The Fundamental Restructuring of Education Leads to Positive Mental Health Outcomes for Society (Speculative Futures Essay)
With a history of fragmentation within the education system and stacking global inequalities regarding access to education, it is not surprising that in the year 2030, education looks a little different – a little less dim. In the years leading up to the significant mental health shift, students and families struggled to recover from the Covid pandemic of the early 2020s. For many students, this meant navigating new technologies and virtual ways to connect with the world. The push for smaller, portable, faster, and more robust operating systems came with side effects: the need for instant gratification, facilitator burnout, excessive heat radiation, and high product and operating costs which consequently created even more social stratification than in the past decades. This speculative essay will look specifically at the relationship between mental health and education, how schools have adopted a mental health focus and how the fundamental restructuring of education has led to measurable positive outcomes for society.
The relationship between mental health and education due to several factors, including the pandemic, has affected a large portion of individuals around the world (United Nations (n.d). Students and lifelong learners who have spent nearly a decade online, accustomed to mobile learning spaces and technology-driven learning, noticed the adverse effects on their mental health. In 2019, Rowthorn et al. reported a concerning rise in rates of mental illness and suicide, stating that “50% of mental illnesses begin by age 14, often remain undiagnosed and untreated” (p. 3363). This coincides with growing concerns about mental health issues on campus, explains Pelletier et al. (2021), where isolation due to changes in the landscape has contributed to anxiety and despair among students and staff. Pelletier et al. (2021) assert the importance of addressing these concerns at a business and educational level to ensure the safety and well-being of their community. Evidence suggests that promoting positive mental health outcomes is essential; however, in 2022, Kondirollo and Sunder report that these investments remain low globally, especially in Africa (2022). Weare (2020a) explains that not only are societies experiencing higher levels of mental illness but that when individuals are experiencing long-term, negative feelings that it is difficult for individuals to engage with learning effectively. There is undisputed evidence that poor mental health leads to difficulties in learning and engaging. Likewise, the pandemic’s harmful effects have led many institutions and educators to advocate for better policies and interventions to support students in acquiring the necessary help to cope in a world where meaningful connectivity is both challenged and accelerated. The broad breadth of literature alongside evidence has led to a shift in the education landscape marked as “The Big Mental Health Shift.” This shift has changed how institutions develop and deliver curricula to promote flexibility, better physical health, and support social and emotional well-being. Education in 2030 is recovering from a pre-pandemic problem that hit its height less than a decade earlier. Although there have been gains by fundamentally restructuring the education system, it is essential not to lose sight of the noteworthy contributions that have stemmed from the field of study of learning and technology.
Schools have adopted a mental health focus with varying yet positive degrees of impact and have been instrumental in improving learning outcomes across the globe. There are several ways in which student mental health outcomes have improved, including the introduction of humanized and relational forms of learning, flexibility, mental health support, better physical health, social and emotional health, and empowerment. The curriculum was developed alongside subject matter experts, instructors, students, families, and the broader community. Weare (2020b) explains this type of framework as participatory, where all stakeholders “need to be involved at every stage of the process, consulted about all aspects of it before it begins, involved in the data collection and interpretation and the implementation of any outcome” p.31, this bottom-up approach, explains Weare, is the backbone to active engagement. In addition, consultants were respectful of teachers’ already demanding schedules. A secondary benefit of stakeholder involvement is sharing responsibility and celebrating achievements among the broader community. Institutions that introduced more humanized and relational forms of learning, such as flexible class options, also saw an overall improvement in mental health. Kondirolli & Sunder (2022) and Weare (2020a) agree that additional health-related focus, such as physical, social and emotional health, is equally as essential to positive mental health. Physical health focuses on many aspects beyond the classroom’s scope, such as sleep, exercise, and outdoor activities. One of the dominant focuses of social health is the de-stigmatization of individuals and situations. Reducing stigma is recorded to reduce bullying and violence in schools dramatically. Because large portions of everyday life happen virtually, it is common for emotions to become overwhelming; Weare (2020a) credits our intense feelings to historical necessity but admits that the flight or flight response is no longer necessary. Some of the focuses of the new holistic framework are ” ’emotional literacy,’ ‘conflict resolution, ‘problem solving,’ ‘social competence’ and ‘community building'” inspired by Weare (2020a). The changes institutions made in rebuilding a fragmented system have begun to repair some of the worry and stress caused by the uncertainty of the pandemic. Next, we will unpack how achieving better mental health outcomes can be measured, structured, and used.
The fundamental restructuring of education has to lead to measurable positive outcomes for society. Weare’s (2020a) research claims that school achievement contributes to students’ happiness and positive self-image. Although it contributes to happiness, it’s not the only thing important; emotional resilience, patience, and managing emotions provide more career opportunities than IQ. Removing the stigma associated with some abilities, situations, preferences or learning styles has positively improved the school communities’ feelings of safety and inclusion; Weare (2020b) admits these issues are social and structural. When learning has reduced these incidences enough, it will refocus the conversation and grow networks. The next measure of positive mental health is the ability to “think, to process information, to solve problems, to make good decisions, to set goals for ourselves, to defer gratification, to plan” (Weare, K. 2020b, p.25). By collecting data through surveys and other research tools, relationships and feelings of belonging can be measured and compared to pandemic years when connecting looked much different. Measuring relationships has allowed us to begin understanding the necessary qualities needed for a connection to affect mental health positively. Society benefits when systemic and social issues are addressed, and physical, social and emotional health is encouraged and practiced. These benefits include decreased violence and bullying, stronger relationships, and reduced mental illness and suicide among youth.
Mental health illness has been a growing concern for decades, and only through collective impact can significant gains in education happen through a framework that allows for human-centred approaches. In 2030 our teachers, staff and students will continue to navigate a digital online world. It is the responsibility of everyone to ensure that our students are not leaving learning institutes stressed out, anxious and hopeless but rather share a lens of equity, empowerment, and a sense of control over their future and emotions.
References
Kondirolli, F., & Sunder, N. (2022). Mental health effects of education. Health Economics (United Kingdom). https://doi.org/10.1002/HEC.4565
Pelletier, K., Brown, M., Brooks, D. C., Mccormack, M., Reeves, J., Arbino, N., Bozkurt, A., Crawford, S., Czerniewicz, L., Gibson, R., Linder, K., Mason, J., & Mondelli, V. (2021). Teaching and Learning Edition Teaching and Learning Edition Thank You to Our Teaching and Learning Horizon Report Sponsor. https://www.educause.edu/horizon-report-teaching-and-learning-2021
Rowthorn, M. J., Billington, D. R., Krägeloh, C. U., Landon, J., & Medvedev, O. N. (2019). Development of a mental health recovery module for the WHOQOL. Quality of Life Research, 28(12), 3363–3374. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-019-02265-y
Selwyn, N., Pangrazio, L., Nemorin, S., & Perrotta, C. (2020). What might the school of 2030 be like? An exercise in social science fiction. Learning, Media and Technology, 45(1), 90-106.
Singh, S., Maughan, T. (2014, June 18). The future of ed tech is here, it’s just not evenly distributed. The future of ed tech is here, it’s just not evenly distributed. Futures Exchange. https://medium.com/futures-exchange/the-future-of-ed-tech-is-here-its-just-not-evenly-distributed-210778a423d7
United Nations. (n.d.). Sustainable Development Goals. Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://sdgs.un.org/
Weare, K. (2020a). Introduction: Why promoting mental, emotional and social health is becoming a fundamental issue in schools. In Promoting Mental, Emotional and Social Health A Whole School Approach (pp. 1–10). Taylor & Francis Group.
Weare, K. (2020b). Definitions, concepts and principles. In Promoting Mental, Emotional and Social Health A Whole School Approach (pp. 10–29).
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