Student Emotional Well-being, School Climate and Classroom Anxiety

Volume 7, Issue 1, February 2023     |     PP. 59-77      |     PDF (258 K)    |     Pub. Date: February 8, 2023
DOI: 10.54647/sociology840992    66 Downloads     2255 Views  

Author(s)

Victor Martinelli, Educaton Studies, University of Malta, Msida, Malta

Abstract
Mental health and well-being are the fundamental human rights and preconditions for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Dybdahl & Lien, 2017; World Health Organization, 2022). Since research shows an increasing incidence of mental health disorders among adolescents and a lack of studies related to mental health in low- and middle-income countries, this study focused on exploring student well-being in a small state with a relatively short tradition of studying mental health issues. The main objective of the current study was to explore the relationships of school-related factors (school climate and classroom anxiety) with emotional well-being to provide evidence that can contribute to the mitigation of mental health issues among Year 7 to Year 11 students in Malta. This cross-sectional study collected data about Year 7 to Year 11 students’ well-being, their perception of school climate and their experience of classroom anxiety by applying validated instruments with good metric characteristics. Due to the limited number of participants in addition to exploratory and multivariate analysis, this study also used additional non-parametric statistical techniques. The study found significant associations between student emotional well-being and classroom anxiety but the various dimensions of school climate were the strongest predictors of students’ self-reported mental well-being. Since the findings of this study indicate that school-related stress significantly contributes to the deterioration of students’ emotional well-being, the discussion focused on some measures that can improve students’ experience of schooling and improve their mental health.

Keywords
student well-being, school-related stress, academic emotions, middle school, secondary school

Cite this paper
Victor Martinelli, Student Emotional Well-being, School Climate and Classroom Anxiety , SCIREA Journal of Sociology. Volume 7, Issue 1, February 2023 | PP. 59-77. 10.54647/sociology840992

References

[ 1 ] Aldridge, J. M., & McChesney, K. (2018). The relationships between school climate and adolescent mental health and well-being: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Educational Research, 88, 121-145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2018.01.012
[ 2 ] American Psychiatric Association. (2013). DSM-5 Task Force Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. Washington. DC: American Psychiatric Association. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890 425596
[ 3 ] Attri, A. K. (2013). Academic anxiety and achievement of secondary school students–A study on gender differences. International Journal of Behavioral Social and Movement Sciences, 2(1), 27-33.
[ 4 ] Bahrami, F., & Yousefi, N. (2011). Females are more anxious than males: a metacognitive perspective. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 5(2), 83-90.
[ 5 ] Bakken, A. (2020). Ungdata 2020 Nasjonale resultater. NOVA-Rapport 16/20 [Youth data 20220. National Results. NOVA Report 16/20]. NOVA OsloMet. https://oda.oslomet.no/oda-xmlui/bitstream/handle/20.500.12199/6415/Ungdata-NOVA-Rapport%2016-20.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=yBakken, 2020
[ 6 ] Bandelow, B., & Michaelis, S. (2015). Epidemiology of anxiety disorders in the 21st century. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 17(3), 327-335.
[ 7 ] Baumeister, R. F. & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497–529. https://doi-org.ejournals.um.edu.mt/10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497
[ 8 ] Birmaher, B., Khetarpal, S., Brent, D., Cully, M., Balach, L., Kaufman, J., & Neer, S. M. (1997). The screen for child anxiety related emotional disorders (SCARED): Scale construction and psychometric characteristics. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 36(4), 545-553. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199704000-00018
[ 9 ] Bodas, J., & Ollendick, T. H. (2005). Test anxiety: A cross-cultural perspective. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 8(1), 65-88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-005-2342-x
[ 10 ] Brand, S., Felner, R. D., Seitsinger, A., Burns, A., & Bolton, N. (2008). A large scale study of the assessment of the social environment of middle and secondary schools: The validity and utility of teachers’ ratings of school climate, cultural pluralism, and safety problems for understanding school effects and school improvement. Journal of School Psychology, 46(5), 507-535.
[ 11 ] Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). Contexts of child rearing: Problems and prospects. American Psychologist, 34(10), 844–850. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.34.10.844
[ 12 ] Cassady, J. C., & Johnson, R. E. (2002). Cognitive test anxiety and academic performance. Contemporary educational psychology, 27(2), 270-295. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.2001.1094
[ 13 ] Catalano, R. F., Haggerty, K. P., Oesterle, S., Fleming, C. B., & Hawkins, J. D. (2004). The importance of bonding to school for healthy development: Findings from the Social Development Research Group. Journal of School Health 74, 252-261.
[ 14 ] Cefai, C., Cooper, P., & Vella, R. (2013). A whole-school approach to positive behaviour in a girls’ secondary school. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 17(7), 700-713. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2012.708362
[ 15 ] Colvin, S., Egan, J. E., & Coulter, R. W. (2019). School climate and sexual and gender minority adolescent mental health. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(10), 1938-1951.
[ 16 ] Connelly, L. M. (2008). Pilot studies. MedSurg Nursing, 17(6), 411+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A192589717/AONE?u=googlescholar&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=46860e88
[ 17 ] Costello, E. J., Egger, H. L., & Angold, A. (2005). The developmental epidemiology of anxiety disorders: phenomenology, prevalence, and comorbidity. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics, 14(4), 631-648.
[ 18 ] Cummings, C. M., Caporino, N. E., & Kendall, P. C. (2014). Comorbidity of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents: 20 years after. Psychological Bulletin, 140(3), 816-845.
[ 19 ] Daily, S. M., Mann, M. J., Kristjansson, A. L., Smith, M. L., & Zullig, K. J. (2019). School climate and academic achievement in middle and high school students. Journal of School Health, 89(3), 173-180.
[ 20 ] Darling-Hammond, L., & Cook-Harvey, C. M. (2018). Educating the Whole Child: Improving School Climate to Support Student Success. Learning Policy Institute.
[ 21 ] Dybdahl, R., & Lien, L. (2017). Mental health is an integral part of the sustainable development goals. Preventive Medicine and Community Health, 1(1), 1-3.
[ 22 ] Essau, C. A., Conradt, J., & Petermann, F. (2000). Frequency, comorbidity, and psychosocial impairment of anxiety disorders in German adolescents. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 14(3), 263-279.
[ 23 ] European Commission. (2021). Children and mental health: preventive approaches to anxiety and depression. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. https://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=23575&langId=en
[ 24 ] European Commission/European Education and Culture Executive Agency [EACEA]/EURYDICE. (2020). Equity in school education in Europe: Structures, policies and student performance. Eurydice report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/sites/default/ files/equity_ 2020_0.pdf
[ 25 ] Foster, C. E., Horwitz, A. Thomas, A. Opperman, K., Gipson, P., Burnside, A., Stone, D. M., & King, C.A. (2017). Connectedness to family, school, peers, and community in socially vulnerable adolescents. Children and Youth Services Review 81, 321-331. https://doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.08.011
[ 26 ] Freudenthaler, H. H., Neubauer, A. C., & Haller, U. (2008). Emotional intelligence: Instruction effects and sex differences in emotional management abilities. Journal of Individual Differences, 29(2), 105–115.
[ 27 ] Garbarino, J. (2014). Ecological Perspective on Child Well-Being. In A. Ben-Arieh, F. Casas, I. Frønes and J. E. Korbin (eds.), Handbook of Child Well-Being: Theories, Methods and Policies in Global Perspective, (pp. 1365-1384). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9063-8
[ 28 ] Georgia Department of Education. (n.d.) The Georgia Student Health Survey 2.0 https://content.schoolinsites.com/api/documents/cc32d87f2443482da23440bc3442f84b.pdf
[ 29 ] Goodenow, C. (1993). Classroom belonging among early adolescent students: Relationships to motivation and achievement. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 13(1), 21-43. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431693013001002
[ 30 ] Gullone, E. (2000). The development of normal fear: A century of research. Clinical Psychology Review, 20(4), 429-451.
[ 31 ] Hardy, L., & Hutchinson, A. (2007). Effects of performance anxiety on effort and performance in rock climbing: A test of processing efficiency theory. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 20(2), 147-161. http://doi.org/10.1080/10615800701217035
[ 32 ] Hatzichristou, C., Stasinou, V., Lampropoulou, A., & Lianos, P. (2018). Adolescents’ perceptions of school climate: Exploring its protective role in times of economic recession. School Psychology International, 39(6), 606-624.
[ 33 ] Hoås Morin, A. (2022). Promoting positive social classroom environments to enhance students’ mental health? Effectiveness of a school-based programme in Norway. International Journal of Educational Research, 113, 1-12. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.ijer.2022.101966.
[ 34 ] Hosseini, L., & Khazali, H. (2013). Comparing the level of anxiety in male & female school students. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 84, 41-46.
[ 35 ] Inchley, J., Currie, D., Budisavljevic, S., Torsheim, T., Jåstad, A., Cosma, A., Kelly, C. & Arnarssonet, Á. M. (2020). Spotlight on adolescent health and well-being. Findings from the 2017/2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey in Europe and Canada. International report. Volume 1. Key findings. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
[ 36 ] Kareemi, S. (2016). Gender differences in anxiety among secondary school in Kuwait. European Psychiatry, 33(S1), S323-S323.
[ 37 ] Kutsyuruba, B., Klinger, D. A., & Hussain, A. (2015). Relationships among school climate, school safety, and student achievement and well‐being: a review of the literature. Review of Education, 3(2), 103-135.
[ 38 ] La Salle, T. P. (2017). Technical manual for the Georgia School Climate Survey Suite. Georgia Department of Education.
[ 39 ] La Salle, T. P., Rocha-Neves, J. Jimerson, S. Di Sano, S. Martinsone, B., Majercakova Albertova, S., Gajdošová, E., Deltour, C., Baye, A., Hatzichristou, C., Martinelli, V., Raykov, M., Palikara, O., Szabó, É., Arlauskaite, Z., Athanasiou, D. Brown-Earle, O. Casale, G., Lampropoulou, A. & Mikhailova, A. (2021). A multinational study exploring adolescent perception of school climate and mental health. School Psychology, 36(3), 155-166.
[ 40 ] La Salle, T. P., Zabek, F., & Meyers, J. (2016). Elementary student perceptions of school climate and associations with individual and school factors. School Psychology Forum: Research in Practice, 10(1), 55-65.
[ 41 ] Leonard, N. R., Gwadz, M. V., Ritchie, A., Linick, J. L., Cleland, C. M., Elliott, L., & Grethel, M. (2015). A multi-method exploratory study of stress, coping, and substance use among high school youth in private schools. Frontiers in Psychology, 1028, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01028
[ 42 ] Lewinsohn, P. M., Moerk, K. C. & Klein D. N. (2000). Epidemiology of adolescent depression. The Economics of Neuroscience, 2, 52-68.
[ 43 ] Liu, J., Chen, X., & Lewis, G. (2011). Childhood internalizing behaviour: analysis and implications. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 18(10), 884-894. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2850.2011.01743.x
[ 44 ] Loukas, A., & Robinson, S. (2004). Examining the moderating role of perceived school climate in early adolescent adjustment. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 14(2), 209-233.
[ 45 ] Lowe, P. A., & Ang, R. P. (2012). Cross-cultural examination of test anxiety among US and Singapore students on the Test Anxiety Scale for Elementary Students (TAS-E). Educational Psychology, 32(1), 107-126.
[ 46 ] Mazzone, L., Ducci, F., Scoto, M. C., Passaniti, E., D'Arrigo, V. G., & Vitiello, B. (2007). The role of anxiety symptoms in school performance in a community sample of children and adolescents. BMC Public Health, 7(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-7-347
[ 47 ] Merikangas, K. R., Avenevoli, S., Dierker, L. & Grillon, C. (2001). Vulnerability Factors among Children at Risk for Anxiety Disorders. In S. Hyman, (ed.), Fear and Anxiety: The Science of Mental Health. (pp. 63-75). Taylor & Francis.
[ 48 ] Merikangas, K. R., He, J. P., Burstein, M., Swanson, S. A., Avenevoli, S., Cui, L., Benjet, C., Georgiades, K., & Swendsen, J. (2010). Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in US adolescents: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication–Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(10), 980-989.
[ 49 ] Muris, P., Schmidt, H., Engelbrecht, P., & Perold, M. (2002). DSM-IV–defined anxiety disorder symptoms in South African children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 41(11), 1360-1368.
[ 50 ] National School Climate Council. (2007). The School Climate Challenge: Narrowing the gap between school climate research and school climate policy, practice guidelines and teacher education policy. http://www.schoolclimate.org/climate/documents/policy/
[ 51 ] school-climate-challenge-web.pdf
[ 52 ] National Statistics Office. (2020, February). News Release Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary Formal Education: 2017-2018. https://nso.gov.mt/en/News_Releases/ Documents/ 2020/02/ News2020_025.pdf
[ 53 ] Ohannessian, C. M., Milan, S., & Vannucci, A. (2017). Gender differences in anxiety trajectories from middle to late adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46(4), 826-839.
[ 54 ] Öhman, A. (2008). Fear and anxiety: overlaps and dissociations. In M. Lewis, J. M. Haviland-Jones, and L. Feldman Barrett. Handbook of Emotions (3rd ed.) (pp. 709-729). The Guilford Press.
[ 55 ] Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD]. (2017, October 23). Emotional Well-being of Children and Adolescents: Recent Trends and Relevant Factors. OECD Publishing. https://one.oecd.org/document/EDU/CERI/CD/ RD(2017)8/en/ pdf
[ 56 ] Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD]/European Union. (2020). Health at a Glance: Europe 2020: State of Health in the EU Cycle, OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/82129230-en.
[ 57 ] Polanczyk, G. V., Salum, G. A., Sugaya, L. S., Caye, A., & Rohde, L. A. (2015). Annual research review: A meta‐analysis of the worldwide prevalence of mental disorders in children and adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56(3), 345-365.
[ 58 ] Raykov, M. & Martinelli, V. (2019). Evaluation of a classroom anxiety scale for secondary-school students. Forum Oświatowe, 31(2), 43-60. https://doi.org/ 10.34862/fo.2019.2.3
[ 59 ] Rescorla, L., Achenbach, T., Ivanova, M. Y., Dumenci, L., Almqvist, F., Bilenberg, N., Bird, H., Chen, W., Dobrean, A., Döpfner, M., Erol, N., Fombonne, E., Fonseca, A., Frigerio, A., Grietens, H., Hannesdottir, H., Kanbayashi, Y., Lambert, M., Larsson, B., Leung. P., Liu, X., Minaei, A., Mulatu, M. S., Novik, T. S., Oh, K-J., Roussos, A., Sawyer, M., Simsek, Z., Steinhausen, H. C., Weintraub, S., Weisz, J., Winkler Metzke, C., Wolanczyk, T., Yang, H. J., Zilber, N., Zukauskiene, R., & Verhulst, F. (2007). Behavioral and Emotional Problems Reported by Parents of Children Ages 6 to 16 in 31 Societies. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 15(3), 130–142. https://doi.org/10.1177/10634266070150030101
[ 60 ] Schulte-Körne, G. (2016). Psychische Störungen bei Kindern und Jugendlichen im schulischen Umfeld. Deutsches Ärzteblatt, 113(11), 183-190.
[ 61 ] Simons‐Morton, B. G., & Crump, A. D. (2003). Association of parental involvement and social competence with school adjustment and engagement among sixth graders. Journal of School Health, 73(3), 121-126. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2003.tb03586.x
[ 62 ] Sotardi, V. A. (2018). Trait and state anxiety across academic evaluative contexts: development and validation of the MTEA-12 and MSEA-12 scales. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 31(3), 348-363. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2017.1421948
[ 63 ] Steinhausen, H. C., Müller, N., & Metzke, C. W. (2008). Frequency, stability and differentiation of self-reported school fear and truancy in a community sample. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 2(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/1753-2000-2-17
[ 64 ] Su, L., Wang, K., Fan, F., Su, Y., & Gao, X. (2008). Reliability and validity of the screen for child anxiety related emotional disorders (SCARED) in Chinese children. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 22(4), 612-621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2007.05.011
[ 65 ] Thibaut, F. (2017). Anxiety disorders: a review of current literature. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 19(2), 87-88.
[ 66 ] Twenge, J. M. (2000). The age of anxiety? The birth cohort change in anxiety and neuroticism, 1952–1993. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(6), 1007-1021. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.79.6.1007
[ 67 ] Uline, C., & Tschannen‐Moran, M. (2008). The walls speak: The interplay of quality facilities, school climate, and student achievement. Journal of Educational Administration, 46(1), 55-73. https://doi.org/10.1108/09578230810849817
[ 68 ] Waasdorp, T. E., Lindstrom Johnson, S., Shukla, K. D., & Bradshaw, C. P. (2020). Measuring school climate: Invariance across middle and high school students. Children and Schools, 42(1), 53-62. https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdz026
[ 69 ] Wang, M. T., & Degol, J. L. (2016). School climate: A review of the construct, measurement, and impact on student outcomes. Educational Psychology Review, 28(2), 315-352.
[ 70 ] Weeks, M., Coplan, R. J., & Kingsbury, A. (2009). The correlates and consequences of early appearing social anxiety in young children. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 23(7), 965-972.
[ 71 ] Werner-Seidler, A., Perry, Y., Calear, A. L., Newby, J. M., & Christensen, H. (2017). School-based depression and anxiety prevention programs for young people: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 51, 30-47.
[ 72 ] Wertz, J., Zavos, H., Matthews, T., Harvey, K., Hunt, A., Pariante, C. M., & Arseneault, L. (2015). Why some children with externalising problems develop internalising symptoms: testing two pathways in a genetically sensitive cohort study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56(7), 738-746. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12333
[ 73 ] Woodward, L. J., & Fergusson, D. M. (2001). Life course outcomes of young people with anxiety disorders in adolescence. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 40(9), 1086-1093. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200109000-00018.
[ 74 ] World Health Organisation [WHO] (2020). Child and Adolescent Mental Health. http://www.euro.who.int/en/healthtopics/noncommunicable-diseases/mental-health/areas-of-work/child-and-adolescent-mental-health.
[ 75 ] World Health Organization. (2022). World mental health report: transforming mental health for all. World Health Organization.
[ 76 ] Zahn–Waxler, C., Klimes–Dougan, B., & Slattery, M. J. (2000). Internalizing problems of childhood and adolescence: Prospects, pitfalls, and progress in understanding the development of anxiety and depression. Development and Psychopathology, 12(3), 443-466.
[ 77 ] Zubrick, S. R. & Kovess-Masfety, V. (2005). Indicators of Mental Health. In H. Herrman, S. Saxena, and R. Moodie (eds.). Promoting Mental Health, (pp. 148-168). World Health Organisation.