How Do Bangladeshi Secondary School Students Conceptualise Well-Being in School

Abstract

Despite the growing importance of understanding student well-being for students’ holistic development, it is still a relatively neglected concept in low and middle-income countries such as Bangladesh. Quantitative metrics such as students’ enrolment rate and academic grades have been prioritised at school and considered as the proxy of well-being at school. In contrast, students’ quality of school experience and well-being remain neglected. This qualitative study explores the conceptualisation of well-being experiences perceived by secondary school students in Bangladesh. Online focus groups and one-on-one interviews in conjunction with arts-based methods (i.e., drawings) were employed to elicit the views of 40 Grades 7–10 students (aged 13–16 years) about their well-being. Grounded theory approaches were used to analyse the data. Findings revealed that the students conceptualise well-being at school as a multidimensional but relational concept. Six interrelated and constitutive dimensions were identified including a positive sense of self and the future, sense of school resource sufficiency, a sense of relatedness, a sense of school engagement, a sense of accomplishment at school, and a sense of purpose in attending the school. The findings have implications for informing future research and enhancing understanding of student well-being from students’ standpoint within the context of a country from the global south.