Browsing by Author "Äijälä, Ilari"

Aims. The aim of this study was to examine students’ self-control and academic well-being in the context of Finnish upper secondary sport schools. Self-control and well-being factors were identified and differences between girls and boys, and between general and sports program students in self-control and well-being were examined. One aim was also to study how self-control factors predict school burnout and school engagement. Self-control refers to invidual capacity to regulate immediate responses, behaviors and thoughts. Academic well-being consists of school burnout and school engagement. School burnout is conceptualized as exhaustion, cynical attitudes and sense of inadequacy as a student. The connection between self-control and well-being is internationally well studied, but self-control has been studied less in Finland. This study provides deeper understanding regarding upper secondary school students’ self-control and academic well-being in a specific Finnish context. Methods. The participants were 424 general upper secondary school students from 12 sport-oriented schools around Finland. Students filled in a questionnaire, which consisted of questions about self-control, well-being, studying and sports. Widely used Brief Self-Control Scale was translated into Finnish. Self-control and well-being factors were validated by exploratory factor analysis. T-tests were used to identify differences in self-control and well-being by gender and study program. The effects of self-control variables on the well-being dimensions were examined by means of regression analyses. Results. Three different dimensions of self-control were found: self-discipline, impulsivity and indolence. Results indicate that self-control is not merely inhibiting impulses, but self-control involves also an initiatory dimension. Girls reported less self-discipline but more exhaustion than boys. The results show that sports program students express less indolence and cynicism than general program students. There were no significant differences in the other self-control and well-being variables by gender or program. From self-control dimensions, indolence was the most prominent predictor of well-being dimensions. The findings indicate that studying in the sports program does not lead to more school-related stress than general studies at least in the first two years of upper secondary studies. These findings could be used by student counselling for the detection and early prevention of school burnout.