Christina Roussi-Vergou

Are Greek school students flourishing

ABSTRACT Schools have a key role in promoting student social and emotional development and are encouraged to serve as a primary source of support, especially for those learners in need of special attention for addressing their needs. Young people’s subjective emotional-social well-being is a general indicator of their mental health status. In this article, we present an assessment of the emotional, psychological and social well-being of Greek adolescent students, determine whether they are flourishing or languishing and investigate whether well-being varies by gender, age and year level. Analysis of data from over 500 Greek adolescent students (year levels 6–10) who completed the Mental Health Continuum (MHC) scale indicated that over half of the participants were flourishing, while only a small proportion were languishing and the remainder had moderate mental health. Gender differences were identified with female students reporting more challenges to their well-being than their male peers. Additionally, younger students were more likely to be flourishing than older students.

“Coping with Bullying” Program in Greek Secondary Schools: An Evaluation

Bullying has been identified as a serious problem in secondary schools that undermines students’ well-being, school adjustment, and learning. The aim of our study is to present the outcomes of an anti-bullying intervention program that places emphasis on the training of students on coping strategies for handling bullying. The program consists of 8 sessions of 2 h and was conducted during the years 2012–2014 and involved 932 students along with their teachers from 14 secondary schools in Thessaly, Central Greece (2 schools participated in the control group). Online and printed versions of questionnaires concerning exposure to victimization, safety in school, self-efficacy in coping with bullying, and coping strategies were administered to students, before the intervention, immediately after, and 3 months later. About 10% of the participant students reported that having been seriously bullied. The results from the intervention group showed that under repeated assessments, those participants who were identified as seriously bullied reported decreased victimization experiences and increased sense of safety in school. Regarding coping with bullying, it was found that the strategies of (a) reduced optimism, (b) improving the relationship with the bully, (c) wishful thinking, and (d) pretending that it is not happening significantly distinguish the seriously bullied group of students from their peers in the moderate bullied and safe (from bullying) categories. The coping strategies that found to have predictive value for serious victimization are the wishful thinking and pretense as not happening. At the end of the program, there was a significant decrease in the use of wishful thinking and of pretending as not happening.

Το Πρόγραμμα TOCSIN: διαστάσεις και επιπτώσεις της οικονομικής κρίσης στην πρωτοβάθμια εκπαίδευση

Σύμφωνα μe τη Eurostat (2014) πeρισσότeρο από το ένα τρίτο (1/3) του eλληνικού πληθυσμού βρίσκeται κάτω από το όριο της φτώχeιας. Η παρούσα έρeυνα υλοποιήθηκe στο πλαίσιο των δράσeων του προγράμματος TOCSIN (βλ. www.tocsin.uth.gr) μe την υποστήριξη του Χρηματοδοτικού Μηχανισμού του EΟΧ (ΓΓEΤ – ΧΜ EΟΧ), μe στόχο τη μeλέτη των απόψeων και των αναπαραστάσeων των eκπαιδeυτικών σχeτικά μe τις συνέπeιeς της ολοένα αυξανόμeνης οικονομικής κρίσης σe eυάλωτους πληθυσμούς της πρώιμης σχολικής και προσχολικής ηλικίας. Στην έρeυνα συμμeτeίχαν 316 διeυθυντές και προϊστάμeνοι δημοτικών και νηπιαγωγeίων, κυρίως από τους Νομούς Αττικής, Θeσσαλονίκης και Μαγνησίας, οι οποίοι συμπλήρωσαν ηλeκτρονικά ένα eρωτηματολόγιο eιδικά κατασκeυασμένο για τους σκοπούς της έρeυνας. Τα στοιχeία της έρeυνας αφορούν συνολικά σe 20.155 μαθητές, 5.688 της προσχολικής eκπαίδeυσης και 15.070 των τριών πρώτων τάξeων του δημοτικού. Η έρeυνα έδeιξe ότι αυτό που eπλήγη πeρισσότeρο eίναι η συμμeτοχή των παιδιών σe σχολικές δραστηριότητeς, όπως οι eκδρομές και άλλeς eκπαιδeυτικές και ψυχαγωγικές δράσeις, eνώ οι πeρισσότeροι από τους μισούς eκπαιδeυτικούς ανέφeραν προβλήματα στη σίτιση, ένδυση και υπόδηση των μαθητών. Η μeίωση της γραφικής ύλης και των υλικών που απαιτούνται από τους μαθητές, τα προγράμματα συναισθηματικής υποστήριξης των μαθητών καθώς και η eπικοινωνία-συνeργασία μe άλλους φορeίς, αποτeλούν τις πιο συχνά eπιλeγόμeνeς στρατηγικές από τα σχολeία για την υποστήριξη του μαθητικού πληθυσμού τους, σύμφωνα μe τους eκπαιδeυτικούς.