Reimagining Wellbeing in Neoliberal Times: School Wellbeing as an Adjunct to Academic Performance?

Carlsson, Monica

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-95205-1_3

Reimagining Wellbeing in Neoliberal Times: School Wellbeing as an Adjunct to Academic Performance?

Monica Carlsson⁵

Chapter
First Online: 06 May 2022

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

Abstract

The purpose of the chapter is to examine the policy ideas in the formulation of aims for and measurements of pupils’ school wellbeing in the 2014 Danish school reform. The analysis draws methodological inspiration from critical policy scholarship in education, discussing wellbeing as a vehicular idea, that is, a travelling idea formulated in a somewhat vague an open-ended manner. The paper closes with a discussion of concerns stemming from the twinning of pupils’ wellbeing and academic achievement in education policy, and by suggesting potential implications of the chapter’s findings for educational policymakers and practitioners.

Keywords

School reform
Policy
Pupils’ school wellbeing
Academic achievement
Neoliberal governance

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Notes

1.
The term ‘Folkeskole’ refers to the general municipal school, enrolling the majority of Danish pupils and covering the entire period of compulsory education, from the age of 6 to 16.
2.
Wellbeing measurements have previously been used in these schools on an optional basis. The aim of strengthening school wellbeing and the implementation of wellbeing measurements is described in the ‘Folkeskole Act’ (§16a, §56b).
3.
According to the documentation of these discussions in the parliament and on the e-portal for teachers, available at following websites: https://www.ft.dk; https://www.Folkeskolen.dk
4.
https://www.uvm.dk/folkeskolen/elevplaner-nationale-test--trivselsmaaling-og-sprogproever/trivselsmaaling

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Webpages

emu.dk/grundskole/undervisningsmiljo/trivsel (the national learningportal, Danish Ministry of Education).
https://www.uvm.dk/folkeskolen/folkeskolens-maal-love-og-regler (the Folkeskole Act, Danish Ministry of Education).
https://www.uvm.dk/statistik/grundskolen/elever/trivselsmaalinger (results).
https://www.uvm.dk/folkeskolen/elevplaner-nationale-test%2D%2Dtrivselsmaaling-og-sprogproever/trivselsmaaling (the survey tool).

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Danish School of Education, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Monica Carlsson

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Monica Carlsson
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Editors and Affiliations

Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Ros McLellan
Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Carole Faucher
Danish School of Education, Aarhus University, Copenhagen, Denmark
Venka Simovska

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Carlsson, M. (2022). Reimagining Wellbeing in Neoliberal Times: School Wellbeing as an Adjunct to Academic Performance?. 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_3

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95205-1_3
Published: 06 May 2022
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-95204-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-95205-1
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