Therapeutic Pedagogy of Hope: A Concise Conceptual-Theoretical Synthesis

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21273382

Arpita Singh and Kartik Gupta (Department of Education, Shri Jai Narain Misra P.G. College, Lucknow College, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)

Hope is recognised as a very important idea in positive psychology and health sciences, with a lot of studies showing that it is related to psychological well-being, resilience, and academic performance (Snyder, 2002; Gallagher et al., 2020). This work, inspired by Snyder’s cognitive-motivational theory (Snyder et al., 2002) and drawing on research on coping and meaning-making, mixes ideas from various domains to propose a practical hope-based pedagogy. Clinical studies show that hope influences how people set goals, gives them more energy or “agency,” and provides them with support from those around them, allowing individuals to maintain motivation even when faced with difficulties (Eliott & Olver, 2009; Herth, 1992). The research applies these principles to education, pointing out that the same processes can benefit students who are anxious about their academics and in doubt, particularly in high-pressure educational systems such as India’s (Marques et al., 2011). The new model works along the integration of clinical roots, psychological processes, and teaching methods, and it shows how hope-focused interventions might foster students’ commitment, strength, and health. The paper ends with a few theoretical ideas and suggestions for empirical research on hope-based educational programs.