Children’s Participation in Decisions Affecting their School Life in China: Towards Children’s Subjective Well-Being in School

Children’s participation rights and well-being are two prominent concepts in children’s lives. While they are mainly addressed separately in research, empirical associations exist between them. The article analyzes the perspectives of children and teachers concerning children’s participation in decisions affecting their school life in one participatory initiative in a primary school in China. Thematic analysis of participant observation, interviews, focus groups, and document examination in one case demonstrates how children experience increased subjective well-being in their participation, focusing on the different types of subjective well-being that children reported improving as a result of their participation. The article indicates that children improved their subjective well-being in two dimensions: social well-being (e.g., friendships with peers and teacher-student relationships) and psychological well-being (e.g., relaxation).