Pedagogy for Emotional and Social Wellbeing: Perspectives of Students and Teachers Through Kundali Research Design

Abstract

This study explores Pedagogy for Emotional and Social Wellbeing through the perspectives of students and teachers using the Kundali Research Design, a metaphorical framework inspired by Vedic astrology. The purpose of this research is to understand the viewpoints of early adolescent students and their teachers regarding mental health, with a focus on social and emotional well-being. From there, the study aims to identify an effective pedagogy to enhance the emotional and social well-being of early adolescent students. This research addressed: (1) How do early adolescent students and their teachers perceive emotional and social health? and (2) What pedagogies they think will boost the emotional and social well-being of early adolescent students? Although initial assumptions about warm pedagogy led me to examine Dewey’s Progressive Pedagogy, literature revealed that balanced approaches work better with adolescents, which then led me to study Heider’s Balance Theory. The literature review encompasses thematic, empirical, and theoretical reviews, as well as a policy review that covers the history of Nepal’s education system, the National Education Policy 2019, the national aims of school education, and Nepal’s Mental Health Policy. To bridge contextual, conceptual, and methodological gaps, I conducted qualitative research in a public school in Kathmandu with four sixth graders and their class teacher. A multi-paradigmatic approach (interpretivism and postmodernism), including narratives, poetry, metaphor, comic representation, and no-eraser drawings, was used for data collection, analysis, interpretation, and representation. The innovative Kundali Research Design, inspired by Vedic astrology, serves as a central metaphor throughout this research paper. Findings revealed that emotional and social health awareness has improved; however, students’ understanding relied on parental guidance than on formal education. The class teacher demonstrated strong awareness, crediting it to his education, experience, and training. One student expressed their current pedagogy as progressive, while three described it as traditional, with a few mentioning corporal punishments. The teacher shared that he employs situational pedagogy, as he is strict with naughty students but friendly with those who are struggling. However, his inability to distinguish between the two highlighted the need for more open teacher student relationships. Participants proposed infrastructure improvements and moral education. Unintentionally created during this research, the Kundali Chart Pedagogy (KCP) emerged as a possible remedy, helping students feel more comfortable and at ease in sharing their struggles. Heider’s Balance Theory has been used to find solutions for students’ problems affecting their emotional and social wellbeing under the KCP. Steps inspired by the Public Policy Cycle were suggested to establish KCP formally. The KCP addresses the need for a deeper understanding by prioritizing open communication to identify students' emotional and social needs, enabling teachers to balance warmth and firm guidance for improved well-being. While further research is needed to evaluate KCP’s efficacy, these findings have planted the seeds for "Pug Heidi" - a children's book designed to lay a foundation for emotional and social well being from childhood.