Comparing parental and school pressure in terms of their relations with students' well-being

Abstract

Towards the end of the elementary school years, children experience increased learning demands and pressure to perform, which can threaten their well-being. However, while parents and teachers are considered the main sources of academic pressure, a systematic comparison of the two has not yet been conducted. Therefore, this study examined the relation between those sources of academic pressure and five different facets of well-being among elementary school children. Our sample comprised 342 fourth graders (45.9 % female, Mage = 10.29) participating in the field test of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2021 in Germany. Controlling for gender and academic achievement, parental and school pressure were negatively related to several facets of students' well-being, with our findings showing that parental pressure was associated with a greater number of aspects of well-being. However, a direct comparison of the two sources of academic pressure did not reveal significant differences in the relations with the various facets of students' well-being. Limitations of the study and implications for research and practice are discussed. Educational relevance statementStudents' well-being is an important educational goal and research on this topic is of great relevance. This study represents an important contribution to the current literature as it examines the relationship between students' well-being and academic pressure among elementary school children. Studies of this age group in this context are rare but nonetheless of great importance. In addition, the present study included two different sources of academic pressure (parents, individuals in the school environment). Direct comparison of different sources of academic pressure in the elementary school context provides a more nuanced picture of how it affects students during their early school career.We found that both, parental and school pressure are negatively related to several facets of well-being. However, the results did not show a preponderance of one source of academic pressure over the other in terms of its association with students' well-being.The findings are of great practical importance, as they indicate that the behavior of teachers and parents is related to the well-being of students at a sensitive stage of their school career and general development. Therefore, their awareness of this issue should be raised. In addition, students' resilience and stress management skills should be strengthened so that they can better cope with academic pressure.