The Bidirectional Relationship Between Wellbeing and Academic Achievement
Welcome back to Term 3! I hope that you had an enjoyable break, where I’m sure rest and wellbeing was a part of your goal, after what was a hectic and busy school term for all members of the school community!
Last week, the staff of Hume Anglican Grammar (all 200 of us) undertook a Professional Learning Day with a focus on student and staff wellbeing. This was timely for me as at present I am studying a unit in my Masters of Educational Leadership and Management degree on Positive Education. This past week, I have been engaging in some research on the correlation between student wellbeing and student achievement. It is perhaps a no-brainer – that a strong and positive sense of wellbeing precipitates high achievement, and that achievement and a sense of accomplishment also has an influence on a student’s sense of self-worth and wellbeing! In this report I will endeavour to unpack some of the theory and practice surrounding this correlation, the correlation between wellbeing and student scholastic performance, as posed by renowned American psychologist, Martin Seligman. Bear with me, as while I do not profess to be an expert, I feel that what I can shed light upon here will be very useful for all parents, teachers and students in our school community.
Among other take-aways, Seligman elucidates the view that a positive sense of wellbeing has a significant influence on student school performance and that a student’s school achievement and sense of accomplishment has a significant impact on their sense of wellbeing (Seligman, 2011). The bidirectional relationship between the two is what I feel is extremely relevant for our school community. You may have heard of Dr Martin Seligman – the revered American Psychologist from The University of Pennsylvania who spent some time here in Australia, as the Thinker In Residence at The Geelong Grammar School, where he helped create and launch a wellbeing model tailored to The Geelong Grammar School – its students and the school’s specific needs.
Seligman (2011) in his book Flourish introduces the reader to what he calls his PERMA model. Many of you would have heard of PERMA – it is a wellbeing construct that is now over a decade old. It is an acronym that Seligman created which stands for: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment. These five constituents, which he claims can be taught and can also be measured, in Seligman’s view, contribute to helping human beings live a fulfilling and satisfying life. In my article today, I wish to draw your attention to his research and theory on two elements of his wellbeing construct – namely the E for Engagement and the A for Accomplishment.
Seligman claims that if there is deep and mindful Engagement, where a person is in what he calls “flow” (p. 17), when they freely and actively immerse themselves fully in an activity, like a learning experience for example, when they can afterwards reflect and think or say “that was wonderful” (p. 17) or “that was fun” (p. 17), then this will positively affect one’s wellbeing and contribute to a sense of Accomplishment. The Athen, of PERMA, A for Accomplishment, Seligman proposes, is what motivates people, when they freely choose to seek to achieve and work towards it, providing them with a sense of self-worth and value. Seligman claims that it has a bidirectional effect on the person – positively affecting their sense of wellbeing because they have achieved something, thereby meeting the human need for accomplishment. This, to me, is very important for us as teachers, learners and stakeholders in the lives of our young people. It is important because if our learners are actively engaged and striving to accomplish, then this will positively affect their wellbeing.
All five of Seligman’s constituents of the PERMA model form his wellbeing framework, which he poses as a way for all human beings to live a full and rich life of meaning, substance and life satisfaction. If we translate the PERMA model, particularly the E for Engagement and the A for Achievement, into our school context, then we see the fruits of deep engagement and achievement for our young people and not only their learning but their positive sense of wellbeing and life satisfaction. I therefore implore our students to be engaged, deeply, and to strive to achieve!
Enjoy Term 3!