School and emotional well-being: a transcultural analysis on youth in Southern Spain

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess and compare school well-being (SW) and emotional well-being (EW) among Romanian, Moroccan and Spanish youth, to determine the degree of relation between EW and scholar well-being.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employed cross-sectional research with cluster sampling in two primary schools and seven secondary schools. The questionnaire Kidscreen-27 was distributed to a sample of 1,840 Romanian, Moroccan and Spanish students aged between 10 and 19 years old. Data analysis was conducted with the software package SPSS, version 21.FindingsEW shows significant gender (gender gap) and origin inequalities (lower performance for the Moroccan community). However, well-being in school shows positive results for the Moroccan students and women. Moreover, EW and well-being at school are presented as related and co-linear variables with a predictive power over one another.Research limitations/implicationsUnderstanding cultural expressions in heterogeneous cultures is a very complex task. Despite the cultural adaptation and validation of instruments, the applied surveys could not consider cultural differences.Practical implicationsThe paper underlines that gender and origin remain decisive and determinant for adolescent health. However, the school can have positive effects on the well-being of immigrants. The reasons for well-being need to be explored, and it would be useful to develop educative strategies to implement transcultural EW and SW.Originality/valueIt is the first study about SW and EW of immigrants in Spain that explains a better SW in immigrants groups. It is also relevant for applied school intervention to predict the relationship between EW and SW.