Emotional disturbances have become a serious problem among adolescents in recent years. Negative emotional patterns generated by negative experiences influence various aspects of the youths’ life. In this study, we developed a six-week experimental course using techniques to enhance positive emotions and then measured its effectiveness in improving the emotional intelligence and life-skills of junior high school students. Participants were 144 ninth-grade students at a junior high school in Taoyuan County, Taiwan. They were divided into an experimental group and a control group with pre- and post-tests administered, along with a follow-up test. The effectiveness of the course was evaluated through measures of life adaptability and positive/negative emotions.

The students in the experimental group participated in a six-week positive-emotion course, while those in the control group participated in a course with integrated common activities. Students in the experimental group had higher scores on the life-adaptability post-test than did students in the control group. This pattern of results was similar for the follow-up test three weeks after the conclusion of the courses. However, no significant difference was found on positive emotions measured by the positive/negative emotional scale. Yet, in both the post- and follow-up tests, those in the experimental group had higher scores on emotional balance (positive emotions minus negative emotions). This paper concludes with a discussion of the value this emotional training course has in contemporary education, and offers suggestions for future research.