IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jhappi/v20y2019i3d10.1007_s10902-018-9974-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Children’s Wellbeing at School: A Multi-dimensional and Multi-informant Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Valentina Tobia

    (University of Milan-Bicocca)

  • Andrea Greco

    (University of Bergamo)

  • Patrizia Steca

    (University of Milan-Bicocca)

  • Gian Marco Marzocchi

    (University of Milan-Bicocca
    Centro per l’Età Evolutiva)

Abstract

Based on a multi-dimensional model of wellbeing in school that includes psychological, cognitive and social components, the aim of this investigation was to (a) analyse differences based on gender and school level (primary or middle school) in children’s subjective reports of their school wellbeing, (b) analyse correlates of subjective school wellbeing considering learning skills, grades and behavioural problems, and (c) investigate parents’ and teachers’ personal experiences and observations related to children with a low level of subjective school wellbeing. The sample comprised 1038 third- to eighth-grade students who completed the Questionnaire on School Wellbeing (QBS; Tobia and Marzocchi in QBS 8-13. Questionari per la valutazione del benessere scolastico e identificazione dei fattori di rischio [QBS 8-13. Questionnaires for the evaluation of school wellbeing and the identification of risk factors], Erickson, Trento, 2015a), which investigates the gratification obtained by results in school, relationships with teachers and classmates, emotional attitude towards school, and self-efficacy. The results showed significant gender differences (e.g., a better relationship with teachers but a poorer emotional attitude towards school for girls) and lower scores on school wellbeing in middle school students compared to primary school students. Among primary school students, wellbeing tended to be positively influenced by learning skills, whereas it was positively influenced by grades and negatively influenced by behavioural problems among middle school students. Finally, both parents and teachers of children with low levels of school wellbeing described greater feelings of worry, guilt, and tension in relation to the children’s difficulties. Parents reported more learning and emotional difficulties in these children, whereas teachers reported lower self-awareness. These results may offer insights to inform school policies and interventions aimed at improving children’s wellbeing.

Suggested Citation

  • Valentina Tobia & Andrea Greco & Patrizia Steca & Gian Marco Marzocchi, 2019. "Children’s Wellbeing at School: A Multi-dimensional and Multi-informant Approach," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 841-861, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:20:y:2019:i:3:d:10.1007_s10902-018-9974-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-018-9974-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10902-018-9974-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10902-018-9974-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Browne, Gina & Gafni, Amiram & Roberts, Jacqueline & Byrne, Carolyn & Majumdar, Basanti, 2004. "Effective/efficient mental health programs for school-age children: a synthesis of reviews," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(7), pages 1367-1384, April.
    2. Karen Van Petegem & Antonia Aelterman & Hilde Van Keer & Yves Rosseel, 2008. "The influence of student characteristics and interpersonal teacher behaviour in the classroom on student’s wellbeing," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 85(2), pages 279-291, January.
    3. Asher Ben-Arieh & James McDonell & Shalhevet Attar-Schwartz, 2009. "Safety and Home–School Relations as Indicators of Children Well Being: Whose Perspective Counts?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 90(3), pages 339-349, February.
    4. Laura Camfield & Natalia Streuli & Martin Woodhead, 2010. "Children's Well-being in Developing Countries: A Conceptual and Methodological Review," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 22(3), pages 398-416, July.
    5. Elizabeth Pollard & Patrice Lee, 2003. "Child Well-being: A Systematic Review of the Literature," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 61(1), pages 59-78, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Saira Hossain & Sue O’Neill & Iva Strnadová, 2023. "What Constitutes Student Well-Being: A Scoping Review Of Students’ Perspectives," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(2), pages 447-483, April.
    2. Janka Goldan & Lena Nusser & Michael Gebel, 2022. "School-related Subjective Well-being of Children with and without Special Educational Needs in Inclusive Classrooms," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(4), pages 1313-1337, August.
    3. Daniela Raccanello & Giada Vicentini & Elena Trifiletti & Roberto Burro, 2020. "A Rasch Analysis of the School-Related Well-Being (SRW) Scale: Measuring Well-Being in the Transition from Primary to Secondary School," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-17, December.
    4. Yuki Ninomiya & Mariko Matsumoto & Asuka Nomura & Lauri Kemppinen & Dandii Odgerel & Soili Keskinen & Esko Keskinen & Nergui Oyuntungalag & Hiroko Tsuboi & Nobuko Suzuki & Chie Hatagaki & Yutaka Fukui, 2021. "A Cross-Cultural Study of Happiness in Japanese, Finnish, and Mongolian Children: Analysis of the Sentence Completion Test," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(2), pages 871-896, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mònica González-Carrasco & Ferran Casas & Asher Ben-Arieh & Shazly Savahl & Habib Tiliouine, 2019. "Children’s Perspectives and Evaluations of Safety in Diverse Settings and Their Subjective Well-Being: A Multi-National Approach," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 14(2), pages 309-334, April.
    2. Cho, Esther Yin-Nei & Yu, Fuk-Yuen, 2020. "A review of measurement tools for child wellbeing," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    3. Cho, Esther Yin-Nei & Chan, T.M.S., 2020. "Children’s wellbeing in a high-stakes testing environment: The case of Hong Kong," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    4. Rasmus Riad & Mara Westling Allodi & Eva Siljehag & Carina Wikman & Tamsin Ford & Sven Bölte, 2021. "How I Feel About My School—Adaptation and Validation of an Educational Well-Being Measure among Young Children in Sweden," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-14, May.
    5. Kristin Anderson Moore & Laura H. Lippman & Hugh McIntosh, 2009. "Positive Indicators of Child Well-being: A conceptual framework, measures and methodological issues," Papers inwopa580, Innocenti Working Papers.
    6. Mónica Domínguez-Serrano & Lucía Moral Espín, 2018. "From Relevant Capabilities to Relevant Indicators: Defining an Indicator System for Children’s Well-Being in Spain," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 11(1), pages 1-25, February.
    7. William P. O’Hare, 2016. "A State Level Assessment of the Well-Being of Black Children in the United States," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 9(1), pages 277-297, March.
    8. Tania Clarke & Ruth Platt, 2023. "Children’s Lived Experiences of Wellbeing at School in England: a Phenomenological Inquiry," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(3), pages 963-996, June.
    9. Éva Sztáray Kézdy & Zsófia Drjenovszky, 2021. "Hungarian Stay-at-Home Fathers: A New Alternative for Family Wellbeing," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-20, May.
    10. Miroslav Verbič & Nela Kačmarčik-Maduna, 2018. "Child Well-being in Transition Countries as an Intergenerational Investment in the Development of Human Capital," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 11(4), pages 1077-1105, August.
    11. Jacinthe Dion & Catherine Hamel & Camille Clermont & Marie-Ève Blackburn & Martine Hébert & Linda Paquette & Daniel Lalande & Sophie Bergeron, 2022. "Changes in Canadian Adolescent Well-Being since the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Prior Child Maltreatment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-13, August.
    12. Berasategi Sancho, Naiara & Idoiaga Mondragon, Nahia & Dosil Santamaria, Maria & Eiguren Munitis, Amaia, 2021. "The Well-being of children in lock-down: Physical, emotional, social and academic impact," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    13. Misikhina, Svetlana, "undated". "Impact of Social Policy on the Welfare of Children in OECD Countries and Russia," Published Papers nvg138, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
    14. Fava, Nicole M. & Li, Tan & Burke, Shanna L. & Wagner, Eric F., 2017. "Resilience in the context of fragility: Development of a multidimensional measure of child wellbeing within the Fragile Families dataset," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 358-367.
    15. Mònica González-Carrasco & Lívia Bedin & Ferran Casas & Jaime Alfaro & Jorge Castellá Sarriera, 2023. "Safety, Perceptions of Good Treatment and Subjective Well-Being in 10- and 12-year-old Children in Three Countries," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(3), pages 1521-1544, June.
    16. Lindsey Roberts & Victoria Banyard & John Grych & Sherry Hamby, 2019. "Well-Being in Rural Appalachia: Age and Gender Patterns Across Five Indicators," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 391-410, February.
    17. Almudena Moreno Mínguez, 2020. "Children’s Relationships and Happiness: The Role of Family, Friends and the School in Four European Countries," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(5), pages 1859-1878, June.
    18. Waygood, E.O.D. & Friman, Margareta & Olsson, Lars E. & Taniguchi, Ayako, 2017. "Children's incidental social interaction during travel international case studies from Canada, Japan, and Sweden," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 22-29.
    19. Makhtoom Ahmed & Imran Sabir & Muhammad Zaman, 2022. "Children’s Perceptions of their Safety and Agency in Pakistan," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(3), pages 959-987, June.
    20. Daniel Hernández-Torrano, 2020. "Mapping Global Research on Child Well-Being in School Contexts: A Bibliometric and Network Analysis (1978–2018)," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 13(3), pages 863-884, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:20:y:2019:i:3:d:10.1007_s10902-018-9974-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.