The Development of Relationships in Class and Students' Well-Being at School During Lower Secondary

• In Event: Examining the Impact of School Culture and Climate on Equity and Access

Abstract

This paper examines the interrelationship between students´ wellbeing at school, the relationship to intra-school groups, personality factors and within-school components. From a longitudinal perspective the focus is on the change of factors that may affect the development of students´ wellbeing at school during lower secondary, taking the school site into account.
Data from Austrian New Middle School (NMS) students, aged 10-14 years, collected over four years (2010-2014), revealed that, depending on the school site, the influences of relationships with classmates and teachers are important for the development of wellbeing. The broader understanding of students´ wellbeing in school can help to design a learning environment that enables students to continue learning in a satisfactory manner during the critical period of adolescence.

Authors

• Michaela Kilian, University of Vienna

• Corinna Geppert, University of Vienna

• Mariella Knapp, University of Vienna

• Tamara Katschnig, University of Vienna