The Relationship between Academic Achievement and the Emotional Well-Being of Elementary School Children in China: The Moderating Role of Parent-School Communication

Abstract

The relationship between academic achievement and the subjective well-being of elementary school children has received increasing attention. However, previous research on the relationship between these variables has yielded inconsistent conclusions – possibly due to the presence of potential moderating variables. This study investigated the relationship between the academic achievement and the emotional well-being (positive and negative affect) of elementary school children in China and the moderating effect of parent–school communication on this relationship. A total of 419 elementary school students and their parents participated. The elementary students’ positive and negative affect, their academic achievement on both midterm and final examinations of the most recent semester, and the frequency of parent–school communication were assessed. Academic achievement of elementary students was positively correlated with positive affect and negatively correlated with negative affect. Parent–school communication significantly moderated this relationship. Regardless of positive or negative affect, the correlation was only significant in the high parent–school communication group (one standard deviation higher than the mean) and in the mean group, whereas in the low parent–school communication group, no association was observed. These results indicate that parental engagement with school impacts both the academic achievements and subjective well-being of children in China.

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“…Авторы этих исследований анализируют отношения между учебными достижениями и субъективным благополучием в школе, а не общей удовлетворенностью жизнью. Большинство исследований показывают позитивную связь между учебными достижениями и субъективным благополучием (Huebner, 1991;Cheng, Furnham, 2002;Verkuyten, Thijs, 2002;Huebner, Gilman, 2006;Lv et al, 2016), однако эта связь не сильная, хотя и статистически значимая. Некоторые исследования показывают связь между оценками и субъективным благополучием, но не находят такой связи с баллами стандартизированных тестов (Lyons, Huebner, 2016).…”

“…Для детей школьного возраста одним из таких результатов являются учебные достижения. Однако исследований их связи с субъективным благополучием (удовлетворенностью и аффектом) у младших школьников и учеников основной школы слишком мало, чтобы на их основании можно было сделать однозначный вывод (Huebner, 1991;Cheng, Furnham, 2002;Lv et al, 2016;Lyons, Huebner, 2016). К тому же в исследованиях обычно рассматривается общее субъективное благополучие и намного реже -благополучие в определенной области/среде (Long, Huebner, 2014).…”

Vision status of children aged 7 - 15 years referred from school vision screening in Norway during 2003 - 2013: a retrospective study

“…The visual system changes in line with the growing child's expanding visual and behavioural world, and the majority develop good vision, enabling the child to learn, master and achieve important goals in different phases of life and to contribute to society. In fact, good vision and eye health is a prerequisite for social, educational and economic independence and success [1][2][3].…”

“…Even problems like small refractive errors and accommodation or oculomotor control deficits can cause headaches, difficulty concentrating or poor coordination and may lead to unnecessary challenges in school [15][16][17][18]. If a child avoids activities such as reading and homework, there will be serious consequences for learning and for academic and social success [2,4,19,20]. This means that good vision is more important than ever and that uncorrected vision problems should be identified.…”

“…In particular, hyperopia and near vision problems may only be detected through a thorough eye examination. Importantly, common vision problems are easy and cost-efficient to correct, and eye examinations should be considered included in school health services to promote learning, social interactions, future education, employment and socioeconomic benefits [2,8,20,21].…”