Investigating the interplay between student well-being, teacher-student relationships, and student-student relationships in secondary school students
BORIS DOI
Subtitle
a multi-method examination
Abstract
In an age characterized by uncertainty and crises, it is essential not only to support students’ academic performance, but also to promote their well-being and equip them with the skills they need to navigate today’s society. However, existing research has revealed unfavorable developments in student well-being over the course of their school career, particularly in secondary school environments, where global challenges coincide with age-related changes and heightened performance demands. Building and maintaining positive relationships is a fundamental human need and has been identified as one of the most important predictors of student well-being in previous research. However, as the constructs of student well-being, teacher-student relationships, and student-student relationships are complex, with a variety of different conceptualizations, operationalizations, and measurement approaches adopted, so is their interplay. Accordingly, the purpose of this dissertation was to provide an in-depth investigation of student well-being, teacher-student relationships, and student-student relationships among secondary school students. The three studies of this dissertation explore the interplay between these constructs by adopting different methodological approaches, such as variable-centered and person-centered approaches. Data were derived from student self-reports collected during the first and second waves of the research project “Student well-being in school in Switzerland” (WESIR). Study I and Study II examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the constructs using mediation analysis and a path analytical structural equation modeling approach. The findings indicated that both relationships are associated with student well-being. However, associations vary across different dimensions of student well-being and students’ individual factors such as gender, migration background, and socioeconomic status. Longitudinal findings indicated that especially conflict with teachers is associated with different student well-being dimensions over time. Study III further examined the interplay among these constructs using latent profile and latent transition analyses. Findings revealed distinct student well-being profiles, with less favorable profiles demonstrating heightened stability over time. Positive relationships supported transitions to favorable profiles and buffered against less favorable transitions, indicating the pivotal role of relationships in students’ well-being trajectories. Taken together, this dissertation emphasizes the complexity of both the constructs of interest and their interplay, highlighting the importance of multidimensional, differentiated approaches to comprehensively understand and support student well-being in school. Implications for theory, future research, and educational practice are discussed.
Date of Publication
2025
Year of graduation
2025
Theses Type
dissertation
Language(s)
en
Author(s)
Faculty/Graduate School
Institute
Access(Rights)
open.access
Primary OA Publication
true