School and Neighborhood Relationships that Affect Well-Being Based on Chilean Children and Adolescent’s Understandings

Abstract

This article studies the perceptions that Chilean children and adolescents hold about the personal and distinctive qualities of their relationships in both the school and neighborhood contexts associated with the experience of well-being using a qualitative methodological framework. It takes as its foundation the relevance of studying well-being from an ecological perspective to help identify and differentiate the processes and dynamics that take place in the multiple contexts of daily life and delves into their effects on the well-being experience of children and adolescents. A sample of 21 children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 15 was used to obtain the data through semi-structured interviews and then analyzed by thematic, which identified five categories associated with the relationships the participants have at schools and in the neighborhoods that affect their well-being. The categories are organized according to their characteristics and properties along a continuum between well-being and dissatisfaction. One conclusion is that feeling a sense of belonging, closeness, support and safety both among peers and with adults in the school and neighborhood contexts is pertinent to the well-being of the children and adolescents. Another key finding is the importance of motivating and entertaining teaching–learning relationships in school settings, as well as feeling pleased and satisfied with the physical and material conditions of their neighborhoods and schools.