Structuring The Sustainability Of Happiness In Critical Postmodernity: A Metadata, Mixed-Methods Study In Education

This dissertation study is built upon a pilot study that uses a meta-theoretical analysis on the culture of education. The purpose of it is to examine [un]happiness, a phenomenon influenced by the social, political, and economic systems in Western paradigms within a critical postmodern view, looking at the intricacies of schooling, as no studies have taken a bottom-up approach to investigate the voices of the main stakeholders: students, teachers, and administrators. My study questions whether a holistic, liberating, and socially responsive curriculum could engender a positive learning environment wherein happiness is sustainable. Within happiness studies, hope is essential, so much so that the Declaration of Independence mentions the pursuit of happiness, a philosophical framework also referenced in other countries' constitutions. Neoliberalism today, however, causes many students to lose their sense of hope, which in turn affects their well-being, if not learning itself. Hope is not merely about waiting; it is an active force encapsulated by esperanza - a forward looking aspiration that seeks to bring dreams to fruition. As Paulo Freire suggests, hope is ontological, deeply tied to the very nature of being human and our capacity for transformation. In this study, I set out to examine happiness which, a priori, I thought was a subjective notion. A posteriori, I learned that it has a very objective aspect to it, with many metrics that show this. Worldwide there are countries/societies that are happier than others. I was able to confirm this through a longitudinal lens. I saw structures/ideologies that were conducive to the pursuit of happiness while others were not. These findings are backed up scientifically by the voices of those who experience schooling firsthand: the students, teachers, and administration. Hence, happiness is a byproduct of social justice, including the distribution of 'dignified' resources as the theories and my theses demonstrate. Education should provide the essential foundations and resources that empower students in a healthy way to reach beyond their dreams. This is what sustainable happiness is all about. The quality of a democracy ultimately depends on the quality of education that people have. Therefore, education and policymaking ought to provide empowerment and structures that sustain happiness. Key words: postmodernity, sustainability, democracy, epistemology of [un]happiness, holistic education, quality education, the science of well-being