates a more comprehensive and respectful understanding of their identity. By adopting culturally inclusive strategies, teachers enhance classroom engagement, and a sense of belonging. These pedagogies contribute to creating more inclusive learning environments increasing positive school experiences, and fostering stronger, more meaningful relationships both amongst students and between students and educators as well.
This article suggests that educators can achieve far more by intentionally embedding culturally informed pedagogies in their classrooms. Have you ever explored the different cultures in your classroom? There is so much we can do! By acknowledging, learning from and sharing multicultural strategies, by viewing them as a valuable resource, we can significantly enhance student engagement.
Bringing the activities to life
- Storytelling: Consider including (age appropriate) traditional stories in your lessons. They can be great kick-starters for conversations about traditions.
- Arts & Crafts from around the world: Teach them how to make different traditional crafts and learn about them. (i.e.: Origami (Japan); Worry Dolls (Guatemala); Tibetan prayer flags)
- Mindful colouring: Children can colour mindfulness sheets with positive messages about cultures. These can be used to decorate the classroom or a bulletin board.
- Traditions: Did you know there are countless ways to celebrate Christmas? They vary across countries, religions, families and individuals. What celebrations do your students enjoy at home? Lunar New Year? Ramadan? Naming ceremonies? Quinceañera?
- Languages in the classroom: Ask students about languages, how many are spoken in your classroom? Are any of your students bilingual? In how many languages can they say hello?
- Sharing Recipes: What are traditional dishes in your students’ homes? They could share their favourite recipes and then show photos of how they made these at home.
Through culturally inclusive practices, classrooms become rich environments where students feel seen, represented and connected. When learning reflects aspects of students’ identities, it becomes more meaningful, engaging and empowering. As educators we need to understand the positive impact we can generate in our students’ development, wellbeing and capacity to flourish.
References
Allen, K.-A., Boyle, C., Wong, D., Johnson, R. G., & May, F. (2023). School belonging as an essential component of positive psychology in schools. In A. Giraldez-Hayes & J. Burke (Eds.), Applied positive school psychology (pp. 159–172). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003228158-21
Lomas, T. (2015). Positive cross-cultural psychology: Exploring similarity and difference in constructions and experiences of wellbeing. International Journal of Wellbeing, 5(4), 60-77. https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v5i4.437
O’Malley, M. D., Greene, J. D., Swami, S., Ahmad, H., Puelicher, T., Sembrano, B., & Yu, A. (2025). Our stories of strength: a culturally responsive positive psychology experience for adolescents in schools. Journal of prevention & intervention in the community, 1-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/10852352.2025.2586387
Schachner, M. K. (2019). From equality and inclusion to cultural pluralism–Evolution and effects of cultural diversity perspectives in schools. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 16(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2017.1326378
VanderWeele, T. J., Case, B. W., Chen, Y., Cowden, R. G., Johnson, B., Lee, M. T., Lomas, T., & Long, K. G. (2023). Flourishing in critical dialogue. SSM – Mental Health, 3, 100172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2022.100172
