Art-of-Living Intervention Imparted Through a Blended Learning Approach to Nurture Positivity Among Pakistan’s University Students During COVID-19: A Growth Curve Analysis

Art-of-living allows individuals to live a contemplative, mindful, and active life to attain well-being. This study demonstrates the development and implementation of an art-of-living training intervention to nurture positivity among Pakistan’s university students during COVID-19. To ensure the efficacy of teaching and learning during the second wave of the pandemic, the intervention was imparted through a blended learning approach comprising two modes: (1) online learning and (2) offline personal and collaborative learning. This approach was based on the emotionalized learning experiences (ELE) format to make learning more engaging, permanent, and gratifying. The study comprised 243 students randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 122) and a wait-list control group (n = 121). Growth curve analysis indicated that positivity together with the components of art-of-living—self-efficacy, savoring, social contacts, physical care, and meaning—and overall art-of-living increased at a greater rate in the experimental group than in the control group from pretest to posttest and from posttest to follow-up measurement. The analysis provided an all-encompassing view of how positivity developed in the two groups over time. There were significant variations in participants’ initial status (intercepts) and growth trajectories (slopes). The influence of participants’ initial positivity scores suggested that students with high initial positivity scores had a slower increase in linear growth, whereas those with low initial positivity scores had a faster increase in linear growth over time. The success of the intervention may be attributed to the dimensions of ELE—embodied in the two modes—and fidelity to intervention for effectively implementing the blended learning approach.