Effects of Action-Oriented Teaching Methods on Positive Mental Characters and Positive Mental Health Among Vocational College Students in Mental Health Education Curriculum: A Quasi-Experimental Study

This study examined the effects of action-oriented teaching methods on positive mental characters (PMC) and positive mental health (PMH) among vocational college students in a mental health education curriculum. Using a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design, we assigned intact classes to an experiment group (action-oriented instruction) or a control group (traditional lecture-based instruction). Before and after the 16-week intervention, both groups completed measures of PMC (e.g., humanity, courage, justice) and PMH (e.g., emotional well-being, social well-being, psychological well-being). The experiment group demonstrated significant pre-to-post improvements in PMC and PMH, whereas the control group showed no significant changes. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated significant intervention effects on PMH and all PMC dimensions except justice. These findings suggested that action-oriented teaching methods were more effective than traditional approach in fostering PMC and PMH among college students in the mental health education course. Action-oriented teaching methods should be further explored and promoted in mental health education curriculum.