Positive Thinking (PT)

Featured Publications

Yang, W., Datu, J. A. D., Lin, X., Lau, M. M., & Li, H. (2019). Can early childhood curriculum enhance social-emotional competence in low-income children? A meta-analysis of the educational effects. Early Education and Development, 30(1), 36-59.

Yang, W., Peh, J., & Ng, S. C. (2021). Early childhood teacher research and social-emotional learning: Implications for the development of culturally sensitive curriculum in Singapore. Policy Futures in Education, 19(2), 197-215.

Research Content

Positive thinking must be ahead of digital learning and development. It is the foundation of holistic and healthy growth for children. It is also related to moral education, value education, and social-emotional learning (SEL), which will all lead to the status of children's mental health and social-emotional development.

Positive thinking and education

Mental health is often regarded as the absence of mental illness but it actually affects every moment of our lives. We should see it as a means for facilitating positive social-emotional competence (SEC).

SEC is the integrated functioning of understanding, identification, regulation, and expression of emotions and having positive interactions with others. The development of SEC such as social behaviour, adaptive behaviour, emotional stability, self-regulation, and interpersonal relationships is crucial for children’s lifelong well-being.

A lack of SEC results in peer rejection and behavioural problems, which can perpetuate throughout their lives. Positive SEC development benefits children in their peer relations, school adaptation, and well-being. As a result, those with developed SEC have greater motivation to learn and are more likely to become a more integral part of the school community.