Artistic languages and children’s natural development in Waldorf pedagogy: a case study based on happiness

Abstract

It is a fact that the traditional school model is not in harmony with the new current of Positive Psychology applied to Education, since this states that emotional education, art and respect for children's natural development are pedagogical imperatives for their emotional well-being. According to Steiner's philosophy, Waldorf pedagogy can be considered as a model in this sense: the main objective of this article is to verify this hypothesis and identify the factors that provide this state of school welfare. Methodologically, a case study is proposed which examines the keys to the motivational success of a group of Waldorf students and identifies the factors that promote happiness in that context through observation and compliance with the Subjective Happiness Scale. The results, with an average of 4'96 of SHS Subjective Happiness, confirm the hypothesis, and the research shows that the most representative motivational factors are the artistic-languages-based curriculum and the respect for children's natural development.