Psychological Well-Being of Students With High Abilities and Their School’s Ecology: Is There a Relationship?

ABSTRACT

There is a growing acknowledgment of the relationship between students’ psychological well-being and educational success. However, relatively few studies have focused on a connection between the psychological well-being of students who have high abilities and their school ecology. School-based experiences associated with interactions involving students, individual characteristics, contextual aspects and time-related factors are explored as they relate to the psychological well-being of students with high abilities. Psychological well-being in this article refers to students’ motivation, ability to cope with stressors, their expectations for the future, their involvement in the community, and their sense of life satisfaction. This position paper invites researchers, educators, and other school-based stakeholders to consider the importance of the interplay between students’ psychological well-being and the ecology in which they work.

KEYWORDS:

• interactions
• school ecology
• secondary school
• students with high abilities
• well-being

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Susan Burkett-McKee

Susan Burkett-McKee is a PhD candidate and education academic. Her dissertation explores the perceptions high achieving senior secondary students have of the relationship between their psychological well-being and their school’s ecology. In her academic role at Central Queensland University, Susan teaches in the Bachelor of Education department where she incorporates research on topics such as psychological well-being and educational neuroscience into her classes. Email: [email protected]

Bruce Allen Knight

Bruce Allen Knight is Professor of Education at Central Queensland University. He is a specialist in learning design and pedagogy to enhance participant outcomes across education and mental health disciplines. He has more than 200 publications and worked on large research projects worth more than AUD$5 million from such granting bodies as the Australian Research Council and Commonwealth and State Government agencies. In 2006 he was honored with a Fellowship of the International Academy of Research in Learning Disabilities, with Fellows considered the world’s leaders in the scientific study of human problems related to learning. Email: [email protected]

Michelle Avila Vanderburg

Michelle Avila Vanderburg has a PhD in Language and Literacy. She has experience teaching in primary, secondary, and tertiary education settings. Her research background includes looking at inquiry methods, literacy coaching, teaching effective literacy practices to teachers and Prep-12 students, and literacy in content areas such as STEM. Dr. Vanderburg is currently a Senior Lecturer at Central Queensland University in Australia. Email: [email protected]