The Spanish Journal of Psychology (2017), 20, e22, 1–8.

© Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid

doi:10.1017/sjp.2017.19

Peace of Mind, Academic Motivation, and Academic

Achievement in Filipino High School Students

Jesus Alfonso D. Datu

The University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)

Abstract. Recent literature has recognized the advantageous role of low-arousal positive affect such as feelings of peace-
fulness and internal harmony in collectivist cultures. However, limited research has explored the benefits of low-arousal
affective states in the educational setting. The current study examined the link of peace of mind (PoM) to academic
motivation (i.e., amotivation, controlled motivation, and autonomous motivation) and academic achievement among
525 Filipino high school students. Findings revealed that PoM was positively associated with academic achievement
β = .16, p < .05, autonomous motivation β = .48, p < .001, and controlled motivation β = .25, p < .01. As expected, PoM
was negatively related to amotivation β = –.19, p < .05, and autonomous motivation was positively associated with
academic achievement β = .52, p < .01. Furthermore, the results of bias-corrected bootstrap analyses at 95% confidence
interval based on 5,000 bootstrapped resamples demonstrated that peace of mind had an indirect influence on academic
achievement through the mediating effects of autonomous motivation. In terms of the effect sizes, the findings showed
that PoM explained about 1% to 18% of the variance in academic achievement and motivation. The theoretical and
practical implications of the results are elucidated.

Received 6 April 2016; Revised 22 March 2017; Accepted 23 March 2017

Keywords: academic achievement, academic motivation, peace of mind.

Positive education emphasizes the significance of social Whereas these studies pointed to the salient function
and psychological factors that facilitate key learning of positive affect in the academic context, a common
outcomes (Seligman, Ernst, Gillham, Reivich, & Linkins, limitation of these investigations involved their greater
2009). Emergence of this paradigm has led to empirical focus on medium-arousal (content and happy) to high-
investigations which focused on positive psychological arousal (elated and excited) positive emotions. As past
constructs that serve as antecedents of adaptive aca- literature showed that there are marked cultural varia-
demic functioning (Datu & Valdez, 2016; Heffner & tions in cognition, emotion, and motivation (Markus &
Antaramian, 2016; Lewis, Huebner, Reschly, & Valois, Kitayama, 1991; Morling, Kitayama, & Miyamoto, 2002),
2009). One notable psychological variable that has there is a need to assess if what intensity (e.g., low-
been linked to a wide range of academic outcomes was arousal and high-arousal) of positive emotions may
positive affect. Positive affect pertains to individuals’ optimize beneficial outcomes in various cultural settings.
experience desirable emotional states (e.g., happiness, To strengthen the argument on cultural differences in
excitement, and elation) at various points in time emotional expression, the affect valuation theory (Tsai,
(MacKinnon et al., 1999). Knutson, & Fung, 2006) argues that medium-arousal to
Previous literature has revealed that positive affect high-arousal affect are more relevant for individuals
plays an important role in fostering student success. who are immersed in individualist contexts because
Supporting this viewpoint, positive affect has been unrestricted expression of dispositions, wants, and
linked to greater academic engagement (Lewis et al., values is highly rewarded in their cultural setting.
2009), meaning in life (Datu, 2016), and intrinsic motiva- Alternatively, low-arousal positive affect (calm and
tion (Isen & Reeve, 2005). Positive affect was also weakly relaxed) are more suitable for individuals who are
associated with academic achievement (Cheng & embedded in collectivist settings given that constant
Furnham, 2002; Nickerson, Diener, & Schwarz, 2011). adjustment to others’ needs and wants is important in
Yet, positive affect (i.e., cheerfulness) has not substan- such cultural contexts.
tially associated with academic ability in undergraduate Recognizing these cultural variations on the
students (Fox & Spector, 2000; Kashdan & Yuen, 2007). expression of affective states, Lee, Lin, Huang, and
Fredrickson (2013) developed the “peace of mind”
construct. Peace of mind (PoM) refers to the extent to
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jesus
Alfonso D. Datu. Division of Learning, Development, and Diversity –
which individuals feel internal peace, coherence, and
Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong). comfort. Lee et al. (2013) found that PoM is appli-
E-mail: [email protected] cable for Chinese and European-American students.

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 2  J. A. D. Datu

Consistent with their hypotheses, Chinese scored higher PoM and academic achievement among Filipino high
than European-American participants on PoM which school students.
implied that low-arousal positive emotions like PoM
may be more generalizable to interdependent cultural Peace of mind and psychological outcomes
contexts.
Past empirical literature has shown that PoM has
Even with the seeming value of examining the role
been associated with a number of positive academic
of PoM in the academic setting, very few studies have
and work-related outcomes. PoM has been positively
investigated the beneficial impact of PoM especially in
associated with academic engagement (Datu, Valdez
collectivist societies. Aside from the study of Lee et al.
et al., 2016), organizational citizenship behavior
(2013), only Datu, Valdez, and King (2016) have looked
(Ariyabuddhiphongs & Pratchawittayagorn, 2014),
at the relations of PoM with an academic outcome
positivity ratio (Lee et al., 2013), life satisfaction (Lee
(e.g., academic engagement). Other empirical investiga-
et al., 2013), and task performance (Anjum et al.,
tions focused on the association of PoM with organiza-
2014). On the other hand, PoM has been negatively
tional outcomes like organizational citizenship behaviors
correlated with anxiety and depression (Lee et al., 2013).
(Ariyabuddhiphongs & Pratchawittayagorn, 2014) and
Noticeably, while previous studies have shown that
task performance (Anjum, Ahmed, & Karim, 2014).
PoM was linked to well-being outcomes, only the study
It is possible that more-culturally sensitive positive
of Datu, Valdez et al. (2016) has explored the associ-
affective states like PoM may promote optimal outcomes
ation of PoM with academic outcomes.
in the educational context. The broaden-and-build
theory (Fredrickson, 2001) posits that positive affective
Academic motivation and academic outcomes
states (e.g., happiness, excitement, and calmness) are
valuable in that they broaden range of thought-action The self-determination theory (SDT) posits that the
preparations which enable individuals to acquire func- quality of motivational orientations that students
tional psychological resources. Individuals who expe- embody place an important role in shaping key psy-
rience positive affect are likely to embody approach chological outcomes (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Whereas
types of motivation and wide range of adaptive out- intrinsic motivation is considered the most optimal
comes. Supporting this theoretical conjecture, previous form of motivation (compared to extrinsic motiva-
studies have shown that positive affect was linked to tional orientations and amotivation), the framework
intrinsic motivation (Isen & Reeve, 2005) and academic argues that there are forms of extrinsic motivation
achievement (Cheng & Furnham, 2002; Nickerson et al., (i.e., identified regulation and integrated regulation)
2011). Whereas PoM is regarded as one form of pos- that may promote adaptive behaviors.
itive affect, Lee and colleagues (2013) note that positive Consistent with the taxonomy of Vansteenkiste,
affect measures in previous literature concentrated on Zhou, Lens, and Soenens (2005), combining identified
the high-arousal feelings while limited research has regulation (performing an action because individuals
been done to assess the role of low-arousal positive consider them as important and valuable) and inte-
affective states like PoM. Furthermore, they argue that grated regulation (doing a behavior because individ-
individuals in collectivist societies are more likely than uals see them as parallel to their goals and values)
those in individualist societies to experience low-arousal constitutes autonomous motivation which is a self-
emotions. determined motivational orientation. Alternatively,
It is therefore logical to assert that students’ PoM clustering together the introjected regulation (doing a
may be linked to greater academic achievement as this behavior because individuals feel uncomfortable or
affective state may enable them to embody approach obliged to perform it) and external regulation (perform-
forms of academic motivation (i.e., autonomous ing an act to get an incentive or to avoid a penalty)
motivation). However, no investigation (except for forms controlled motivation. Amotivation refers to
the study of Datu, Valdez, & King, 2016) has exam- absence of drive to perform an action.
ined the role of low-arousal positive affect like PoM Previous studies have demonstrated that these
in the academic setting. Clearly, more studies are motivational orientations (amotivation, controlled
needed to assess the theoretical linkage of peace of and autonomous motivation) shaped key academic
mind to academic outcomes. outcomes. Supporting this conjecture, autonomous
Therefore, the main objectives of the current motivation was positively associated with academic
research were: a.) to assess the association of PoM performance (e.g., Guay, Ratelle, Roy, & Litalien,
with academic motivation and achievement; and b.) 2010; Kusurkar, Ten Cate, Vos, Westers, & Croiset,
to examine the mediating effects of academic moti- 2013), academic adjustment (Ratelle, Guay, Vallerand,
vational orientations (i.e., amotivation, controlled Larose, & Senécal, 2007), and study strategies (Kusurkar
and autonomous motivation) on the link between et al., 2013).

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 Peace of Mind and Academic Outcomes  3

Theoretical perspective The study posited that low-arousal positive emotions

like PoM may be linked to higher academic achieve-
The broaden-and-build theory (Fredrickson, 2001) posits
ment as these emotional states can promote adaptive
that positive emotions are very adaptive because they
motivational orientations (e.g., autonomous and con-
expand individuals’ thought-action repertoire which
trolled motivations), which in turn, may be associated
is optimal for building key psychological resources.
with greater achievement. Put simply, autonomous
In the academic setting, scholars have shown that
motivation, controlled motivation, and amotivation can
positive emotions optimize academic engagement
serve as specific mechanisms as to why PoM may be
(Datu et al., 2017; Lewis et al., 2009), intrinsic motiva-
related to higher academic performance.
tional orientation (Isen & Reeve, 2005), and academic
achievement (Nickerson et al., 2011). However, it seems
The philippine setting
that past research has mainly concentrated on assess-
ing beneficial impact of high-arousal (e.g., elation) and The current research examined the association of
medium-arousal (e.g., joy) positive emotions on edu- PoM with the academic motivation and achievement
cational outcomes. of Filipino high school students in the Philippine
Solely focusing on evaluating the link of medium context. Examining the relations of PoM to academic
to high-arousal positive emotions on academic func- outcomes is an important direction because previous
tioning in a collectivist society may be problematic for research indicates that individuals in the Philippine
at least two reasons. First, researchers have demon- society are more likely to espouse an interdependent
strated that medium to high-arousal positive emotions than an independent self-view (Datu, 2015; Hofstede,
operate as more adaptive emotional states in Western 2001). Existing studies show that Filipino students
societies than in collectivist settings (Morling et al., 2002; may significantly benefit from experiencing high
Tsai et al., 2006). Second, individuals in collectivist levels of socially-oriented happiness as this construct
contexts are more likely to realize the value of express- has been linked to greater positive affect and life sat-
ing low-arousal positive emotions (Tsai et al., 2006). isfaction (Datu et al., 2017). However, it seems that
These findings indicate that more research is desired very limited evidence has been generated regarding
to explore the relationship of low-arousal positive the nomological network of PoM in the Philippine
emotions to academic outcomes. setting because to date, only the investigation of Datu,
With reference to the existing literature about the Valdez et al. (2016) have assessed the association of
educational benefits of positive emotions, it seems that PoM with relevant academic outcomes like student
having PoM may be linked to higher autonomous moti- engagement.
vation and academic achievement. This is because high The primary aim of the current study was to exam-
levels of PoM can potentially broaden students’ mind ine the influence of PoM on academic motivation (i.e.,
set and expand behavioral strategies that are beneficial amotivation, controlled motivation, and autonomous
for the attainment of successful learning outcomes (e.g., motivation) and academic achievement in Filipino
Guay et al., 2010; Kusurkar et al., 2013). This conjecture high school students. It also assessed the mediating role
was consistent with the findings from previous litera- of academic motivation on the relations between PoM
ture regarding the association of positive emotions with and academic motivation.
intrinsic motivation (Isen & Reeve, 2005) and academic The present research addressed notable gaps in
achievement (Nickerson et al., 2011). the existing PoM literature for at least third significant
Furthermore, it is also possible that PoM can promote reasons. First, whereas past studies have explored the
externally-oriented reasons for studying (controlled association of PoM with academic engagement (Datu,
motivation). It is likely that having high degree of PoM Valdez et al., 2016) and well-being outcomes (Lee et al.,
may broaden students’ mind sets which will enable 2013), the current study assessed the link of PoM to
them to realize the importance of studying to gain exter- academic motivation and academic achievement.
nal rewards and avoid feeling guilty about not studying To the best of my knowledge, this was the first research
(controlled motivation). In other words, controlled which examined the theoretical linkage of PoM with
motivation may serve as an academic resource that academic motivation and academic achievement.
can potentially develop through experiencing PoM. Second, the study explored the indirect influence of
The conjecture on controlled motivation as an academic PoM on academic achievement through the medi-
resource corroborated with the previous literature ating role of academic motivational orientations to
which demonstrates that socially-oriented motivation offer a potential mechanism on why PoM cultivates
may be beneficial for students who are embedded in successful learning in a collectivist context. Third,
collectivist contexts (Cheng & Lam, 2013; King & whereas the research of Lee et al. (2013) assessed the
McInerney, 2014). role of peace of mind across Taiwanese and American

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 4  J. A. D. Datu

undergraduate students, findings from their three amotivation, controlled motivation, and autonomous
inter-related studies may not be always generalizable motivation. Here are the sample items in each dimen-
in other non-undergraduate student populations. sion: amotivation (“I don’t know; I can’t understand
Investigating the association of PoM with key aca- what I am doing in school” and “In the past, I had
demic outcomes in Filipino high school students is an good reasons for going in school; however, now I
important research aim because previous studies have don’t know whether I should continue”); controlled
indicated that students who belong to this develop- motivation (“Because I want to get a more prestigious
mental period are vulnerable to experience a signifi- job” and “To prove to myself that I am capable of
cant decline in academic motivation (Fredricks & Eccles, completing my high school education”); and autono-
2002; Van de gaer et al., 2009). mous motivation (“Because I feel happy and satisfied
The present study tested the following conjectures: while learning new things” and “Because I think that
secondary school education will help me better pre-
H1: PoM would positively predict academic pare for the job that I like”). The dimensions of the
achievement. scale had the following Cronbach’s alpha reliability
H2: PoM would positively predict autonomous and coefficient: .85 (amotivation), .77 (controlled), and .84
controlled motivation. (autonomous).
H3: PoM would negatively predict amotivation. The English versions of the Peace of Mind Scale
H4: Autonomous motivation and controlled motiva- and Academic Motivation Scale were administered
tion would positively predict academic achievement. to the participants because past investigations have
H5: Amotivation would negatively predict academic shown that the English versions of psychological
achievement. questionnaires are considered valid even in the
H6: Amotivation, controlled motivation, and auton- Philippine context (e.g., Datu, 2015; Datu et al., 2017.
omous motivation would mediate the association
between PoM and academic achievement. Procedures

Before administering the packet of surveys to the

Methods participants, the author sought approval from the
Participants principal of the secondary school institution where
the study was conducted. Passive consent forms
The total sample was composed of 525 Filipino high were administered to the students across year levels.
school students from a private secondary school Afterwards, students were requested to answer the
institution in Metro Manila which is considered an questionnaires and to report their respective general
urban area. The ages of the participants ranged from quarterly average during the second grading quarter
11 to 19 (M = 13.85; SD = 1.27). There were 268 girls based on their report cards. The quarterly average
and 257 boys participants in the study. In terms of ranged from 0 to 100 with higher marks indicating
the academic year level, the sample was comprised better academic performance.
of 201 Grade 7, 122 Grade 8, 59 Grade 9, and 142
Grade 10 students. However, 1 student failed to report Data analysis
the year level.
The descriptive statistical values like mean, standard
Instruments deviation, and measures of normality were computed.
As no missing data was detected, inferential statis-
Peace of mind tical analyses were carried out. Then, correlational
The Peace of Mind Scale (Lee et al., 2013) is a 7-item coefficients among PoM, academic motivation,
questionnaire which measured the degree to which the and academic achievement were also calculated.
participants feel calmness, internal peace, and harmony. To assess the indirect effects of PoM on academic
Sample items in the scale involved: “My mind is free achievement via amotivation, controlled motivation,
and peaceful” and “I have peace and harmony in mind”. and autonomous motivation, regression analyses
The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the scale in the cur- was conducted based on the INDIRECT Macro
rent study was .72. (Preacher & Hayes, 2008) using SPSS v23. Bias-
corrected bootstrapping analysis at 95% confidence
interval (CI) was carried out with reference to 5,000
Academic motivation
bootstrapped samples. The coefficient of determina-
The modified version of Academic Motivation Scale tion values (R2) were also reported to assess the effect
(Caleon et al., 2015) was utilized in the present research sizes between the explanatory and outcome variables
to assess the extent to which the participants espouse in the study.

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 Peace of Mind and Academic Outcomes  5

Results determination (R2) values indicated that PoM explained

around 1.0% to 18% of the variance in students’ amo-
Preliminary data analysis
tivation, controlled motivation, and autonomous
The results of descriptive statistics and correlations motivation.
analysis are shown in Table 1. Consistent with H1, PoM Partly supporting H4, autonomous motivation posi-
was positively associated with academic achievement. tively predicted academic achievement, β = .52, p < .01
PoM was also positively correlated with autonomous while controlled motivation did not significantly pre-
motivation and controlled motivation while PoM was dict achievement. H5 was not supported as amotiva-
negatively associated with amotivation. Furthermore, tion did not predict achievement. The three academic
autonomous motivation was positively correlated with motivational dimensions (i.e., amotivation, controlled
academic achievement but amotivation was negatively motivation, and autonomous motivation) accounted
linked to academic achievement. for 1.90% of the variance in academic achievement.
The results of bias-corrected bootstrapping analysis
Mediation analyses based on 5,000 bootstrapped samples at 95% CI sup-
ported the hypothesized indirect effects of peace of
The results of regression analyses were reported in
mind on academic achievement via autonomous moti-
Table 2. H1 was supported since PoM positively pre-
vation (See Table 3).
dicted academic achievement β = .16, p < .05. H2 was
confirmed as PoM positively predicted autonomous
Discussion
motivation, β = .48, p < .001. Consistent with H3, PoM
negatively predicted amotivation, β = –.19, p < .05. The primary objective of the current investigation was
Moreover, PoM positively predicted controlled moti- to examine the associations of peace of mind with
vation, β = .25, p < .01. A review of the coefficient of academic motivation and academic achievement.

Table 1. Descriptive statistics and correlational coefficients between the variables

Variable α M SD r

1 2 3 4 5

1. Peace of mind .72 3.53 .57 –

2. Amotivation .85 3.19 1.61 –.10* –
3. Controlled motivation .77 5.43 .89 .20** –.08 –
4. Autonomous motivation .84 5.60 .86 .35** –.28** .48** –
5. Academic achievement – 87.82 4.23 .11** –.08* .07 .12** –
6. Age – 13.85 1.27

Note: **p < .001, *p < .05.

Table 2. Standardized regression weights of the regression analyses

Types of paths Standardized estimates

Paths β SE t

Direct effects
PoM academic achievement .16 .26 –2.02*
PoM predicting mediators
PoM Amotivation –.19 .09 –2.02*
PoM Controlled .25 .05 4.92***
PoM Autonomous .48 .04 10.78***
Mediators predicting outcomes
Amotivation academic achievement –.15 1.26 .21
Controlled academic achievement .08 .30 .29
Autonomous academic achievement .52 .26 2.51**

*p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001.

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 6  J. A. D. Datu

Table 3. Results of Indirect Effects of Peace of Mind on Academic argues that positive affect may broaden action-thought
Achievement via Academic Motivation repertoire that build adaptive resources and optimize
key psychological outcomes.
Perceived academic achievement Surprisingly, PoM was positively associated with
controlled academic motivation which provided full
Mediators Indirect effects BCa 95% CI support on H2. This implies that students with high
levels of peace of mind would perform academic tasks
Amotivation –.02 –.190, .142
because of external rewards and perceived sense of
Controlled .03 –.101, .106
obligation. Whereas the self-determination theory
Autonomous .25 .091, .598
(Ryan & Deci, 2000) posits that autonomous motiva-
tion is a more adaptive than controlled motivation,
The mediating influence of academic motivation on some scholars assert that even controlled motivation
the link between PoM and academic achievement was may play an important role in facilitating key educa-
also assessed. Most aspects of the results confirmed the tional outcomes in collectivist cultures (Cheng & Lam,
theoretical conjectures in the present study. 2013; King & McInerney, 2014). To a large extent, this
Consistent with H1 and H2, PoM was positively asso- is because students in interdependent contexts also
ciated with academic achievement and autonomous see the significance of embodying more extrinsic
motivation. H3 was also confirmed as PoM was nega- forms of motivation to achieve vital cultural goals
tively linked to amotivation. These results indicate that (e.g., preserving harmonious relationship with signifi-
students who feel internal peace and harmony are more cant others).
likely to get higher grades and espouse self-determined Furthermore, the study showed that controlled
form of academic motivation. This corroborated the motivation and amotivation did not predict academic
extant body of knowledge regarding the advantageous achievement. These findings suggest that extrinsic
relations of positive affect with key academic outcomes motivational orientations (controlled motivation) and
such as academic achievement (Cheng & Furnham, lack of drive to study (motivation) may not be linked
2002; Nickerson et al., 2011), intrinsic motivation (Isen & to academic performance which confirmed results
Reeve, 2005), and academic engagement (Lewis et al., from previous studies on the lack of association among
2009). Yet, the study contributes to the literature through such motivational types and educational outcomes
assessing the association of low-arousal positive affect (Areepattamannil, Freeman, & Klinger, 2011; Baker,
like PoM with academic achievement and academic 2004). However, it is likely that two reasons may have
motivation in the academic context. shaped the non-significant associations of controlled
Supporting H4, autonomous motivation was posi- motivation and amotivation with achievement. First,
tively associated with academic achievement. Hence, it it may be possible that these motivational orientations
appears that when students engage in academic tasks are indirectly linked to academic achievement through
that are consistent with their aspiration, goals and the mediating effects of academic variables (e.g., self-
values, it is likely that they can achieve higher grades. regulation or academic engagement). Second, the use
This was consistent with the theoretical postulations of of subjective measure of academic achievement in the
the self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000) and present study may have resulted in biased estimates
the findings from past investigations regarding the of relationships between motivation and academic
psychological benefits autonomous motivation on var- performance.
ious educational outcomes such as academic perfor- The effect sizes found as regards to the associa-
mance and academic adjustment (i.e., Guay et al., 2010; tions among PoM, academic motivation, and achieve-
Kusurkar et al., 2013; Ratelle et al., 2007). ment in the study ranged from 1% to 18%. Although
The most notable theoretical contribution of the pre- the effect sizes may indicate a relatively small degree
sent study, however, points to the indirect influence of of relationships among the variables, the values are
peace of mind to academic achievement through the comparable to what have been found in previous
mediating roles of autonomous motivation. This result research regarding the link between personality
seems to suggest that higher peace of mind could be variables and academic outcomes (Poropat, 2009).
associated with greater academic performance because Hence, the results of the current investigation may
this low-arousal affective state may be linked to adap- still offer potential contributions to the existing liter-
tive forms of motivation (autonomous motivation). ature regarding the correlates/predictors of academic
In other words, academic motivation can explain why performance.
peace of mind may be associated with higher academic The present study had some limitations. First,
achievement. Evidently, this provides support on the the cross-sectional nature of the current investigation
broaden-and-build theory (Fredrickson, 2001) which poses restraints in terms of drawing causal inferences

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 Peace of Mind and Academic Outcomes  7

about the relations among PoM, academic motivation, Areepattamannil S., Freeman J. G., & Klinger D. A. (2011).
and academic achievement. Future researchers are Intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and academic
recommended to use longitudinal designs (i.e., cross- achievement among Indian adolescents in Canada and
lagged panel or prospective longitudinal designs) to India. Social Psychology of Education, 14, 427–439. https://
doi.org/10.1007/s11218-011-9155-1
examine the causal ordering between PoM and aca-
Ariyabuddhiphongs V., & Pratchawittayagorn A. (2014).
demic outcomes. Second, the present study relied on
Peace of mind and organizational citizenship behavior:
self-report data to assess the variables of interest The mediating effect of loving kindness. Archive for the
(e.g., peace of mind) which may be susceptible to Psychology of Religion, 36, 233–252. https://doi.
common method variance. Future investigations are org/10.1163/15736121-12341284
encouraged to use other-report data (peer-report and Baker S. R. (2004). Intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivational
teacher-report data) to address this limitation. Third, orientations: Their role in university adjustment, stress,
the present research only recruited Filipino students well-being, and subsequent academic performance.
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study only focused on detecting the association of Cheng H., & Furnham A. (2002). Personality, peer
PoM with academic motivation and achievement. relations, and self-confidence as predictors of happiness
Future research can address this through exploring and loneliness. Journal of Adolescence, 25, 327–339.
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Datu J. A. D. (2015). Validating the revised self-construal
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positive affect like PoM can be linked to academic Datu J. A. D. (2016). The synergistic interplay between
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ings of the current research call for the need to con-
interdependent happiness scale in the Philippines. Child
ceptualize and carry out psychological interventions Indicators Research, 9, 631–649. https://doi.org/10.1007/
that can optimize low-arousal positive affect like peace s12187-015-9333-3
of mind in the academic context. This is because culti- Datu J. A. D., King R. B., & Valdez J. P. M. (2017).
vating these types of emotions may be associated with The academic rewards of socially-oriented happiness:
adaptive educational outcomes especially in collec- Interdependent happiness promotes engagement.
tivist sociocultural settings. Teachers are also recom- Journal of School Psychology, 61, 19–31. https://doi.
mended to create learning contexts that will enable org/10.1016/j.jsp.2016.12.004
students to feel calm and relaxed while performing Datu J. A. D., Valdez J. P. M., & King R. B. (2016). Peace of
various academic tasks. mind promotes academic engagement: Cross-sectional
and longitudinal evidence. (Manuscript submitted for
publication).
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