Our mental wellbeing is becoming more important than ever, and it will continue to do so as people feel anxious, depressed, stressed and scared about what life looks like for themselves or their loved ones either now or in the future.
What does wellbeing mean for the educational setting, however? We may think of it as educational wellbeing, and there are most definitely courses such as a Master of Education Wellbeing which one can take to get a more in-depth and practical knowledge of it. But we should first understand why it is significant and how it should, really, be one of the basis of modern education.
What is educational wellbeing?
Wellbeing refers to one’s experience of health and happiness, which can include mental and physical health, physical and emotional safety and the feeling of belonging, a sense of purpose, achievement and success. There are different categories of wellbeing too, with the five major ones being:
- Emotional wellbeing – the space for one to feel tranquil, have a positive self-image and manage stress.
- Physical wellbeing – the extent to which one feels physically safe and healthy and to improve the body through healthy eating and good exercise habits.
- Social wellbeing – the opportunity to create and develop meaningful relationships with others as one’s emotional support network.
- Workplace wellbeing – the capacity for one’s professional advancement, ability to support healthy behaviour in the workplace and maintain work-life balance.
- Societal wellbeing – the eligibility to be part of a community and the potential to contribute to society at broad.
So what is educational wellbeing? As per the term itself, it simply refers to the overall health and positive development individuals have within an educational context – in this case, students and schools. The Australian government has taken the initiative to help states align with student wellbeing priorities through projects such as the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework. This clearly indicates its significance, but why is it so important in the first place? Let’s go through some of the reasons.
Valuing diversity
Students come from a large swath of different cultural, economic, educational and social backgrounds. Prioritising wellbeing is crucial for educators to recognise and empower students who have backgrounds different from their own. All students want to feel respected, and such programs are essential to promoting a sense of belonging, which is vital for their engagement and success.
When students feel valued, they are far more likely to engage with their education more actively and positively, which ultimately leads to better academic outcomes overall. And under an inclusive educational environment brought through wellbeing programs, students are also prepared to thrive not only inside the classroom but outside as well.
In our increasingly globalised world, students in the future will need to interact and collaborate with individuals from different backgrounds, and promoting an inclusive learning environment is a major first step towards this.
Positive learning outcomes
The relationship between wellbeing and learning is reciprocal. Helping students feel connected and engaged in their schools gives them the space to grow into happy, respectful and successful members not only in their school but their wider community. A systematic review was conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in 2020 on 78 studies done on wellbeing interventions in primary to secondary schools and its relationship to learning outcomes, where ‘wellbeing’ was defined in its most general terms.
ACER found a direct relationship between higher wellbeing and better academic outcomes for students; more than three-quarters of those studies examined interventions to improve student welfare, where 18% focused on physical wellbeing and 5% on preventing harm and substance use. Moreover, interventions that supported social-emotional skills (e.g. buddy programs, creative arts, group activities etc.) were more effective at promoting student wellbeing and led to better literacy outcomes, while those that encouraged physical activity (e.g. exercise, relaxation, team sports etc.) led to better numeracy outcomes.
Happy kids are, in fact, better learners – and fostering good wellbeing not only leads to better learning outcomes but can also make the experience more enjoyable and effective for students.
The relationship educational wellbeing has to student support is obvious. From a focus on mental health to life skills development, wellbeing is a crucial component of support for students in difficult times. From the most recent National Family Mental Health Survey, there has been a steady growth of challenges that face young Australians, particularly with social media (52%), online bullying (28%), and body image concerns (26%).
Fostering a culture of wellbeing can serve as a foundation for emotional resilience, mental stability and overall guidance for students in navigating the challenges facing them. Integrating it into student life also involves explicitly raising awareness about mental issues and providing resources for seeking help when there are challenges in the future. Many students still hold a stigma towards mental health, so schools also have an important role to play in reducing the stigma associated with it by wellbeing and mental health-centric culture.
Teacher wellbeing
Of course, from the perspective of an educator, the wellbeing of students takes priority over anyone or anything else, but the wellbeing of teachers should not be completely forgotten either, and under many circumstances, they are just as important as students’.
According to a study by the Black Dog Institute in 2023, 60% of Australian teacher absences were due to a mental health problem or emotional problem, while 46.2% were reported to have anxiety symptoms. It is clear that Australian teachers need more support than ever, and the responsibility for this rests precisely on the schools themselves. They are critical settings for the promotion of wellbeing as well as the prevention of mental health conditions for both students and teachers.
If teachers can prioritise their wellbeing, then they are more likely to have greater capacity to be more effective in their roles which results in a better learning environment for all students.
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