Important findings on school-aged children’s satisfaction with the school environment, support from teachers and acceptance by peers are recorded in an international survey, including that 57% of respondents in Cyprus feel pressure from school compared to the international average of 43%.
Entitled “Health Behaviour in School-aged Children” (HBSC) the survey was carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO) (http://keea-hbsc.pi.ac.cy/hbsc/) in 44 countries.
In Cyprus 57% of the kids asked via a questionnaire said that they feel pressure from school, while internationally the percentage is 43%.
Internationally 25% of children stated that they like school very much, with this percentage being lower in Cyprus by 11 points (14%). In Cyprus boys from a low level of household marked a higher percentage of satisfaction with school, compared to those from a high level.
Both internationally (boys 38%, girls 50%) and in Cyprus (boys 52%, girls 62%), girls feel pressure to a greater extent than boys. With increasing age, the percentage of children increases significantly (Internationally: 11 year-olds 30%, 13 year-olds 47%, 15 year-olds 52%).
In the case of Cyprus, the percentage of 15 year-olds who feel pressured is more than double (Cyprus: 11 year-olds 27%, 13 year-olds 68%, 15 year-olds 72%). While internationally, socioeconomic level does not seem to be interconnected with this parameter, in Cyprus, girls from a high socioeconomic level said that they feel pressure to a greater extent, compared to those from a low socioeconomic level.
The issue of support from teachers was examined by looking into children’s statements regarding whether they are accepted as they are, whether they care about them as individuals and whether they have a lot of trust in their teachers. Internationally, 52% of children (Cyprus 44%) declared support with an average score equal to or greater than 4 on a scale ranging from 1 to 5. A higher percentage of boys (International: 55%, Cyprus: 45%) than girls (International: 47%, Cyprus: 43%) declared support.
Again, with increasing age, the percentage of support decreases both internationally (11 year-olds 68%, 13 year-olds 47%, 15 year-olds 42%) and in Cyprus (11 year-olds 66%, 13 year-olds 45%, 15 year-olds 40%).
The issue of support from classmates was examined by the children’s statements in relation to whether students are happy for their classmates, whether most of their classmates are kind and willing to help and whether other students accept them as they are.
Internationally, 55% of children (Cyprus 48%) declared support (average score equal to or greater than 4 on a scale ranging from 1 to 5). While the percentage of boys who declared that they were supported internationally is higher than that of girls (boys 58%, girls 48%), in Cyprus there are no gender differences.
In Cyprus, children from a low socioeconomic level declared support at a lower rate, compared to children from a high socioeconomic level.
In Cyprus, as well as in Luxembourg, England and Scotland, differences exceeding 14 points were observed in the percentages of boys from a high and low level who declared support. Regarding family structure, internationally, 74% of adolescents (Cyprus 80%) declared that they live with both parents (all or most of the time).
A smaller percentage of children, both internationally and in Cyprus, live in a single-parent family with 14% of children internationally (Cyprus 12%) living with the mother, and 3% (Cyprus 2%) with the father. In addition, internationally, 8% of children (Cyprus 4%) live with a foster family, while 2% (Cyprus 1%) live in another setting.
Internationally, 68% of children (Cyprus 70%) reported high levels of support from the family.
Boys reported support or at a higher rate than girls both internationally (boys 71%, girls 65%), and in Cyprus (boys 73%, girls 68%). Regarding socio-economic level, both internationally and in Cyprus, higher percentages of children from a high level stated that they are supported by their family, compared to those from a low level.
Regarding communication in the family, internationally 83% of children (Cyprus 80%) stated that they find it easy to communicate with their mother on issues that really concern them, with the corresponding percentages, regarding communication with their father, being smaller (Internationally 71%, Cyprus 68%).
Communication is easier for boys than for girls both internationally (with mother: boys 86%, girls 79% – with father: boys 78%, girls 63%) and in Cyprus (with mother: boys 83%, girls 80% – with father: boys 78%, girls 64%).
Also, with increasing age, the ease of communication decreases both internationally and in Cyprus.
In relation to family meals, 49% of children internationally (Cyprus 53%) declared that they have a meal with their family every day.
Internationally, 58% of children (Cyprus 55%) reported high levels of support from friends. Boys reported lower levels of support than girls, both internationally (boys 55%, girls 62%) and in Cyprus (boys 53%, girls 56%). Also, younger children expressed support to a greater extent, both internationally (11 years old 61%, 13 years old 56%, 15 years old 57%) and in Cyprus (11 years old 60%, 13 years old 52%, 15 years old 52%).
The survey is conducted every four years and provides international comparative data on the health, quality of life, social environment and health behaviors of school-age children (11, 13 and 15 years old).
It is implemented by the Centre for Educational Research and Evaluation (of the Pedagogical Institute of the Ministry of Education.
The pilot survey was carried out in December 2018 with the participation of 1,182 students from 61 schools.
The main survey followed in the period November 2021-April 2022 with the participation of 4,818 students from a total of 212 schools (276 classes), both public and private.
The survey contained a total of seven themes. The seventh and final thematic report concerns the social contexts of adolescents based on international results from 44 countries.
WHO recommends, among other things, the development of programs that aim to improve parental and family relationships from an early age, so that they operate in a timely and preventive manner, focusing education programs on strengthening parenting skills with particular emphasis on improving the management skills of adolescent girls, and implementing preventive programs in schools with a focus on developing social and emotional competencies and skills, for girls in particular.
WHO also recommends adopting a common problem-solving approach on how to support adolescents in developing relationships with family and peers and addressing income inequality through the formulation of policies for the creation of family benefits, which can positively affect the quality of family and peer relationships.
It also recommends allocating more time and resources to teachers so that they are able to help students in issues such as coping with school demands and raising their awareness on issues such as stress management.
The Ministry of Education said that it will focus on making use of the research data, with the aim of improving specific aspects of the education system related to the promotion of the health of school-age children.
It said that conducting comparative measurements for all aspects examined by the research, which will become possible in the future, will enable Cyprus to further reshape, adapt and design relevant policies.
( Source: CNA)
