JCERJournal of Contemporary Educational Research2208-84662208-8474Bio-Byword Scientific Publishing Pty. Ltd.10.26689/jcer.v8i12.9171ArticleAn Empirical Study on the Improvement of College Students’ Positive Mental Characters through the Sandplay Coursehttps://artdesignp.com/journal/JCER/8/12/10.26689/jcer.v8i12.9171MiaoXiaocui,ChengXiaojuan,WuXiaorui,LiYe,XiaoHaiyan20248122024-12-30In recent years, psychological crisis events have occurred frequently in colleges. Therefore, cultivating students’ rational and calm, positive and upward attitude is the current focus of mental health education in colleges. This study aims to explore the intervention effect of sandplay courses on students’ positive mental characters. Through the voluntary registration and matching of the public elective course platform, 35 students from a university were selected as subjects, including 17 students in the experimental group and 18 students in the control group. From March to July 2024, 16 weeks of sandplay course intervention was carried out in the experimental group, while no intervention was done in the control group. The scores of the Positive Mental Characters Scale for Chinese College Students (PMCSCCS) and the Positive Mental Characters Self-Assessment before and after the intervention were statistically analyzed. Both the scale test (t = -3.62, P < 0.01) and self-assessment (t = -3.86, P < 0.01) of the experimental group had significant improvement in positive mental characters after the intervention, while the control group had no significant difference in positive mental characters scores before and after the intervention. The sandplay course can effectively improve the level of positive mental characters of college students. Schools and families should pay attention to and explore various channels to actively cultivate positive mental characters of college students, so as to lay a solid foundation for their future development and growth.

Xian YLJ, 2019, An Analysis on Cultivating Positive Mental Characters of College Students. The School Party Construction and Ideological Education, (20): 38–40.

Wang WJ, 2017, Research on Cultivating Positive Psychological Quality of College Students, dissertation, Bohai University, 1–15.

Fu XL, Zhang K, et al., 2023, China National Mental Health Development Report (2021–2022), Social Sciences Academic Press, Beijing, 2–28.

Kalff DM, 2003, Sandplay: A Psychotherapeutic Approach to the Psyche, Sigo Pessr, Santa Monica.

Jiang T, Li TT, Jiang CL, 2023, An Empirical Study on the Effect of Group Sandplay on College Students’ Positive Mental Characters. Journal of Mudanjiang University, 32(03): 104–108.

Niu J, Li H, 2020, Study on the Effect of Group Sandplay Therapy in the Intervention of College Students’ Interpersonal Communication Distress. Education and Teaching Forum, 12(03): 91–92.

Liu YJ, 2022, The Application of Group Sandplay in the Improvement of Vocational College Students’ Psychological Quality—A Case Study of Positive Mental Characters Training Program Design. Chinese Journal of Multimedia and Network Teaching, (06): 75–78.

Cui XT, 2022, Study on the Curriculum Effect of Blended Teaching of Mental Health Curriculum in Colleges and Universities, dissertation, Dalian University of Technology, 3–16.

Wang ZX, Ma Q, Wang XX, 2019, Application of Group Sandplay in College Students’ Mental Health Education Course. China Higher Medical Education, (11): 68–69.

Xiang Q, Zhang Z, Jiang S, et al., 2023, The Influence of Positive Psychological Group Counseling on Positive Psychological Quality of College Students. Journal of Hunan Institute of Engineering (Social Science Edition), 33(02): 89–95.

Yang H, Jiang T, 2021, Practice and Application of Sand Table in the Cultivation of Positive Mental Characters of College Students. Journal of Mudanjiang University, 30(03): 107–112.

Meng WJ, Guan Q, 2009, Development of the Positive Mental Characters Scale for Chinese College Students. Chinese Journal of Special Education, (08): 71–77.

Pei Y, Yan F, Yu JJ, 2022, A Study on the Intervention Effect of Positive Psychology Group Activities on Positive Emotions, General Well-Being and Depression of College Students. PR Magazine, 153(21): 55–57.

Waters L, 2020, Using Positive Psychology Interventions to Strengthen Family Happiness: A Family Systems Approach. The journal of positive psychology, 15(5): 645–652.

Umucu E, Tansey TN, Brooks J, et al., 2021, The Protective Role of Character Strengths in COVID-19 Stress and Well-Being in Individuals with Chronic Conditions and Disabilities: An Exploratory Study. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 64(2): 67–74.

Peng SW, 2021, Research on the Effect of Group Sandplay Technology on Interpersonal Relationship Intervention of Junior Middle School Students, dissertation, Hebei North University.

Ministry of Education, 2018, Notice of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of Education of the Communist Party of China on the issuance of the “Guidelines for Mental Health Education for College Students,” viewed November 15, 2024, http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A12/moe_1407/s3020/201807/t20180713_342992.html

Zhu P, Wu B, Zhang BY, 2023, Construction of Mixed Teaching Model under the Guidance of OBE Concept—A Case Study of “Mental Health Education” Course. Journal of Heilongjiang College of Education, 42(09): 72–75.