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Keywords
- Gesundheit, Fehltage, Wohlbefinden, Schule, Klassenklima, Nationales Bildungspanel (NEPS), self-rated health, school absence, wellbeing, school, class climate, National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) (1)
- school performance; social comparison; life satisfaction; “big-fish-little-pond”-effect; multilevel analysis; National Educational Panel Study; Germany (1)
This study investigates whether class-level school performance affects students’ life satisfaction and if there are differential effects for high- and low-performing students. Data were derived from the National Educational Panel Study, including n = 5196 students (49.6% girls), nested in 478 classes and 250 secondary schools. School performance in class was measured by aggregating individual grade point average in Mathematics and German. The study could not reveal the “big-fish-little-pond”-effect regarding students’ life satisfaction but found differential effects for high- vs. low performing students. There was no significant association for low-performing students attending classes with higher class-level performance However, low-performing students revealed the lowest life satisfaction. High-performing students placed in classes with higher average performance reported lower life satisfaction compared to high-performing students in classes with lower average performance. This study provides evidence for the impact of the learning environment in class on school-aged children’s life satisfaction, by highlighting the differential sensitivity of high-performing students when placed in classes with higher or lower average performance.
Background
Features of schools and classes are closely related to students´ health and wellbeing. However, class composition (e.g. in terms of school performance) has rarely been examined in relation to students´ health and wellbeing. This study focuses on the so called Big-Fish-Little-Pond-Effect (BFLPE), by investigating whether the level of high-performing students in classroom is negatively associated with psychosomatic complaints of students who perceive themselves as poor performers.
Methods
Data were derived from the German sample of the WHO-Collaborative “Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC)” study 2013/2014. The sample included 5226 11-, 13- and 15-year-old students. Individual perceived school performance (PSP) was included (very good/good vs. average/below average PSP) at the individual student-level. At the class-level, school performance in class was generated by aggregating the share (in percentage) of students who report a very good/good PSP to the class-level, indicating the percentage of students with good/very good PSP in classroom. Using multilevel regression models, the association between class-level school performance (in percentage of students with very good/good PSP) and individual psychosomatic complaints were analyzed, stratified by students´ individual PSP.
Results
Students who report average/below average PSP showed higher likelihoods of psychosomatic complaints (Odds Ratio: 1.75; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.52–2.03) compared to counterparts with very good/good PSP. The aggregated class-level PSP was not significantly associated with psychosomatic complaints. However, in line with the BFLPE, results further revealed that students with average/below average PSP, who attend classes with a higher percentage of students who report very good/good PSP, had higher likelihoods of psychosomatic complaints (Odds Ratio: 1.91; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.01–4.01) compared to classmates with very good/good PSP.
Conclusions
This study revealed that class composition in terms of PSP was differentially associated with students´ psychosomatic complaints, depending on their individual PSP. Findings highlight the vulnerability of students with poor PSP placed in classes with a higher percentage of students with good PSP. Results of this study therefore indicate a need for initiatives for low performing students from teachers and school staff in class.
Ziel Ziel des Beitrags ist es, erstmalig mit den Daten des Nationalen Bildungspanels den Zusammenhang zwischen Merkmalen des Klassenklimas und des schulischen Wohlbefindens mit der selbstberichteten Gesundheit und krankheitsbedingten Schulfehltagen von Schülern in deutschen Regelschulen zu untersuchen.
Methodik Datenbasis bildet das Nationale Bildungspanel (NEPS). Die Stichprobe umfasst (n=7348) Schüler der siebten Klassen in Regelschulen (Startkohorte 3, Welle 3, 2012). Merkmale des Klassenklimas umfassen Anforderungen, Kontrolle und Lernorientierung im Unterricht, Autonomie und Interaktion der Schüler sowie die Unterrichtsqualität, jeweils auf die Lehrkräfte in Deutsch bezogen. Das schulische Wohlbefinden wird über die Schulzufriedenheit sowie Hilflosigkeit in zentralen Schulfächern erfasst. Es werden sowohl bivariate Analysen als auch logistische Mehrebenenmodelle, unter Kontrolle von Alter, Geschlecht und besuchter Schulform, durchgeführt.
Ergebnisse Die Ergebnisse der Mehrebenenmodelle zeigen, dass insbesondere Schüler mit einer höheren Schulzufriedenheit eine bessere Gesundheit und weniger krankheitsbedingte Fehltage berichten. Eine höhere Hilflosigkeit und Lernorientierung sind dagegen negativ mit beiden Zielgrößen assoziiert. Hauptschüler besitzen zudem ein erhöhtes Risiko krankheitsbedingter Fehltage im Vergleich zu Gymnasiasten.
Schlussfolgerung Die Ergebnisse unterstreichen, dass insbesondere das schulische Wohlbefinden in Form der Schulzufriedenheit sowie der Hilflosigkeit in zentralen Schulfächern eng mit der subjektiven Gesundheit und krankheitsbedingten Fehltagen assoziiert ist. Maßnahmen zur Gesundheitsförderung sollten daher v. a. auf das schulische Wohlbefinden gerichtet werden sowie Schüler adressieren, die eine andere Schulform als das Gymnasium besuchen.
The aim of this study is to examine the impact of class-level class climate on school-aged children’s life satisfaction. Data was derived from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) using sixth grade school-aged children (n = 4,764, 483 classes). Class climate includes indicators of teachers' care and monitoring, demands, interaction, autonomy, as well as school-aged children's attitudes towards schoolwork at the class- and individual-level. Results showed that individual perceived class climate in terms of teachers' care and monitoring and autonomy was positively related to life satisfaction, whereas school-related demands were related to lower life satisfaction. Besides teachers' care and monitoring at class-level, indicators of class climate were not associated with school-aged children’s life satisfaction, while the individual perceived class climate is more important for life satisfaction.