Chapter 7 - Assessment of Subjective Well-Being During Childhood and Adolescence

Abstract

The subjective well-being of adults has been a popular research topic during the last three decades. Much of this research includes studies of subjective well-being in elderly populations and national studies of the quality of life. As part of these research efforts, several self-report measures of subjective well-being were designed and models of subjective well-being were proposed. Most of the models define subjective well-being in terms of affective and cognitive or judgmental components. The chapter provides the readers with information regarding the assessment of subjective well-being in students from kindergarten through 12th-grade. The author first reviews some of the research related to one popular model of adults' subjective well-being. In the process of reviewing this model, a framework is built for a model of subjective well-being in students. Also, the chapter discusses developmental issues that may affect the assessment of students' subjective well-being and this discussion is based on research regarding children's self-concept and self-worth. It also describes the assessment of subjective well-being in students, as well as three self-report instruments designed to reflect that well-being. Finally, the chapter concludes that along with the construction of new instruments to assess students' subjective well-being, researchers need to generate truly developmental research programs.