Mapping the Terrain of Students Well-Being: Implications for Academic Achievement

Positive education emphasizes the importance of student well-being as a critical outcome. Well-being is a complex construct involving both hedonic and eudaimonic aspects. However, existing literature predominantly concentrates on hedonic well-being, with less attention given to eudaimonic well-being. Furthermore, how these two aspects of well-being are associated with academic outcomes is underexplored. To address these gaps, this study examines the hedonic and eudaimonic well-being profiles of 41,396 15-year-old students from six high-performing East Asian regions (Mainland China, Macao SAR, Hong Kong SAR, Chinese Taipei, Japan, and Korea) using a person-centered approach (latent profile analysis). Students from the six regions exhibited both commonalities and differences in their well-being profiles. Across the six regions, we identified three standard profiles: flourishing (high well-being), moderate (average levels of well-being), and discouraged (low well-being) profiles. While in mainland China, aside from the three standard profiles, we identified a fourth profile characterized by low hedonic and high eudaimonic well-being (i.e., resilient). Overall, students in the flourishing group demonstrated the best academic outcomes, while those in the discouraged group showed the poorest. An interesting finding was the emergence of the resilient group among mainland Chinese students. This group displayed academic outcomes that were superior to the moderate and discouraged groups, but slightly worse than the flourishing group. The study reveals the importance of adopting an integrative perspective that includes both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. It offers valuable insights into the intricate associations between different well-being profiles and academic-related outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.