WELLBEING
Research-based activities promoting flourishing at Sevenoaks School
Interview with Dr Christina Hinton and Ben Hill ( Research Schools International / Harvard Human Flourishing Program )
Introduction
During the past year we have worked with Research Schools International ( RSI ) on an exciting project to explore student flourishing . The following article summarises an interview with Dr Christina Hinton ( RSI Founder and CEO , Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University Research Affiliate ) and Ben Hill ( RSI Researcher ) by Helen Hampson ( ITL Research & Development Manager ). In this interview , Dr Hinton and Ben Hill describe the mission of RSI , explain how the flourishing project was set up , and share details of some of the research findings and next steps .
The gap between research and practice
There is a gap between research and practice in education . Often research isn ’ t considered on the ground in schools and , at the same time , there is often great innovation happening in practice that isn ’ t picked up with research . We established RSI because we wanted to fill that gap . We connect researchers and practitioners to ensure research is used to inform practice , the practical needs of schools influence research directions , and practical innovations in schools are evaluated and disseminated more broadly .
Our RSI model is based on John Dewey ’ s laboratory school vision , which he set out over 100 years ago , calling for laboratory schools that are actively using research to solve problems that are happening on the ground . At RSI , we built on that original concept and created a network of schools around the world that are working in this way . Like teaching hospitals in medicine , we sought to create hubs of knowledge creation where researchers and practitioners are working hand in hand to generate knowledge that can be shared more broadly .
What is flourishing ?
We ’ re really interested in linking research and practice in the area of flourishing . The Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University and RSI have collated a list of activities that research has shown promote flourishing . We ’ re passionate about supporting schools to integrate these research-based activities to enhance flourishing , and the domains that sit beneath it ( e . g . feeling happy and satisfied with life , being mentally and physically healthy , having meaning and purpose , developing character and virtue , and having close social relationships ).
Flourishing at Sevenoaks
Over the last year , we have worked with Sevenoaks School to look at promoting student flourishing , the extent to which the school is already leading activities known from research to enhance it , and how the school might further support flourishing . An exciting part of the project has been to work alongside Student and Teacher Research Fellows at the school . For example , they helped to tailor the survey to ensure it was appropriate to the context of the school and for different year groups . The survey was administered across all years , with 886 students completing the whole survey in Spring 2021 .
We ’ ve also been training the Research Fellows along the way through an apprentice type model to develop their research and thematic data analysis skills . The students and teachers have enjoyed working together , and for students it ’ s been an interesting opportunity to see behind the scenes and witness teachers thinking about and reflecting along with them on these kinds of issues .
Research findings
The graph on the right illustrates some of the findings from our survey , and the extent to which researchbased activities known to enhance flourishing are used at Sevenoaks , and the relative strengths and areas for growth . Exercise , humour , and volunteering rank on the higher end in terms of how often they are being practiced . Every student participating responded on a scale to indicate how often students are encouraged to engage in these activities . This quantitative data was also supported by qualitative data , with students sharing many stories and experiences of these different activities .
Highest ranked : exercise , volunteering , and humour
Approximately 1 in every 3 students wrote about exercise . Not only do students talk about physical activity in terms of how much fun it is , and as a means to de-stress , but also as a way to create deeper social bonds with peers , promote kindness through acts of sportsmanship and develop deeper links with their teachers who also serve as coaches and mentors .
Volunteering , another research-based source of flourishing , was also reported as an activity students engage in regularly through school . We found several stories in the data about students whose lives have been affected and changed by their service projects and the fulfilling activities they have undertaken within these projects .
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