POSITIVE EDUCATION AND STUDENTS’ SOCIO-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES FOR STRENGTHENING EMPATHY, RESILIENCE, AND SELF-ESTEEM

Abstract

This bibliographic article, with a qualitative approach, aims to reflect on the contribution of positive education to the socio-emotional development of students, analyzing how practices based on positive psychology foster dimensions such as empathy, resilience, and self-esteem. The research was conducted through a review of recent scientific publications, prioritizing studies from the last five years, while also considering classic authors such as Paulo Freire, Lev Vygotsky, and Martin Seligman, who provide solid theoretical foundations for the theme. The results show that empathy, when intentionally stimulated in pedagogical activities, contributes to building more respectful and collaborative social bonds, reducing conflicts and enhancing the sense of belonging within the school environment. Likewise, resilience is essential for students to face academic and social adversities in a balanced way, turning frustrations into opportunities for learning and personal growth. Self-esteem, in turn, emerges as a key factor for self-confidence and motivation, strengthened by the genuine recognition of students’ achievements and talents. It is concluded that positive education, by integrating practices that value emotions and human virtues, expands the school’s social role, making it a space of humanization, inclusion, and equity. Thus, it reaffirms the importance of implementing positive education as a continuous pedagogical strategy, capable of promoting not only academic learning but also the integral flourishing of students.