This research applied current thinking in the fields of positive education, positive youth development, and global education to a culturally-relevant, social-emotional learning curriculum. The Kenya Education Empowerment Project (KEEP) curriculum facilitated social-emotional learning through dialogically-based classroom lessons and opportunities for self-reflection. This research investigated the hypothesis that the recognition and amplification of character strengths, through the delivery of the KEEP strengths-based curriculum, would result in a measurable increase in the subjective well-being of children. The two-week KEEP curriculum was part of a larger a "whole community" approach that included teachers and parents as important aspects of the learning process. This research also explored the differential impact of a social-emotional learning intervention on behavioral and cognitive outcomes by gender. The research assessed a sample of 121 Kenyan upper-primary school learners enrolled in Standard Six through Standard Eight at a primary school in Central Kenya using a quantitative, pre-test/post-test research design. The metric for assessing well-being was the KIDSCREEN-27, which assessed Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) along five dimensions, including Physical Well-Being, Psychological Well-being, Autonomy and Parents, Peers and Social Support, and School Environment. It was found that there was a significant increase over a two-week period for young female learners in their attitudes towards school and learning. The results of the study found that pre-adolescent Kenyan girls may be especially susceptible to the effects of character strength learning. The findings of this study suggest practical implications for meeting the dynamic learning needs of learners--and especially female learners--at specific stages of their education. The study's findings imply that there is no single route to well-being; rather, the path is age-contextual, gender-contextual, and dynamic. This research makes a case for practical curriculum design that tailors curricula to individual dynamic needs based on gender, age and learning stage. Limitations to the current study and areas for future research are discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]