Abstract

Student well-being has gained prominence on both the scientific and political agendas, as it is recognized as a crucial skill in addressing the economic, ecological, and social challenges of the 21st century. Relationships that students form with teachers and peers in the classroom are important for their academic, social, and emotional development. Building and maintaining positive relationships contributes to psychological growth and well-being. This article strives for a deeper understanding of the association between student well-being and classroom relationships from the students’ perspective. Mediation regression analysis was conducted between student well-being, teacher–student relationships, and student–student relationships to overcome limitations of prior studies using a unidimensional approach on student well-being and considering relationships in separate models. This study shows that both relationships are related to student well-being, however associations differ regarding different dimensions of student well-being and students’ individual factors such as gender, migration background, and socio-economic status. Providing a multi-dimensional approach on student well-being as well as taking both relationships into account adds to a profound understanding of processes in classrooms. Insights on these relations can help educators, schools and researchers develop strategies to foster relationships in the classroom and, in succession, enhance well-being in school.

Introduction

Adolescents are growing up in a rapidly changing world characterized by uncertainty, information overload, and competition. This increasing complexity and challenges may lead to anxiety disorders, mental health conditions, depressive symptoms, and a range of psychological and emotional disturbances (Green et al., 2012). Therefore, student well-being (StudWB) has advanced to the scientific and political agenda and is considered as an important skill that is crucial in facing the mentioned 21st century economical, ecological, and social challenges (OECD, 2018). Although recognizing the need to not only focus on students’ academic outcomes but also taking their well-being into account, research on StudWB is still diversified and a wide variety of definitions are applied in academic and policy circles (Diener et al., 2009; Dolan et al., 2008; Land et al., 2007; OECD, 2017; Seligman, 2011; UNESCO, 2016). To comprehensively address StudWB a multidimensional approach is needed considering both student’s subjective positive and negative experiences in school environment, including emotional, cognitive, and physical elements (Hascher, 2007).

Building and maintaining positive relationships fulfills a basic human need (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Ryan & Deci, 2000) and contributes to psychological growth and well-being (Gunnell et al., 2013). Considering the substantial amount of adolescents’ time spent at school, it becomes apparent that teachers and peers assume a pivotal function in the attainment of social relatedness. Therefore, in the recent two decades increasing emphasis has been placed on teacher–student relationships (TSR) and student–student relationships (SSR) in understanding the complexity of interpersonal processes in the classroom and their multiple outcomes (Endedijk et al., 2021). In line with attachment theory, teachers are important attachment figures for young people (Beam et al., 2002), especially in adolescence when critical attitudes toward school and teaching increase (De Fraine et al., 2005; Eccles et al., 1991). By establishing close and low conflictual relationships with their students, teachers provide an environment for successful learning and StudWB (Hall-Lande et al., 2007; Hascher, 2003; Koomen & Jellesma, 2015; Roffey, 2015). Moreover, teachers can be referred to as the invisible hand (Farmer et al., 2011) determining the quality of SSR. The intricate dynamics of peer relationships within classroom environments are shaped not only by the interpersonal behaviors exhibited by students themselves but also by contextual factors set by the teachers and by the nuanced interactions with a specific student. Close peer relationships in a secure and fair school environment are consistently associated with StudWB (Hall-Lande et al., 2007; Hascher, 2003; Roffey, 2015). Despite the ongoing research on TSR and SSR, studies mainly disregard the simultaneous coexistence of both types of relationships within the classroom as well as individual student factors, such as gender, migration background, and socio-economic status (SES).

Conclusion

In the recent years, there has been a growing interest on researching StudWB driven by the recognition of its significance as a vital skill in addressing the 21the century challenges. Thus, investigating the interplay of StudWB and predictors such TSR, SSR and individual student factors holds importance in understanding StudWB and classroom processes. To our knowledge this is the first study that has examined the association among the three constructs by using a multidimensional approach on StudWB as well as considering TSR, SSR and StudWB in one mediation regression model. In conclusion, findings illustrate the importance of social relationships in the classroom for multiple dimensions of StudWB. Specifically, the current study contributes to the field by highlighting, that relations between StudWB, TSR, and SSR differ regarding different dimensions. Associations also vary regarding students’ gender, migration background and SES. Therefore, our study provides useful information for teachers and researchers to develop strategies and intervention to foster relationships in the classroom and enhancing student well-being.