The study comes at a time when global education systems are increasingly facing concerns about students’ emotional well-being, academic anxiety, and declining motivation in schools. In elementary education, these issues are considered especially critical because childhood is a key period for emotional and neurological development.
According to Nursalim, learning happiness should no longer be viewed as a secondary aspect of education. Instead, it has become a fundamental requirement for creating effective, healthy, and humane learning environments. From the perspective of educational neuroscience, positive emotional experiences help optimize brain functions related to attention, memory, and decision-making processes.
The research used a systematic literature review approach by analyzing scientific publications published between 2022 and 2026. Data sources included academic databases such as Scopus, ERIC, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and SINTA. The selected studies were examined using thematic content analysis to identify dominant patterns related to elementary students’ learning happiness.
The findings revealed that learning happiness is shaped by several interconnected factors, including emotional well-being, supportive classroom climates, caring teacher-student relationships, and meaningful learning activities.
One of the study’s most important findings is that positive learning experiences significantly improve students’ motivation, cognitive engagement, emotional regulation, and academic performance. Conversely, excessive academic pressure and rigid classroom practices can negatively affect children’s emotional health and reduce their enjoyment of learning.
The research also explains how emotions directly influence children’s brain development and learning processes. When students feel emotionally safe, supported, and appreciated in the classroom, the brain produces dopamine and serotonin, neurotransmitters associated with motivation, concentration, and memory retention. In contrast, stress and fear can disrupt brain functions responsible for focus, emotional regulation, and decision-making.
These findings reinforce educational neuroscience theories suggesting that emotional conditions are closely connected to students’ neurological readiness to learn. Elementary school children are considered particularly vulnerable because their cognitive and emotional development is still rapidly evolving.
The study further highlights how educational culture and social expectations influence students’ learning happiness. In many educational systems, including Indonesia’s, children’s success is still heavily measured through grades, rankings, and academic achievements. As a result, many students experience psychological pressure from both schools and families at an early age.
According to the literature reviewed in the study, examination-driven educational systems often create intense academic competition that increases anxiety and reduces students’ enjoyment of learning. Several international studies included in the review found that excessive academic demands can weaken students’ emotional well-being and lower overall school satisfaction.
The research also references reports from UNESCO and OECD showing that learning anxiety and declining emotional well-being among students have become global concerns, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in social interaction patterns and increased dependence on digital technology were identified as contributing factors affecting children’s psychosocial conditions.
In Indonesia, the issue is becoming increasingly relevant alongside the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum and the Merdeka Belajar policy, which emphasize flexible, student-centered, and enjoyable learning environments. However, the study found that many schools still prioritize academic performance over students’ emotional experiences in classrooms.
Another major finding concerns the role of teacher-student relationships in shaping learning happiness. Teachers who create positive interactions, encourage active participation, and build inclusive classroom environments are more likely to improve students’ emotional engagement and learning motivation.
Supportive classroom climates were also found to strengthen students’ confidence and participation during lessons. Students in emotionally safe environments tend to ask more questions, collaborate more actively, and feel more comfortable expressing their ideas.
The study emphasizes that education should not focus solely on academic achievement. From an educational neuroscience perspective, enjoyable and emotionally meaningful learning experiences help strengthen neural connectivity and neuroplasticity, both of which are essential for long-term cognitive development and memory formation.
According to Nursalim, schools need to adopt more humanistic and child-friendly educational approaches. Teachers are encouraged to use collaborative, interactive, and student-centered teaching strategies that allow children to enjoy the learning process while developing academically.
The research also recommends that policymakers integrate emotional well-being indicators into educational evaluation systems. Current educational assessments are still largely dominated by standardized testing and academic achievement measurements, while students’ mental health and emotional development often receive less attention.
In addition, schools are encouraged to strengthen social-emotional learning programs to help students manage emotions, build empathy, and develop healthy social relationships within school environments.
Despite offering comprehensive insights, the study acknowledges several limitations. Most of the reviewed literature originated from international contexts, while studies specifically focusing on Indonesian elementary school students remain limited. Therefore, the researcher recommends future empirical investigations involving Indonesian schools, teachers, students, and classroom environments to provide more contextual findings.
As awareness of children’s mental health continues to grow worldwide, research on learning happiness is expected to play an increasingly important role in shaping future education systems that prioritize both academic excellence and emotional well-being.
Author Profile
Nursalim is an academic and researcher from Makassar State University specializing in educational neuroscience, student emotional well-being, elementary education, and brain-based learning approaches.
Research Source
The study titled Evaluation of Elementary School Students’ Learning Happiness: A Systematic Literature Review from the Perspective of Educational Neuroscience was published in the International Journal of Education and Psychological Science Volume 4 Number 3, 2026.
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