Achievement in the Light of Aspects of Student Well-Being and Teacher Attitudes: The Case of Slovenia

Although many countries experienced negative trends in the 2022 cycle of PISA results, results for Slovenia showed an alarmingly negative trend in mathematics, reading, and science achievement on PISA literacy scales, and at the same time a decline in several aspects of student well-being. According to research evidence on the relatedness of knowledge and well-being, some studies have already confirmed student well-being as an important predictor of academic achievement. In the study, we focus on the differences in relationships between knowledge and aspects of student and teacher well-being in various secondary education programs. The survey results show that students and teachers in technical and vocational education programs report lower levels of some aspects of well-being, and that in explaining achievement in mathematics, reading and science, the most significant predictors across all education programs proved to be the quality of student-teacher relationships. The results suggest that by empowering teachers we can foster learning environments that support students from different backgrounds and as such enhance more positive student outcomes.