Well-Being in Education: Modern Theories, Historical Context, Empirical Studies

Nurturing students’ well-being is a significant trend in education. Although the concept is intuitively clear, it is difficult to define. The paper reviews philosophical, psychological, sociological, and pedagogical sources and aims to answer how modern theories of well-being are applied in education and what is the socio-psychological context of students’ well-being. The authors argued that well-being is a characteristic of the whole school system, and even its small details can affect the level of well-being It is important to consider the well-being of not only students but also of school staff. Well-being in research is interpreted more broadly than pleasure and positive affect — the need for competence, personal development, and the system of relationships are important elements of well-being. It is important not only to create a positive environment but also to educate students (and perhaps teachers) on how to use available resources to promote well-being. Different groups of students face different risks, therefore, when studying well-being at school, it is important to select exactly those indicators of well-being that will correspond to the risks of a particular vulnerable group. For example, gifted students can have some difficulties in relationships with classmates, thus while studying their well-being it could be useful to choose indicators of well-being that are related to relationships.

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