Well-being of Secondary School Students in Kinshasa

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the academic well-being of secondary school students at a school in the city of Kinshasa. To achieve this objective, a survey (supported by school well-being and school satisfaction scales) was carried out among a sample of 106 students in the final year of secondary school at the Institut Pédagogique et Technique Mokengeli. The study data were processed using elementary statistical indices (frequency and percentage of respondents to each item modality) and the chi-square test. The results of the study revealed that respondents experienced a real sense of well-being at school (in its multi-dimensionality) and school satisfaction (well-being in its unidimensionality).This well-being manifested itself in positive perceptions of students' relationships with teachers, parity relations, and reports on assessments, safety and classroom experience. By assessing the well-being, this study has contributed to the identification of factors in the Congolese school environment that significantly affect students' quality of life at school, which is considered an antecedent of good mental and academic health. Having good mental health is a crucial advantage for achieving success in school and social integration. Research conducted in the context of the Democratic Republic of Congo has primarily emphasised the one-dimensional evaluation of overall well-being (global well-being). The particularity of this study was that it assessed the well-being of Congolese pupils across its multiple dimensions (pupils' relationships with others, attitude to assessments, feeling of safety at school, perception of the classroom). The school of the future, or the school of tomorrow, should prioritise students' happiness and foster an environment where they can feel positive and fulfilled. This sense of well-being is very important for both their academic and professional careers. The aim of ensuring comprehensive well-being is not fully accomplished in the majority of schools worldwide. Schools in African countries still have a long way to go in achieving this objective. So, by assessing students' school well-being, the present study identified the factors in the school environment that need to be improved to ensure that the Congolese school of the future is a good setting where students have a taste for learning and return to it eagerly every day.