What Would Make School Life Better? Exploring Adolescents’ Perspectives on Ways to Improve School Climate for Positive Wellbeing Outcomes

What Would Make School Life Better? Exploring Adolescents’ Perspectives on Ways to Improve School Climate for Positive Wellbeing Outcomes

Health behavior in adolescence

Olivia Lambie, Terryann Clark, Lovely Dizon, Theresa Fleming, John Fenaughty, Sue Crengle, Melody Smith

Improving Schools

Vol. 27

No. 2-3

2025

SAGE Publications

Journal article

English

13654802

New Zealand

Open Access

School climate and its individual components impact students’ health and wellbeing. This research explores adolescents’ perspectives on what would make a better school life in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Responses to an open text question: “if you could change one thing about your school/course to make it better, what would it be?” were analysed using framework analysis across the four school climate domains and by sociodemographic characteristics. Overall, 3,455 of 7,721 participants provided a response to this optional survey question. Participants highlighted multiple opportunities for improving school climate including providing more diverse subjects and extracurricular opportunities, more supportive teachers, greater acceptance of diversity, reducing strictness on uniforms to allow for self-expression, reducing bullying, and supporting healthy peer relationships. Policy and social changes are necessary to make “a good school life” a reality for youth in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Edrina Adjei-Manu