Secondary students' self-perceptions of school climate and subjective well-being: Invitational education meets positive psychology

This study investigated the relationship between secondary students' self-perceptions of school climate and subjective well-being based upon the tenets of Invitational Education Theory and Positive Psychology. The present study not only examined the relationship between the two constructs but also, if Gender and Year Level mediate such a relationship. School climate was operationally defined according to Invitational Educational Theory while student well-being was defined according to positive psychology's PERMA model of well-being. The participants included 120 students from a large high school in the state of New York. Findings indicated evidence for a significant relationship between students' self-perceptions of school climate and subjective well-being and insignificant mediation by various demographic factors. Implications for practice include providing a method for educational administrators to evaluate and improve their school climate for the promotion of student well-being. Further research on a larger sample is recommended to understand the relationships between student well-being and perceptions of school climate in various contexts