Adapting Student Wellbeing Framework to an Asian Context and Prioritizing the Wellbeing of Schoolchildren in Hong Kong

Background: Student wellbeing, which is concerned with the overall development and quality of life of students, has become a growing priority in government policy in many countries. However, this is rarely a focus in the Asian societies, such as Hong Kong, where academic achievement is given priority. In Hong Kong, there have been many indications of the costs of poor student wellbeing to individuals and society, such as rising rates of depression and suicides. Efforts to address student wellbeing are hampered by the lack of systematic evidence and culturally relevant models of student wellbeing that relate to the Asian context. Against this backdrop, it is timely to build a conceptual framework of student wellbeing that is culturally and contextually relevant to Hong Kong and to develop a systematic evidence base to support more effective student wellbeing policies and programs in Hong Kong.

Research questions: (1) What is the culturally and contextually relevant framework for the study of student wellbeing in Hong Kong? (2) What are the wellbeing statuses of Hong Kong students? (3) What are the strategies that will enhance student wellbeing?

Methods: A mixed-method approach will be adopted, with focus group interviews, individual interviews, and a survey being conducted sequentially. This approach will provide the mix of qualitative data about students’ views and experiences that are needed to build the framework and quantitative data that provides a profile of student wellbeing. To answer research question (1) and (3), 100 schoolchildren attending Primary 5 and 6 will participate in focus group interviews to tell their perceptions of wellbeing and advise on what can be done to support their wellbeing. Primary 5 and 6 are crucial stage for more attention as these are the time for the transition to secondary schools. Also, a total of 20 adults, including parents/caregivers, teachers/school personnel, and school counselors/social workers will take part in individual interviews to show their perceptions of student wellbeing and to offer insight into the context of students’ experiences. To answer research question (2), a cross-sectional survey of 1,700 schoolchildren of Primary 5 and 6 will be conducted to collect data on all domains of student wellbeing. A stratified two-stage cluster sampling method will be used. Owing to the clustered nature of the data, and to avoid biased results, multilevel modeling will be used in statistical analyses. In addition, thematic analyses will be employed for the focus group and interview data.