2026/07/29 by Orla McCormack, Oliver McGarr, Jennifer Hennessy +1
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Early Childhood Education and Development #Global Educational Policies and Reforms #Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
paper · doi:10.1080/00220272.2026.2710695
crossref issued 2026/07/29 · crossref published 2026/07/29 · crossref published-online 2026/07/29 · openalex publication_date 2026/07/29 · crossref created 2026/07/29 · crossref deposited 2026/07/29 · crossref indexed 2026/07/29 · openalex created_date 2026/07/30 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Many education systems have placed a focus on student wellbeing, as issues relating to physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing of young people become increasingly evident. Wellbeing was introduced as a dedicated area of learning into lower second level schooling in Ireland (Junior Cycle, ages 12–15 years) through the introduction of 400 hours of timetabled engagement within the Framework for Junior Cycle. Drawing on student surveys (n = 3612) and focus groups (n = 432) as well as teacher (n = 136), principal (n = 32) and parent (n = 60) interviews from a larger national four-year NCCA-funded longitudinal study, this paper explores how participants experienced the enactment of Wellbeing in Irish schools. The study found that the enactment of Wellbeing was influenced by four inter-related issues: (i) Wellbeing was not always perceived and experienced as something that was valued within Junior Cycle; (ii) Wellbeing was understood and experienced in a narrow way; (iii) Wellbeing was deemed to cause additional stress for students and (iv) Assessment continued to remain the dominant concern for students and staff. The paper considers the implications of the findings for the positioning and enactment of wellbeing within assessment-driven education systems.