The Relationship between Wellbeing and Academic Achievement: A Comprehensive Cross-Sectional Analysis of System Wide Data From 2016-2019

Learning analytics research has long flagged the importance of social and emotional well-being on student academic progress and outcomes. However, few studies have examined the interplay between well-being measures and academic outcomes at scale. This research examined the relationship between the Well-being Engagement Collection (WEC) index and student academic outcomes, using cross-sectional panel data from 215,635 students in Years 4–10 in South Australia, spanning 2016 to 2019. Using linear hierarchical mixed models, results indicate a modest impact of the WEC index on these outcomes, with learning readiness emerging as the most influential component. The effects of the WEC index remained stable across various student year levels and census periods. A notable finding was the more pronounced influence of the WEC index on male students, particularly in literacy, suggesting gender-specific variations in the role of emotional well-being on academic achievement. The study underscores the potential of learning analytics in future investigations to deepen our understanding of the nexus between socio-emotional factors and academic outcomes.