The educational domain of subjective well-being : perceptions of Hong Kong international and local primary school students

Abstract

Quality of education is often measured in objective terms such as standardised tests scores or employability but education is much more, being part of a wider socialisation process. Ignoring subjective aspects of student educational experiences may result in reductive forms of evaluation which fail to take into account the holistic, psycho-social and emotional development of school-aged children at this specific and important stage in life. In Hong Kong there appears to be a trade-off between high levels of objective educational performance and lower levels of student subjective wellbeing a point which is highlighted by the current dissensions over the continuation or not of the Territory-wide Systems Assessment. This research compares two groups of Hong Kong primary school students and how their respective school and home educational environments affect levels of Subjective Educational Wellbeing (SEWB). Survey-based research was employed to gauge student perceptions and the findings were triangulated and contextualized with documentary analysis and observations. SEWB and explanatory factors showed stronger inter-group rather than intra-group variance and the null hypothesis was rejected with the International School having a statistically significantly higher level of SEWB. Student perceptions of School Conditions factors served as the strongest predictor of SEWB scores. This finding is of significance in that it demonstrates how differing educational environments result in variations of subjective wellbeing, a crucial component of a socially sustainable education.