Browsing by Author "Dahllund, Olivia"

The school environment plays an essential role in the development of students’ identities and in the construction of the self. These processes are crucial for creating a sense of purpose in life, and they fuel students’ future aspirations. Recently, there have been increasing concerns about the well-being of students. Findings from both international and national studies present a trend of decline in well-being. Therefore, new methods are called for to provide resources for supporting and increasing student well-being. The aim of my master’s thesis is to explore the subjective well-being (SWB) of upper secondary school students and examine whether gender and regional differences exist in SWB derived from the data in the project Study with Strength. The regions examined are Ostrobothnia, Uusimaa/Southwestern Finland and the Åland Islands. Prior studies indicate that female students score lower in well-being and higher in ill-being than male students. In this study, six questionnaires measuring SWB, including scales of both well-being and ill-being, are examined using analysis of covariance. The results from 282 participants showed that female students scored lower in well-being and higher in ill-being than male students. No major regional differences were found. Prior research indicates that female and male students have different patterns of decreased well-being and increased ill-being. The results of this thesis are a valuable source of information in understanding the different patterns and contribute to the process of creating tailored solutions that promote health and support student well-being. Research targeting gender inequality shows that promoting equality has a positive effect on the SWB of males but not on females. Therefore, it is crucial for the school environment to identify the differences between objective and subjective gender equality and nurture the well-being of both genders.