The subjective well-being of children in public primary schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate and understand the school well-being of Syrian and Turkish children in relation to their well-being at home and in environmental conditions. In this explanatory mixed method study, participants were 2nd grade children, aged 7 to 10, born in Turkey or Syria, and enrolled at 7 public primary schools in Zeytinburnu district of Istanbul. Birth country and gender were taken as demographic background variables. For the quantitative phase, the International Questionary of Children’s Well-being-ISCWeB was used as the instrument. Quantitative results showed that participants’ average subjective well-being scores of school, as well as home and environmental conditions were above average. Moreover, these scores were found not to be independent from each other and they were positively correlated. Some significant differences were identified among groups. For the qualitative phase, child-oriented pictures displaying conditions of happiness and unhappiness were used as the instruments. Qualitative analyses brought along new indicators beyond the ones covered in the ISCWeB questionary. Qualitative results offered explanatory perspective to the quantitative results where a greater number of differences in school well-being were identified in the lives of Syrian and Turkish children. Findings provide parents, teacher practitioners, decision makers and the public with an in-depth perspective about the school well-being of children.