What does well-being at school mean to primary school students? Children's understanding of basic psychological needs

Abstract

The well-being of primary students at school plays a pivotal role in the emotional development of students and fosters a positive emotional connection with schooling and the learning process. In conceptualizing well-being and developing approaches to promote it, the voice of primary school children is increasingly being recognized as crucial. This study investigates primary school children's understanding of well-being, focusing on their perceptions of basic psychological needs according to the self-determination theory of Ryan & Deci (2000). Ten focus group interviews were conducted with a total of 42 primary students in order to explore their perspectives on well-being at school and their basic psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and social relatedness. The data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Our findings indicate, that children associate social relatedness and competence with well-being and, apparently, place less importance on autonomy for well-being at school.