EXPLORING 9th -GRADE STUDENTS’ WELL-BEING IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL CONTEXT IN TURKEY

Abstract

One factor that impacts students’ academic performance and success in life is their psychological state. Well-being is considered one of the most crucial elements of this psychological state and is defined as a condition “in which a person can realize their full capacity, work successfully and creatively, establish strong interpersonal relationships, and contribute to the community” (Beddington et al., 2008, p. 1057). For many years, psychology and education have both employed and extensively investigated the idea of well-being. Well-being is a broad subject and it is influenced by several factors; including the school context, social relations, structural features and facilities of the school, and many more. As a result, the context must be taken into account while discussing this topic. In line with the information, this study aims to explore the well-being of 9th -grade students in the public school context. In the study, variables (school context, school engagement and safety, students’ gender, relations with peers and teachers, and their perceptions of school life) related to students' well-being levels were examined by using a mixed-method technique. The quantitative data were collected using The EPOCH Measure of Adolescent Well-being, adapted by Kern et al. (2016). In addition, qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews. When the survey findings were evaluated, the students’ overall well-being score was moderate, and there was no significant difference in terms of gender. Besides, when the interview responses were analyzed, it was revealed that students were happy in the school context, communicated well with teachers and peers, participated in various activities, and felt safe in the school context.