A Profile of Kindness in University Students

• In Event: Rich Global Perspectives on Peace Education

Abstract

The aim of this research was to explore how university students define kindness and demonstrate kindness. Although doing kind acts has been demonstrated to boost well-being, there is a dearth of research attesting to how individuals enact kindness. Understanding how university students show kindness helps inform on-campus social and emotional initiatives, especially those integrated within students’ academic coursework. As part of an undergraduate health education course, 93 students were asked to each complete five kind acts. Participants completed a total of 353 acts which were coded using content analysis. Participants performed varied and nuanced kind acts whose salient themes included: Helping Others, Giving, Demonstrating Appreciation, and Initiating Communication. Implications for post-secondary social and emotional programming and student well-being are discussed.

Authors

• John-Tyler Binfet, The University of British Columbia

• Sally Willis-Stewart, The University of British Columbia - Okanagan

• Adam Lauze, The University of British Columbia - Okanagan

• Zakary A. Draper, The University of British Columbia - Okanagan

• Freya L. L. Green, The University of British Columbia - Okanagan

• Brittany Calibaba, The University of British Columbia