Abstract
Policymakers, academic researchers and the general public have become increasingly interested in wellbeing in recent years. Although there is consensus that wellbeing is important, there is considerable debate as to what exactly wellbeing is and hence how it might be enhanced. This chapter provides an overview of research on wellbeing and argues that the different disciplinary lenses generate unique insights that must be considered collectively for a cohesive picture of wellbeing to be developed. Furthermore, it is argued that research on adults’ wellbeing cannot be unproblematically applied to children and young people. Substantially less research has focused on children and young people compared with adults’ wellbeing, and even less work has considered wellbeing in the school context. The contribution of McLellan and Galton’s work in this area is outlined, and outstanding issues about children and young people’s wellbeing are raised.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Amabile, T. (1996). Creativity in context. Boulder: Westview Press Inc..
Andrews, F. M., & Inglehart, R. F. (1979). The structure of well-being in nine western societies. Social Indicators Research, 6, 73–90.
Aristotle. (1985). Nicomachean ethics (T. Irwin, Trans.). Indianapolis: Hackett.
Ball, S. J. (1993). Education markets, choice and social class: The market as a class strategy in the UK and USA. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 14, 3–19.
Bangs, J., McBeath, J., & Galton, M. (2011). Reinventing schools, reforming teaching. Abingdon: Routledge.
Ben-Arieh, A. (2005). Where are the children? Children’s role in measuring and monitoring their well-being. Social Indicators Research, 74(3), 573–596.
Ben-Arieh, A. (2008). Indicators and indices of children’s well-being: Towards a more policy-oriented perspective. European Journal of Education, 43(1), 37–50.
Bentham, J. (1781). An introduction to the principles and morals of legislation. London: T. Payne and Son.
Boniwell, I. (2008). Positive psychology in a nutshell. London: Personal Wellbeing Centre.
Campbell, A. (1976). Subjective measures of well-being. American Psychologist, 31, 117–124.
Corp, A. (2013). Measuring national well-being – domains and measures – September 2013. London: Office for National Statistics.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1975). Beyond boredom and anxiety. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper & Row.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2002). Flow: The classic work on how to achieve happiness. New York: Harper & Row.
Currie, C., Gabhainn, S. N., Godeau, E., Roberts, C., Smith, R., Currie, D., Picket, W., Richter, M., Morgan, A., & Barnekow, V. (2008). Inequalities in young people’s Health: HSBC International Report from the 2005/2006 survey. Copenhagen: World Health Organisation.
Deci, E. L. (1975). Intrinsic motivation. New York: Plenum.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behaviour. New York: Plenum.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008a). Facilitating optimal motivation and psychological well-being across life’s domains. Canadian Psychology, 49(1), 14–23.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008b). Hedonia, eudaimonia, and well-being: An introduction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9(1), 1–11.
Demetriou, H., & Wilson, E. (2009). Synthesising affect and cognition in teaching and learning. Social Psychology of Education: An International Journal, 12(2), 213–232.
Demetriou, H., & Wilson, E. (2012). It’s bad to be too good: The perils of striving for perfection in teaching. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 1801–1805.
Department for Education and Skills. (2003a). Every child matters: Green paper. Nottingham: Department for Education and Schools.
Department for Education and Skills. (2003b). Excellence and enjoyment: A strategy for primary schools. London: Department for Education and Skills.
Department for Education and Skills. (2005). Social and emotional aspects of learning. London: Department for Education and Skills.
Diener, E. (1984). Subjective wellbeing. Psychological Bulletin, 95(3), 542–575.
Diener, E., Suh, E., Lucas, R., & Smith, H. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125(2), 276–302.
Dolan, P., Layard, R., & Metcalfe, R. (2011). Measuring subjective well-being for public policy. London: Office for National Statistics.
Eckersley, R. (2013). Subjective wellbeing: Telling only half the story. A commentary on Diener’ et al. (2012). ‘Theory and validity of life satisfaction scales. Social Indicators Research. Social Indicators Research, 112(3), 529–534.
Eggleston, J., Galton, M., & Jones, M. (1973). Interaction analysis and evaluation. Paedagogica Europaea, 8, 122–131.
Eggleston, J., Galton, M., & Jones, M. (1976). Processes and products of science teaching. London: Macmillan.
Fegter, S., Machold, C., & Richter, M. (2010). Children and the good life: Theoretical challenges. In S. Andresen, I. Diehm, U. Sander, & H. Ziegler (Eds.), Children and the good life: New challenges for research on children. Dordrecht/Heidelberg/London/New York: Springer.
Gadermann, A. M., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Zumbo, B. D. (2010). Investigating validity evidence of the satisfaction with life scale adapted for children. Social Indicators Research, 96(3), 229–247.
Galton, M. (2010). Going with the flow or back to normal: The impact of creative practitioners on schools and classrooms. Research Papers in Education, 25(4), 355–375.
Galton, M., & Eggleston, J. (1971). Schools council project for the evaluation of science teaching methods. Education in Science, 8, 33–34.
Galton, M., & Page, C. (2014). The impact of various creative initiatives on the wellbeing of children in English Primary Schools. Cambridge Journal of Education. doi:10.1080/0305764X.2014.934201.
Galton, M., Simon, B., & Croll, P. (1980). Inside the primary classroom. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Galton, M., Hargreaves, L., Comber, C., Wall, D., & Pell, A. (1999). Inside the primary classroom: 20 years on. London: Routledge.
Galton, M., Steward, S., Hargreaves, L., Page, C., & Pell, A. (2009). Motivating your secondary class. London: Sage.
Gray, J., Galton, M., McLaughlin, C., Clarke, B., & Symonds, J. (2011). The supportive school. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Guastello, S. J., Koopmans, M., & Pincus, D. (Eds.). (2011). Chaos and complexity in psychology: The theory of nonlinear dynamical systems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gutman, L. M., & Feinstein, L. (2008). Children’s well-being in primary school: Pupil and school effects. London: Department for Children, Schools and Families.
Gutman, L. M., Brown, J., Akerman, R., & Obolenskaya, P. (2010). Change in wellbeing from childhood to adolescence: Risk and resilience. London: Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning, Institute of Education.
Holland, J., Reynolds, T., & Weller, S. (2007). Transitions, networks and communities: The significance of social capital in the lives of children and young people. Journal of Youth Studies, 10(1), 97–116.
Huppert, F., & So, T. (2013). Flourishing across Europe: Application of a new conceptual framework for defining well-being. Social Indicators Research, 110(3), 837–861.
Huppert, F., Marks, N., Clark, A., Siegrist, J., Stutzer, A., Vittersø, J., & Wahrendorf, M. (2009). Measuring well-being across Europe: Description of the ESS well-being module and preliminary findings. Social Indicators Research, 91, 301–315.
James, A., Jencks, C., & Prout, A. (1998). Theorising childhood. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Kahneman, D., Diener, E., & Schwarz, N. (Eds.). (1999). Well-being: The Foundations of hedonic psychology. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Kasser, T., Cohn, S., Kanner, A., & Ryan, R. M. (2007). Some costs of American corporate capitalism: A psychological exploration of value and goal conflicts. Psychological Inquiry: An International Journal for the Advancement of Psychological Theory, 18(1), 1–22.
Keyes, C. (1998). Social well-being. Social Psychology Quarterly, 61(2), 121–140.
Kristjansson, K. (2012). Positive psychology and positive education: Old wine in new bottles? Educational Psychologist, 47(2), 86–105.
La Placa, V., McNaught, A., & Knight, A. (2013). Discourse on wellbeing in research and practice. International Journal of Wellbeing, 3(1), 116–125.
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lucas, R., Diener, E., & Suh, E. (1996). Discriminant validity of wellbeing measures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71(3), 616–628.
Maslow, A. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York: Harper.
McLellan, R. (2006). The impact of motivational ‘world-view’ on engagement in a cognitive acceleration programme. International Journal of Science Education, 28(7), 781–819.
McLellan, R., & Nicholl, B. (2013). Creativity in crisis in design & technology: Are classroom climates conducive for creativity in English secondary schools. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 9, 165–185.
McLellan, R., & Steward, S. (2014). Meauring student wellbeing in the school context. Cambridge Journal of Education. doi:10.1080/0305764X.2014.889659.
McLellan, R., Galton, M., Steward, S., & Page, C. (2012). The impact of creative partnerships on the wellbeing of children and young people. London: Creativity, Culture & Education.
McNulty, J. K., & Fincham, F. D. (2012). Beyond positive psychology? Toward a contextual view of psychological processes and well-being. American Psychologist, 67(2), 101–110.
Michaelson, J., Abdallah, S., Steuer, N., Thompson, S., & Marks, N. (2009). National accounts of wellbeing: Bringing real wealth onto the balance sheet. London: New Economics Foundation.
Myers, D. (2000). The funds, friends and faith of happy people. American Psychologist, 55(1), 56–67.
Nicholl, B., & McLellan, R. (2009). This isn’t my project [work]. It’s…just do it…you just do research’. What student voice reveals about the nature of D&T lessons in English schools and the implications this has on their motivation and learning of complex tasks’. In A. Jones & M. de Vries (Eds.), International handbook of research and development in technology education. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Norton, D. (1976). Personal destinies. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Nussbaum, M. (2000). Women and human development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nussbaum, M. (2003). Capabilities as fundamental entitlements: Sen and social justice. Feminist Economics, 9(2–3), 33–59.
Office for National Statistics. (2013a). Measuring national well-being, personal well-being across the UK, 2012/13. Retrieved 5 February, 2014, from http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/measuring-national-well-being/personal-well-being-across-the-uk--2012-13/index.html
Office for National Statistics. (2013b). National well-being wheel of measures. Retrieved 5 February, 2014, from http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171766_327867.pdf
Office for Standards in Education. (2012). The framework for school inspection. Manchester: Ofsted.
Opdenakker, M., & Van Damme, J. (2000). Effects of schools, teaching staff and classes on achievement and wellbeing in secondary education: Similarities and differences between school outcomes. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 11(2), 165–196.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2009). Doing better for children. Paris: OECD.
Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Rees, G., Goswami, H., & Bradshaw, J. (2010). Developing an index of children’s subjective well-being in England. London: The Children’s Society.
Rees, G., Goswami, H., Pople, L., Bradshaw, J., Keung, A., & Main, G. (2012). The good childhood report 2012: A review of our children’s well-being. London: The Children’s Society.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2002). An overview of self-determination theory: An organismic-dialectical perspective. In E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan (Eds.), Handbook of self-determination research (pp. 3–33). Rochester: The University of Rochester Press.
Ryan, R. M., Huta, V., & Deci, E. L. (2008). Living well: A self-determination theory perspective on eudaimonia. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9(1), 139–170.
Ryff, C. (1995). Psychological well-being in adult life. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 4(4), 99–104.
Ryff, C., & Singer, B. (2006). Best news yet on the six-factor model of wellbeing. Social Science Research, 35(4), 1103–1119.
Self, A., & Beaumont, J. (2011). Initial findings from the consultation on proposed domains and measures of national well-being. London: Office for National Statistics.
Seligman, M. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfilment. New York: Free Press.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A new understanding of happiness and well-being – And how to achieve them. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
Seligman, M., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5–14.
Sen, A. (1999). Commodities and capabilities. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Statham, J., & Chase, E. (2010). Childhood wellbeing: A brief overview. In C. W. R. Centre (Ed.). IOE, Loughborough University, PSSRU University of Kent.
Stiglitz, J., Sen, A., & Fitoussi, J.-P. (2009). Report by the commission on the measurement of economic performance and social progress. Paris: The Commission.
Stuart Mill, J. (1863). Utilitarianism. London: Parker, Son and Bourn.
Tomyn, A. J., & Cummins, R. A. (2011). The subjective wellbeing of high-school students: Validating the personal wellbeing index—school children. Social Indicators Research, 101, 405–418. doi:10.1007/s11205-010-9668-6.
United Nations. (1989). The UN convention on the rights of the child. www.unicef.org.uk
United Nations Children’s Fund. (2007). Child poverty in perspective: An overview of child wellbeing in rich countries (Vol Report Card 7). Florence: Unicef Innocenti Research Centre.
Vitterso, J. (2004). Subjective wellbeing versus self-actualization: Using the flow-simplex to promote a conceptual clarification of subjective quality of life. Social Indicators Research, 65(3), 299–331.
Waterman, A. (1993). Two conceptions of happiness: Contrasts of personal expressiveness (Eudaimonia) and Hedonic Enjoyment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64(4), 678–691.
Wilkinson, R., & Pickett, K. (2010). The spirit level: Why equality is better for everyone. London: Penguin.
Wilson, W. (1967). Correlates of avowed happiness. Psychological Bulletin, 67(4), 294–396.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
McLellan, R. (2017). Children and Young People’s Wellbeing in the School Context. In: Maclean, R. (eds) Life in Schools and Classrooms. Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects, vol 38. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3654-5_28
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3654-5_28
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-3652-1
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-3654-5
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)