AUTHOR=López Verónica , Oyanedel Juan C. , Bilbao Marian , Torres Javier , Oyarzún Denise , Morales Macarena , Ascorra Paula , Carrasco Claudia 

TITLE=School Achievement and Performance in Chilean High Schools: The Mediating Role of Subjective Wellbeing in School-Related Evaluations

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2017

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01189

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01189

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=School achievement gaps and school failure are problematic issues in Latin America, and are mainly explained by the socio-economic status (SES) of the students. What schools can do to improve school achievement and reduce school failure is a critical issue, both for school management and teachers’ training. In this study, we present the association of individual and school-related socio-emotional variables with school achievement and performance, controlling for the effects of SES. A probabilistic sample of 4,964 students, drawn from 191 schools enrolled in year 10 in urban areas of Chile, was given questionnaires assessing subjective wellbeing, social wellbeing in school, school climate, school social wellbeing and students’ perceptions of teachers’ wellbeing. Using structural equation modeling, and controlling for SES, we modeled subjective wellbeing as a mediator of the relationship between school-related variables, such as school climate and perception of teacher’s wellbeing, and a) school achievement, and b) school performance. Questionnaire information was linked to administrative registries from the Chilean Ministry of Education, where school performance was computed as the estimated grade point average (GPA) at the end of the school year, based on the previous five years’ GPA. School achievement was also measured through administrative data of the last five years and computed as a product of a) the probability of passing the school year and, b) percentage of yearly attendance at school. Findings reveal the mediating role of subjective wellbeing in the relationship between school-related evaluations (students’ social wellbeing at school, their perception of teachers’ wellbeing and school climate) and school achievement and performance. For school achievement, two variables were mediated (students’ social wellbeing at school and school climate). On the case of school performance, no significant mediations were found. We conclude that, on the one hand, after controlling for SES, students’ individual subjective wellbeing is associated with their achievement and performance in school. We discuss the importance of improving school experiences that may protect and promote students’ subjective experience and school achievement and performance, and reduce the probability of school failure and dropout.