Personal and Environmental Factors Affecting Hong Kong High-Ability Students’ School Satisfaction

Abstract

This report is part of a larger project investigating school satisfaction of early adolescents in Hong Kong. The research questions in this part of the study focused on the school experience of 21 high-ability Chinese students aged 9–14 in Hong Kong primary and secondary schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each of the participants. From the qualitative data collected, six influences on their school satisfaction emerged ― two that could be classified as ‘personal influences’ (goal-directed thoughts and motivation; self-discipline and self-regulation) and four themes that reflected ‘environmental influences’ (positive teacher-student relationships, classmates emotional and instrumental support, parental involvement in students’ learning, talent development opportunities). The findings from the study can help to inform school personnel on modifiable aspects of school environments that can help high-ability students succeed and at the same time enjoy their school life.

Students’ School Satisfaction: The Role of Classroom Climate, Self-efficacy, and Engagement

“…Besides, while Chinese culture entails a belief that only hard work leads to success, the examined students stressed they had positive attitudes about school only if they had peer support. It is known that students' school satisfaction should also be observed through the cultural dimension: while in western cultures external factors such as teacher support and availability of opportunities and means in and out of school have significant influence on students' school satisfaction (Subotnik, Olszewski-Kubilius andWorrell., 2011), Lam, Yeung andYuen (2018) research emphasized strong relationships with teachers, students and family.…”

“…However, there is little research implemented which included the influence of environmental factors on students' school satisfaction. A qualitative research by Lam, Yeung and Yuen (2018) has shown that Chinese students, who achieve high results and at the same time possess high cognitive abilities, show contentment with school if personal (goal-directedness, self-discipline and selfregulation) and environmental influences (positive relations between students and teachers, emotional and instrumental support from peers, support from parents) are realized. Besides, while Chinese culture entails a belief that only hard work leads to success, the examined students stressed they had positive attitudes about school only if they had peer support.…”

Sozio-emotionales Erleben von Schule bei Grundschülerinnen und -schülern: Zusammenhänge mit intellektueller Begabung und Schulleistung

“…Außerdem können eine positive Lehrer-Schüler-Beziehung sowie die Anregung positiver Interaktionen zwischen SuS einer Klasse (z. B. durch emotionale Unterstützung oder interessenbasierte Zusammenarbeit) das Lernen und persönliche Wohlbefinden der Grundschulkinder fördern (Lam et al 2018).…”

“…Leistungsstarke oder besonders begabte SuS profitieren -wie andere SuS auch -von einem positiven sozio-emotionalen Erleben von Schule. Dies zeigt sich beispielsweise für den Umgang mit Schwierigkeiten und für selbstregulative Fähigkeiten (Brigandi et al 2018) sowie für die Schulzufriedenheit, welche wiederum zu einer höheren intrinsischen Motivation und Schulleistung beiträgt (Lam et al 2018).…”