Promoting student well-being in schools: Intervention effects and the role of student–student relationships and intrinsic motivation

Abstract

Background: Student well-being is a core educational goal and a foundation for successful learning, yet it tends to decline during secondary school. Many school-based interventions show promising but inconsistent effects on student well-being. Also, the role of individual and classroom factors in shaping effects remains unclear. Aims: We examined (1) changes in student well-being across a 10-week intervention programme comparing three sets of well-being strategies with a placebo control and (2) whether baseline student–student relationships and intrinsic motivation to participate moderated student well-being trajectories. Sample: A total of 685 Grade 8 students (51% male; t1: Mage = 14 years, SD = 0.6) from 44 classes across 17 schools in Switzerland participated in our study. Methods: Classes were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions or a placebo control. Student-reported well-being (three positive, three negative dimensions), student–student relationships and intrinsic motivation were assessed at baseline, mid-intervention, post-intervention and an additional 8-month follow-up. We estimated repeated-measures linear mixed-effects models. Given a non-significant main condition effect, moderator analyses contrasted high versus low baseline relationships and motivation. Results: Across student well-being dimensions, significant time effects were observed, but few condition or interaction effects were found. Student well-being declined over time, irrespective of condition. Students with stronger baseline student–student relationships and/or higher baseline intrinsic motivation reported higher scores on positive well-being dimensions. Conclusions: Individual resources—student–student relationships and intrinsic motivation—were more strongly related to student well-being than participation in a specific condition. Interventions may need to deliberately strengthen such resources and tailor their components to student and classroom contexts.