Study title

School Well-being Profile 2017-2018: Lower Secondary School, Grades 7-9

Dataset ID Number

FSD3273

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3273
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3273

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Konu, Anne (University of Tampere. Faculty of Social Sciences. Health Sciences)

Abstract

The data examined the well-being of Finnish schoolchildren in grades seven to nine of basic education. The themes of the survey included school conditions, social relations, possibilities of self-actualisation and state of health. The questions were presented as attitudinal statements and multiple-choice questions. The statements were evaluated on a five-level scale ranging from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree".

Questions charting conditions at the school covered school facilities and activities. The respondents were asked, for instance, about satisfaction with the classroom's size, temperature and ventilation, the school's toilet facilities as well as the cleanliness and safety of the school buildings and yard areas. They were also asked to evaluate if it was possible to work in peace in the classroom, if the amount of schoolwork was appropriate, if rules and disciplinary actions at the school were sensible, and if it was easy to get to visit the school nurse or counselor. Some statements examined social relations between classmates as well as between the pupils and teachers, along with parents' attitudes toward studying. The respondents were asked, for example, if groupwork was successful, if classmates offered help, if teachers were friendly, and if parents respected their schoolwork, helped with homework and participated in parent-teacher meetings. It was also charted whether the respondents had been bullied at school during the current semester and whether they had themselves bullied someone.

Some questions pertained to self-actualisation. These questions covered e.g. whether teachers listened to the respondents' opinions, if pupils' opinions were taken into consideration in the school's decision-making, whether the respondents had found a suitable study method and took care of their school duties, if they were thanked for good work, if they felt that school is important and whether they received help from the teacher when needed. Questions concerning the respondents' general health examined if they had suffered from a variety of symptoms during the current school term (e.g. stomach pains, difficulty falling asleep or waking up at night, headaches, feeling sad, fears).

Background variables included gender, age and grade.

Keywords

health status; lower secondary schools; primary education; primary schools; quality of education; school buildings; school bullying; school classes; school-age population; school-student relationship; schoolchildren; schools; social interaction; teacher-student relationship; well-being (health)

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Medical and health sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Compulsory and pre-school education (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• General health and well-being (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Social behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

School Well-being Profile

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Konu, Anne (University of Tampere. Faculty of Social Sciences. Health Sciences)
• Kainulainen, Lauri
• Finnish National Board of Education

Time Period Covered

2017-08 – 2018-05

Collection Dates

2017-08 – 2018-06

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Schoolchildren in grades 7-9 in Finnish schools

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Availability

The sample is self-selected; schools found out about the study in seminars or from other schools and volunteered to participate. The study was not advertised to schools extensively. The well-being profile was meant as a development and self-assessment tool for schools. By participating, however, the schools also allowed the use of the data for research.

The questionnaire was available on a web page hosted by the Finnish National Board of Education, and an identification code was required for responding to the survey. The schools registered for the survey and generated identification codes for the pupils. The pupils filled out the questionnaire and inserted their personal identification codes. Only responses with these identification codes were saved, so that each pupil could only respond once. Technical solutions also ensured that all background information was filled out (with the exception of age) and that at least two thirds of questions in each question category were answered.

The pupils' chances of being included in the sample depended on the school's activity, internet access, and willingness to use web-based tools for development. Schools differ in their internet connection speeds, IT equipment and how this equipment is used.

A total of 68 schools participated in the survey. Responses were received from 9,980 pupils in grades seven to nine.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

The names of schools, municipalities, or contact persons are not included in the data, nor open-ended responses.

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Konu, Anne (University of Tampere): School Well-being Profile 2017-2018: Lower Secondary School, Grades 7-9 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2018-06-18). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3273

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Publications

Levonmaa, Hanna (2020) Vanhemmilta saadun tuen ja psykosomaattisen oireilun yhteys 12-16 -vuotiaiden nuorten koulukokemukseen. Tampereen yliopisto. Yhteiskuntatieteiden tiedekunta. Pro gradu -tutkielma.

Konu Anne & Viitanen Elina & Lintonen Tomi (2010). Teachers' well-being and perceptions on leadership practices. Journal of Workplace Health Management, Vol. 3 Iss: 1, pp. 44-57.

Konu Anne & Lintonen Tomi (2006). School well-being in Grades 4-12. Health Education Research 2006;21(5): 633-642.

Konu Anne & Lintonen Tomi (2006). Theory-based survey analysis of well-being in secondary schools in Finland. Health Promotion International 2006; 21(1): 27-36.

Lintonen Tomi & Konu Anne (2006). The Well-being Profile: An Internet tool for school health promotion. Promot & Educ 2006; 8(4): 230-235.

Konu Anne & Koivisto Anna-Maija (2011). The School Well-being Profile. A valid instrument for evaluation. In LG Chova, M Belenguer, AL Martinez: EDULEARN11 Publications. Barcelona 4th-6th of July 2011, pp. 1842-1850, IATED.

Konu Anne (2010). Koululaisten hyvinvoinnin arviointi ja alakoulujen hyvinvointi 2000-luvulla. [The Evaluation of the Well-being of Schoolchildren, and the Well-being of Elementary Schools during 21st Century] In Joronen K and Koski A: Tunne- ja sosiaalisten taitojen vahvistaminen kouluyhteisössä. Tampere: Tampere University Press, 13-32.

Konu Anne (2005). Hyvinvointiprofiili koulun kehittämisen välineenä [The Well-being Profile as a Tool for School Development]. Teoksessa Peltonen Heidi (toim.) Opiskelun tuki esi- ja perusopetuksessa. 2005. Opetushallitus, 256-265.

Konu, Anne & Joronen, Katja & Lintonen, Tomi (2015). Seasonality in School Well-being. The Case of Finland. Child Indicators Research 8, 265-277. DOI: 10.1007/s12187-014-9243-9

Kylliäinen, Saija (2015). Sosiaaliset suhteet koulun työyhteisön hyvinvoinnin voimavaroina. Tampere: Tampereen yliopisto. Terveystieteiden yksikön pro gradu -tutkielma. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:uta-201502181118

Konu A, Rimpelä M. 2002. Well-being in Schools - a conceptual model. Health Promot Int 17(1):79-87.

Rantaeskola, Anne (2017). Alakoululaisten kokema kouluhyvinvointi lukuvuosina 2005-2006 ja 2015-2016. Itä-Suomen yliopisto. Kasvatustieteen pro gradu -tutkielma.