Young People’s Wellbeing in Schools:Student Voice and Agency

Sue Roffey

Introduction

The advent of positive psychology has seen an increase in the focus on wellbeing and what it means to flourish, function well and have a fulfilling life. Rather than identifying difficulties and responding to problems, positive psychology studies the conditions and processes that enable people and organisations to perform optimally and individuals to thrive.It addresses questions of meaning, relationships, positive emotions and engagement - everything that makes life worth living.

Those who study topics in positive psychology fully acknowledge the existence of human suffering, selfishness, dysfunctional family systems, and ineffective institutions. But the aim of positive psychology is to study the other side of the coin - the ways that people feel joy, show altruism, and create healthy families and institutions - thereby addressing the full spectrum of human experience (Gable Haidt,2005 p.105).

Positive psychology is therefore not an alternative to more traditional approaches in the field but aims to add to the knowledge base and offer new insights and ways of working.

This chapter explores what young people themselves say about their wellbeing and describes an intervention in Australia that provides a rich example of putting student voice and agency into practice.

Student voiceon wellbeing

Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) sets out the right of children and young people to express an opinion and to have that opinion taken into account on any matter that affects them.This was ratified by the UK in 1991 but putting this into practice is not a straightforward process.

So what do we know of students’views on their wellbeing?What do they want from their educational experience?What enables them to learn best?Here we give a brief overview of a few larger scale studies eliciting the views of children and young people on these important issues.

The NSW Commission for Children and Young People (2007) interviewed 126 children and young people about what wellbeing meant for them.Although there is complexity in their responses, three overarching themes were identified:

  • Agency: defined as having the power to make your own decisions in everyday life
  • Security: feeling safe and being safe - especially having people who will look out for you. Without this you cannot engage fully with life
  • A positive sense of self: you and the people around you see you as a good person.

In 2007 UNICEF published Report Card 7 - An Overview of Child Wellbeing in Rich Countries. 21 OECD nations took part and the UK was bottom of the league table overall and lowest in three out of six critical measures of wellbeing: family and peer relationships, subjective wellbeing and risk taking behaviours.Other indices of wellbeing were also very low: educational wellbeing and material wellbeing.Health and safety was the best measure for the UK, coming 12th out of the 21.As a result of this, UNICEF UK commissioned a scoping study that led to a qualitative exploration of the links between inequality, materialism and experienced well-being in children (Ipsis-MORI & Nairn, 2011). They interviewed 250 children from a range of backgrounds aged between 8 and 15 years in the UK, Spain and Sweden, the latter two countries having hadhigh scores on the Report Card.Findings were strengthened by filmed observations of 24 families and focus group interviews with 14 year olds in each country.Although participants were recruited within schools, this study was not immediately concerned with children’s educational experiences, but highlighted factors that contributed to children’s rights and wellbeing, in particular materialism and equality.

The message from all the children and young peoplein the study was unanimous: Their wellbeing centred on time with a happy, stable family, having good friends and plenty of things to do, especially outdoors.Issues that contributed to a ‘bad day’ included family conflict and problems with friends. The notion of ‘being bullied’ featured strongly with UK children.A stark difference between the three countries was that family time was a priority in Sweden and Spain but many UK children appeared starved of this, with parents who were often too busy or too tired to actively and positively engage.In Sweden children are also expected to contribute to household chores and see this as training for their independence:

In line with a strong culture of equality, children were expected from an early age to play an active role in the running of the household, from laying the table, cooking and gardening to saving money and deciding rules.

Although some children in the UK were asked to help at home, most of the time they were left to their own devices:

Members of a family may well all be in the home at the same time but they co-exist rather than share time and space. Indeed, for younger children, television was often used as a babysitter, keeping children occupied while parents got on with other things.

All the children acknowledged that family time was more important than material goods, except for the poorest in the UK for whom designer labels and the newest version of technological goods assumed a particular importance.

In 2013 the Children’s Society published the Good Childhood Report that encapsulatedthe views of 42,000 children and young people.Three factors; choice, family and enough money were consistently cited as integral to their wellbeing.The most deprived children, in comparison with the 71% who are not seen as living in poverty, were also:

  • 13 times more likely to feel unsafe at home
  • nine times less likely to feel that they have a lot to be proud of
  • six times less likely to feel positive about the future.

The report states that,although wellbeing had been improving up until 2009,there had since been a sharp fall - with a particular concern for teenagers with the lowest point at age 15. This age group was worried about school and about how they look.However, there were a significant proportion of young people who were neglected:

We often underestimate the number of older children experiencing neglect at home, encountering neglect by professionals and institutions as well as by our wider society. What's more, the impact of adolescent neglect is underrated. This widespread failure to understand, acknowledge and address fully the neglect experienced by adolescents means that too often their poor treatment goes unnoticed or is dismissed. Meanwhile this neglect blights their experience of adolescence, stunts their capacity to flourish later in life, and in some cases results in serious harm.

The Australian Child Wellbeing Project is a child-centred study in which young people’s perspectives are being used to design a major nationally representative survey of wellbeing among 8 -14 year olds. In the first phase, researchers talked to about 100 Australian young people aged 8 – 14, most belonging to groups often considered to be marginalised. Family was consistently nominated as the primary domain for wellbeing. Other domains frequently mentioned included friends, school, health, community, feeling good about yourself, money and material goods (though these domains often meant different things to different groups). Young people with disability viewed school as a precarious place that they associated with bullying and exclusion. Some young people reported being stressed or anxious about school as a result of pressures associated with excessive amounts of homework(ACWP, 2014).

Formal studies are often mirrored and extended by informal research and interesting accounts of practice on websites and YouTube clips.For instance Edutopia posted an article from a teacher (Wolpert-Gavron, 2014) who asked all 220 of her year 8 students what enhanced their engagement.The categories included working with peers, having choice, getting out of your seat, having teachers who love what they do and connecting learning to the real world.Other examples of student voice on issues of their wellbeing can be accessed from

Double whammy kids

Children and young people who come from supportive backgrounds are more likely to make the most of the learning opportunities available to them - regardless of school values, relationships and practices.It is these pupils that governments would seem to have in mind with their emphasis on normative testing - although there is evidence that even academically able students do not necessarily have good mental healthor positive relationships.

Children who are neglected, abused or struggle with chronic adversityare less likely to be able to concentrate well, be intrinsically motivated, be compliant, have good social skills or confidence.They need an educational environment that cares for their social and emotional needs in order to maximise their learning potential(Noble et al., 2008).This was starkly illustrated in a discussion with young people in an alternative UK provision.

“I do want to know stuff. They have helped me with spelling here cos you have these worksheets and you have as much time as you want and they help you… there is someone to help if you get stuck.”

“You feel loved here - I do anyway.They make you feel you are part of something.At your old school you don’t feel comfortable.Here you are comforted, you get along with other people, you don’t have nagging teachers, they like you and they tell you they like you.They make you feel like you’re their own child and look after you.It helps with your learning.”

Although there are many mainstream schools where wellbeing is core business, and even more where individual teachers build positive relationships with challenging young people, no pupil should have to be excluded before they feel cared for in an educational setting (Noddings, 1992;Spratt et al., 2006). It is clear from the research cited above that positive relationships both at home and at school are critical for the wellbeing of young people and their future contribution to society.Without a focus on wellbeing more pupils are likely to end up as NEET - not in education, employment or training.Unless educators pro-actively and positively intervene for these double whammy kidsthere is a risk of reinforcing a cycle of disadvantage for the next generation.

The intervention described below was initiated to address just that - not just for the individuals involved but also their communities. With a focus on developing more confident, resilient and empathic students we were also aiming to grow leaders and agents of change. After four years the evaluation indicates that we are at least heading in that direction (Dobia et al., 2013).

The Aboriginal Girls Circle(AGC)

The Aboriginal Girls Circle (AGC) grew out ofthe National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN)’s preventative and long-term approach to issues of child neglect and abuse.In Australia in 2004-05, $1.2 billion was spent on child protection services, yet only $4.2 million was spent on child abuse prevention in the same period (Australian Government Productivity Commission, 2006).

Evidence suggests that children are more likely to be nurtured well where parents are positively connected and supported - and where women have a higher level of education, a positive self-concept and more confidence in themselves(Azar, 2002; Friesthler et al., 2006; Mosco & O’Brien, 2012).Many Aboriginal communities have experienced cultural breakdown and disconnection and as a result there have been increased levels of dysfunction, mental illness, violence and addictions (Purdie et al., 2010). However, evidence shows that Aboriginal women can be strong leaders in determining future culture.

“When we invest in the education of Australian Aboriginal women and girls we are investing in the leadership capacity of future generations and a more inclusive Australian society”
Professor Nereda White, Director of The Centre for Indigenous Education and Research,Australian Catholic University (cited in Doyle and Hill, 2012)

Based in research on resilience (Werner, 2004) connectedness (Blum & Libbey 2004), socialand emotional learning (CASEL, 2010) and behaviour change (Roffey, 2011), the AGC objectives are to empower young women aged 11 - 16 to discover and use their own strengths, identify, develop and be proud of positive personal and community attributes, learn how to make positive decisions, take action together and find a sense of healthy belonging to both their own community and wider Australian society.Issues addressed are intended to inhibit child abuse over the longer term and provide for inter-generational change. These include:

  • Increased self-worth and self-respect
  • Cultural pride
  • Empowerment to make positive choices
  • Emotional literacy and strategies to manage strong negative emotions
  • Resilience and coping skills
  • Better understanding of relational needs for self and others
  • The development of empathy
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Higher levels of educational aspiration
  • Social connection and support.

The pedagogy is based in the Circle Solutions framework (Roffey, 2014), which operates throughthe principles of respect, agency, positivity, inclusion, democracy and safety. All staff involved in the project are trained so they understand the philosophy and facilitate Circles appropriately.Without this there is a risk that teachers may run Circles with too much control and focus on problems rather than positive solutions (Roffey & McCarthy, 2013).

Adults and students are seen as equal.Everyone sits within the Circle and participates in all activities.No-one puts another person down either verbally or non-verbally; people listen to each other; adults facilitate decision making rather than making decisions for the girls; having fun is an important component of what happens; no-one is ever pressured to do or say anything they don’t want to and everything possible is done to keep girls included and give them choices.This includes a set of guidelines for when disruptions occur.Girls are regularly mixed up so everyone works with everyone else, to discourage cliques and promote cooperation.People rarely work individually but in pairs, small groups and the whole Circle.Most activities do not require academic skills and the focus is on collaboration rather than competition.

A wide variety of games and stimulus materials are used to structure discussion, reflection and feedback. These include photographs, strengths cards, making collages, commonalities and role play scenarios. Circles often finish with a reflective sentence completion in the round ‘today I learnt’ or simply turning to the next person in the Circle and saying ‘ I would like to thank you for…’. In one game the girls identify their strengths by imagining they have been stranded as a group in the bush.They consider the knowledge, character strengths and interpersonal skills that would help them survive. This also gives the girls a way of valuing what they may have learnt from Elders in their community and encourages them to find out more. Personal disclosure is discouraged with a focus on the positive and the third person. This responds to some justifiable critique of social and emotional learning and ensures that the Circle is a safe place for both students and staff (Ecclestone and Hayes, 2008).

As the school saw the benefits of this pedagogy all school staff had professional training so they could facilitate Circles in other lessons. Several teachers have become Trainers to ensure that all new staff are up to speed as soon as possible after joining the school.This has therefore become a way of initiating whole school change from a single intervention.

As with most action research projects in education, we learnt as we went along and the program developed organically in response to contextual circumstances.Although it takes place within the school there is regular liaison with the local community, especially the Aboriginal Elders, to elicit their active support.

Over the four years of the pilot over 50 girls have participated in the AGC.Girls volunteer to join in Year 7 though they can express interest later. They stay until the end of Year 10. After this exams set in and time is more limited. Several girls have joined because their older sisters, cousins or other relatives have been part of the AGC and given positive feedback. There are indications however, that some girls were strongly ‘encouraged’ in school with a view to changing their behaviour or because they had particularly challenging experiences.

There are two overnight camps a year and otherwise the girls meet weekly with the AGC Co-ordinator and Aboriginal Education Officers.

The first overnight camp takes place early in the school year and is intended to promote a sense of connection between the girls and to illustrate the Circle principles.The girls also engage in activities that show them what resilience means.One of these introduces ‘Inspiring Aboriginal Women’ who have made a difference to their community despite serious adversity.In the evening there is a fun activity and on the second afternoon family and community members are invited to share food with the group who talk about what they have been doing.