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Wellbeing of Primary and Secondary School Students in Switzerland: A Longitudinal Perspective

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Wellbeing and Schooling

Part of the book series: Transdisciplinary Perspectives in Educational Research ((TPER,volume 4))

Abstract

Although previous research on wellbeing has predominantly focused on wellbeing of adults, in recent years the focus has shifted to wellbeing of children and young adolescents. Most young people spend large amounts of time in the school environment; therefore, more rigorous research that monitors children and young adolescents’ reported wellbeing in schools over time appears to be particularly important in identifying the underlying mechanisms behind student wellbeing and particularly vulnerable areas at different developmental stages. The present study investigated the development of student wellbeing amongst primary and secondary school students, using the multidimensional model of student wellbeing. Data from 406 primary school students in grades 4–6 and 403 secondary school students in grades 7–9 was used. The results revealed that secondary school students reported less positive attitudes towards school, less enjoyment in school, lower academic self-concept, more worries in school, and more physical complaints in school compared to primary school students. However, primary school students experienced more social problems in school. Significant differences were also found across gender and students with and without a migration background . Understanding students’ wellbeing as they move through different educational stages is crucial to creating an appropriate educational environment for positive student functioning.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Research in School and Instruction, Institute of Educational Science, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Julia Morinaj & Tina Hascher

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  1. Julia Morinaj
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  2. Tina Hascher
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Correspondence to Julia Morinaj .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Ros McLellan

  2. Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Carole Faucher

  3. Danish School of Education, Aarhus University, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Venka Simovska

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Morinaj, J., Hascher, T. (2022). Wellbeing of Primary and Secondary School Students in Switzerland: A Longitudinal Perspective. In: McLellan, R., Faucher, C., Simovska, V. (eds) Wellbeing and Schooling. Transdisciplinary Perspectives in Educational Research, vol 4. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95205-1_5

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