Affiliation:
1. Centre for Family Research University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
2. School of Psychology University of Birmingham Birmingham UK
3. School of Psychology University of Sussex Brighton UK
Abstract
AbstractBackgroundWell‐being is a key aspect of children's education, yet measurement issues have limited studies in early primary school.AimsThe current 12‐month longitudinal study assesses the temporal stability of child‐ and parent‐reported school well‐being and examines developmental links with academic self‐concept and parent‐rated prosocial behaviour.Sample(s)We tracked a sample of 206 children across the transition from the first (T1) to the second (T2) year of primary school (T1 child Mage = 5.3, SD = .46, 54.3% girls) and gathered ratings of well‐being, prosocial behaviour and academic self‐concept at both timepoints.MethodsWe used cross‐lagged analyses to investigate developmental links between these three constructs.ResultsParent and child reports of children's well‐being showed similar temporal stability and converged over time, such that informants' reports showed a modest but significant correlation at T2. Girls reported greater well‐being than boys at both timepoints and received higher parental ratings of well‐being than boys at T2. For both girls and boys, associations between the constructs were asymmetric: early well‐being predicted later self‐concept and prosocial behaviour, but the reciprocal associations were not significant.ConclusionsThese findings support the validity of young children's self‐reported well‐being, highlight the early onset of gender differences in school well‐being and demonstrate that early well‐being heralds later prosocial behaviour and positive academic self‐concepts.
Funder
Economic and Social Research Council
Subject
Developmental and Educational Psychology,Education