Estratégias de design para a promoção do bem-estar subjetivo dos estudantes

Abstract

This thesis starts from the premise that emotions play a central role in the educational experience and directly influence the subjective well-being of students. Motivated by the contemporary challenges faced by schools in promoting emotionally healthy and meaningful environments, the research aimed to understand how students' emotions impact their perception of well-being and how design strategies can be mobilized to foster more positive and humanizing school experiences. The study adopted an exploratory and qualitative approach and was structured in four stages: a focus group with nine educators; a workshop with nine designers and three students; the application of the Cultural Probe—composed of the Emotions Totem, the Emotions Diary, and the Pedagogical Diary—in four schools, involving 89 second-year high school students; and a multidisciplinary workshop for the synthesis and formulation of design guidelines. The results revealed that students' subjective well-being is dynamic and fluctuating, with 58.52% emotional variation between the beginning and end of the school day, confirming the school as a modulator of affective experience. The research operationalized the three ingredients of Positive Design—pleasure, personal significance, and virtue—articulating them with models of positive psychology, producing pedagogical guidelines that strengthen bonds, engagement, and a sense of accomplishment. As a scientific advancement, the study offers empirical evidence on emotional dynamics in school contexts, the connection between pedagogical practices and students' emotions, the central role of the teacher in the student experience, and proposes an integrative model between Positive Design, Positive Psychology, and Education, contributing to the development of more affective learning environments that promote human flourishing. The research offers empirical evidence on the relationship between emotions, school experiences, and subjective well-being, consolidating positive design as a viable methodological and interventional approach in the educational context.