TESOL as happiness praxis

Within the full register of positive states studied in positive psychology, happiness enjoys a unique stature. Many countries have now begun to realise that happiness is the true sign of human flourishing and have attempted to incorporate happiness into their national curricula. In this article, we shall take the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) as a striking example where a pedagogy of happiness can be adopted. The arguments we will bring together in this paper suggest reasons why is positive psychology extremely relevant to second language (L2) learning environments to assist in the development of high levels of happiness in learners. We put forward three arguments hypothesising that TESOL’s field-specific features, drawn from well-established L2 research findings, can smooth the way for the enrichment of the three criteria of authentic happiness (i.e., pleasure, engagement, and meaning) through the design and implementation of appropriate happiness-increase programmes.

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages; TESOL; positive psychology; positive education; happiness pedagogies; Martin Seligman; authentic happiness; humanising L2 education