Promoting children’s well-being at school and at home: Methodological considerations

Abstract

This study conducted research on children’s well-being from their perspective, respecting their subjective experiences and viewpoints. The aim of the article is twofold: to discuss about how to research children’s well-being and describe their well-being at home and school. In 2011, the data was gathered in two phases in the Finnish comprehensive schools of Päijät-Häme region. First, information about the children’s knowledge of well-being was collected using interviews and workshops. Second, this data was used to develop an e-questionnaire, which was delivered to all the second to sixth graders (8–12 years old) in the region’s schools (N=3731). In this article the focus is in the questionnaire, the data was analyzed using mainly descriptive methods. The analysis revealed that the adults in the schools, teachers and support personnel, as well as parents, are needed to foster the children’s wellbeing. These contexts should be researched simultaneously, not as separate domains. The positive attitudes of school personnel towards pupils, and parents’ positive, authoritative childrearing practices contribute to the children’s feeling of well-being.