School satisfaction and social relations: Swedish schoolchildren's improvement suggestions

Improvements in the school environment-results of a Swedish school project 2005-2011

To examine whether a public health project to reduce problem behavior in schools and improve the classroom climate, undertaken among eight secondary schools in a municipality in Sweden, was accompanied by favorable changes in the school environment over time. Data were collected from ninth grade students (aged 15-16 years) at three different time points: the year before the project began (2005), during the project (2008) and when the project finished (2011). Changes in the school environment, measured as damage, littering, noise and classroom disorder, were compared between the project municipality and a comparison group of other municipalities in the same county, using multinomial logistic regression analysis. Descriptive comparisons were made between the schools within the project municipality. The school environment improved significantly from 2005 to 2011 in the project municipality compared with the other municipalities. The school environment was improved in all schools within the project municipality. The biggest improvements took place in two schools which systematically worked with one program incorporated into the school schedule. This study demonstrates that it may be possible to improve the school environment by implementing health programs. Further studies based on experimental designs are required in order to confirm the potential and efficiency of school health programs.

Teacher and classmate support may keep adolescents satisfied with school and education. Does gender matter?

OBJECTIVES

To examine the associations of teacher and classmate support with school satisfaction in adolescents, and whether gender modifies these associations.

METHODS

Data were used from the cross-sectional Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study collected in 2018 among Slovak 15-year-old adolescents (N = 931; 50.6% boys). School satisfaction was measured by school engagement and attitudes towards education leading to three groups of adolescents: satisfied, inconsistent and indifferent. We used multinomial logistic regression to examine the associations of teacher and classmate support with school satisfaction and its modification by gender.

RESULTS

Adolescents who experienced support from teachers and classmates were less likely to feel indifferent (OR/95% CI: 0.77/0.70-0.85; and 0.76/0.67-0.85, respectively) or inconsistent (OR/95% CI: 0.84/0.77-0.92; and 0.73/0.65-0.81, respectively) than to feel satisfied than adolescents who did not experience such support. Adolescents who experienced support from teachers were less prone to feel indifferent than to feel inconsistent (OR/95% CI: 0.92/0.87-0.97). Gender did not modify the associations of social support with school satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

Teacher and classmate support keep adolescents satisfied with school and education and might increase their chances for a healthy development.

Factors in Assessing Recidivism Risk in Young Offenders

The research aims to identify if the accumulation of protective and/or risk factors might predict the risk of recidivism in juvenile delinquents and determine the relative weight of both types of factors in the predictions themselves. The risk of criminal recidivism was assessed with the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth—SAVRY—instrument based on a sample of 192 Adolescents in Conflict with the Law—ACLs—held in juvenile detention centers in the Valencian Community (Spain). The results show that protective variables have greater relative consistency than risk variables when assessing recidivism risk in ACLs. The paper’s findings enable advances in the identification of antisocial behavior patterns using positive variables, and this in turn involves modifying any intervention proposals made by professionals of juvenile justice because psycho-socio-educational processes can now be dealt with on the basis of the ACLs’ potentialities (protective factors) rather than their deficiencies (risk factors) alone.

Analysis of Misbehaviors and Satisfaction With School in Secondary Education According to Student Gender and Teaching Competence

Effective classroom management is a critical teaching skill and a key concern for educators. Disruptive behaviors disturb effective classroom management and can influence school satisfaction if the teacher does not have the competencies to control them. Two objectives were set in this work: to understand the differences that exist in school satisfaction, disruptive behaviors, and teaching competencies according to the gender of the students; and to analyze school satisfaction and disruptive student behaviors based on perceived teaching competence. A non-probabilistic and convenience sample selection process was employed, based on the subjects that we were able to access. 758 students participated (male = 45.8%) from seven public secondary schools in the Murcia Region (Spain). The age range was between 13 and 18 years (M = 15.22; DT = 1.27). A questionnaire composed of the following scales was used: Competencies Evaluation Scale for Teachers in Physical Education, School Satisfaction and Disruptive Behaviors in Physical Education. Mixed Linear Models performed with the SPSS v.23 was used for statistical analyses. The results revealed statistically significant differences based on gender and physical education teaching competencies. In conclusion, the study highlights that physical education teacher skills influence disruptive behaviors in the classroom, and that this is also related to school satisfaction. Furthermore, it highlights that boys showed higher levels of negative behaviors than girls.

The Relationships between High School Subjects in terms of School Satisfaction and Academic Performance in Mexican Adolescents

Adolescents’ academic performance and the way it is related to their subjective wellbeing are issues of great interest across educational systems. The purpose of this study was to ascertain how satisfaction with high school subjects can predict school satisfaction and academic performance in Mexican students. The sample consisted of 457 high school students in the Baja California and Nuevo León states in Mexico (247 boys, 210 girls); their mean age being 14.10 (SD = 0.84). We used a questionnaire featuring a subject satisfaction scale, an intrinsic school satisfaction scale, and one related to academic grades. We used descriptive analyses, correlations, and structural regression models. In terms of results, the high satisfaction and academic performance levels in physical education, Spanish and English are worth highlighting. Geography and history are the most relevant predictors of academic grades, while Spanish predicts school satisfaction and physical education predicts boredom. In conclusion, satisfaction with mathematics, Spanish, and English are strong predictors of satisfaction (SATF), and the latter in turn predicts Mexican high school students’ academic performance.

Factors affecting satisfaction with cancer information provided through the social networking services of the National Cancer Information Center in Korea

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to identify the characteristics of social networking service (SNS) users and to assess the relationship of those factors to user satisfaction with the SNSs of the National Cancer Information Center (NCIC) in South Korea.

METHODS

A Web-based survey was completed by 1,670 users of the NCIC SNSs, who provided data on the sources they consulted for information about cancer, determinants of SNS use, sources of NCIC SNS awareness, the time of day they used the SNS, and their satisfaction level.

RESULTS

Facebook users mainly became aware of the NCIC SNSs through an acquaintance’s recommendation, while Twitter was accessed through other SNSs or blogs. Users in their 30s were less satisfied with the NCIC SNSs than those in their teens and 20s. Browsing for cancer-related information on the Internet, prioritizing information quality, and engaging in active use were related to a high level of satisfaction with the NCIC SNSs. Individuals who were exposed to the NCIC SNSs through other SNSs or printed materials were less satisfied with their experience of the NCIC SNSs than those who received a recommendation from an acquaintance.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings may act as a catalyst to guide public health agencies to enhance their use of SNSs.

Classmate characteristics, class composition and children's perceived classroom climate

AIM

A beneficial classroom climate is vital for school achievements, health, well-being, and school satisfaction. However, there is little knowledge as to how the classmate characteristics and class composition are related to the level of a perceived messy and disorderly classroom climate and whether the estimated relationships vary between different groups of children. The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between classmate characteristics as well as class composition and children's perceived classroom climate.

METHOD

Data from a cross-sectional survey administrated in 71 classes including 1,247 children in a mid-sized Swedish city were used. The analyses were conducted using multilevel models.

RESULTS

A class with a higher proportion of girls was associated with a lower likelihood of perceiving the classroom climate as messy and disorderly. Moreover, a higher proportion of immigrant children in a class was associated with a perception of a messier and disorderly classroom climate among non-immigrant children, but not among immigrant children themselves.

CONCLUSION

Classmate characteristics and class composition deserve more research attention and can be important considerations when aiming to improve the classroom climate and children's well-being in general.

Gender differences in symptoms of depression among adolescents in Eastern Norway: Results from a cross-sectional study

AIM

The aim of this study was to compare and describe gender differences and the associations between symptoms of depression and family conflict and economics, lifestyle habits, school satisfaction and the use of health-care services among adolescents.

METHODS

Data were retrieved from Ungdata which is a cross-sectional study. Adolescents ( n=8052) from secondary school grades 8, 9 and 10 (age 13-16 years) participated in the study from 41 municipal schools in four counties.

RESULTS

Girls reported a higher prevalence of symptoms of depression than boys. Gender differences were seen on all items related to symptoms of depression, family conflict and economics, lifestyle habits, school satisfaction and health-care services. Multiple regressions showed that family conflicts and economics contributed to 19.2% of the variance in symptoms of depression in girls and 12.4% in boys. School satisfaction made a strong contribution: 21.5% in girls and 15.4% in boys. The total model explained 49% of the total variance in symptoms of depression in girls and 32.5% in boys.

CONCLUSIONS

Gender demonstrated a pattern through a higher proportion of girls reporting symptoms of depression, family conflict and economics, lifestyle habits, school satisfaction and use of health-care services. Even though the adolescents reported symptoms of depression, few used the school health-care services and public health nurses. This indicates that they need a person-centered approach for symptoms of depression. The findings may have important implications for planning for adolescents in school health services.

Achievement Goal Orientations and Adolescents' Subjective Well-Being in School: The Mediating Roles of Academic Social Comparison Directions

The purpose of this study was to examine the multiple mediational roles of academic social comparison directions (upward academic social comparison and downward academic social comparison) on the relationships between achievement goal orientations (i.e., mastery goals, performance-approach goals, and performance-avoidance goals) and subjective well-being (SWB) in school (school satisfaction, school affect) in adolescent students in China. A total of 883 Chinese adolescent students (430 males; Mean age = 12.99) completed a multi-measure questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypotheses. Results indicated that (1) mastery goal orientations and performance-approach goal orientations both showed a statistically significant, positive correlation with SWB in school whereas performance-avoidance goal orientations showed a statistically significant, negative correlation with SWB in school among adolescents; (2) upward academic social comparisons mediated the relation between the three types of achievement goal orientations (i.e., mastery goals, performance-approach goals, and performance-avoidance goals) and SWB in school; (3) downward academic social comparisons mediated the relation between mastery goal orientations and SWB in school as well as the relation between performance-avoidance goal orientations and SWB in school. The findings suggest possible important cultural differences in the antecedents of SWB in school in adolescent students in China compared to adolescent students in Western nations.

Handling Demands of Success Among Girls and Boys in Primary School: A Conceptual Model

Stress among adolescents in Western societies is becoming an issue of increasing concern, and the global trend of adolescents' health shows a gradual deterioration that is independent of national differences and increases with age. The aim of this study was to explore the main concern of adolescents and about how they cope with demands in everyday life. Participants were 14-16 years old, and data were collected from three sources. A constructivist grounded theory was used as a method for generating a model of the adolescents' description of how they cope with demands in their everyday lives. The main concern described by participants in this study was to strive to be successful and to succeed in the present and throughout their lives. We conclude that differences between girls and boys, in terms of coping with demands in their everyday lives, are important to consider in the development of health promotion initiatives targeted at adolescents.