By Brendan Ghazavi-Gill
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Well-being in Education
3. Well-being in Hong Kong Education
3.1. Well-being in Hong Kong Government Schools
3.2. Well-being in Hong Kong Private Schools
3.3. Well-being and Non-Governmental Organisations
4. Discussion and Recommendations
5. Conclusion
6. References
7. Key Terms and Definitions
8. About the Author
1. Introduction
The last decade has seen a shift towards well-being. In particular, ‘the promotion of emotional, social and mental wellbeing in teenagers and adolescents is becoming a national priority in a number of countries’ (Clarke et al., 2011). This is still in progress and not yet achieved as well-being is complicated. Well-being as a unit of measurement is cross-disciplinary and has at least 42 instruments used to measure it (Cooke et al., 2016). These instruments come under four categories: hedonic, eudemonic, quality of life, and wellness. In this entry, well-being is defined as a state of agreement between an individual’s material living conditions, quality of life, and the sustainability of these.
In September 2000, the first global attempt at unifying development goals, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were formed: Goals 4, 5, and 6 had some focus on health and well-being: infant mortality, maternal health, and infectious diseases respectively (UNESCO, 2015). In September 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were the next step in the United Nations’ guiding and unifying role in development: 17 goals were identified (UNDP, 2015), with Goal 3 being good health and well-being. The target which mentions well-being read: ‘By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being’ (United Nations, 2015). The United Nations members and affiliate countries are at different stages of well-being evaluation and implementation.
This entry discusses well-being, the shift from general well-being to mental well-being in the education sector, and different stakeholders who are increasing its importance in education. For this entry, Hong Kong has been selected as a context for exploring well-being because of its regular reporting of poor work life balance and extreme working hours (Welford, 2008; see also Figure 1), its status as a place of high anxiety for adolescents in education (Chiu, 2017), and its ubiquitous shadow education culture (Zheng, 2018).
Figure 1. Annual hours worked per worker. Source: Our World in Data (2016).
2. Well-being in Education
Well-being in education has grown in status since the turn of the millennium, with international organisations seeing the importance of well-being in the workplace, as part of population censuses, and for all ages (United Nations, 2012). As a result, there is an increasing focus on the well-being of students. This growth in status may be a reaction to the previous growing popularity of academic university rankings and country educational rankings, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Academic statistics are still the key priority for parents choosing schools and students choosing universities, with well-being seeming to take on secondary importance (Independent Schools Council of Australia, 2016). Another factor raising the importance of well-being is the increasing phenomenon of shadow education, or private supplementary tutoring (Comparative Education Research Centre, 2018). This has increased the number of hours per day devoted to academic education. The goals of academic achievement and well-being may be in conflict for some students and both make demands on student time.
One country that has acknowledged the critical role of well-being in education is the United Kingdom (UK). A recent UK document (HM Government, 2011) shows the increased importance of mental well-being in England and its equity with other forms of well-being, more traditionally understood as physical fitness and a healthy diet. England has increased the exposure of schools seeking well-being training through external organisations. For example, The Charlie Waller Memorial Trust has created programmes to support school communities through free training for educators and parents. An increasing number of voices are calling for the government to do more through curricula planning (The Guardian, 2017).
There is also a pattern of well-being in education being led by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) rather than government policy; however, this is not always the case. In Scotland, the government has signaled an increase in the awareness of mental well-being (Scottish Government, 2009). Also, the National Health Service (NHS) has piloted a scheme for mental well-being using a measurement instrument specifically for adolescents, the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) (WAVES project, 2010). This new measurement tool has been validated for consistency and translated into many foreign languages for trial, which shows a desire for a tool to measure mental well-being and its increasing importance on a global scale. Measurement methods are also able to be used successfully globally (Linley et al., 2009). Both in Scotland and England, governments are having greater involvement in mental well-being.
Still, stigmas associated with mental health issues continue to persist in many societies; however, the increase in discourse of mental well-being is positively affecting these stigmas. Cultural context is still a strong mitigating factor of well-being development programmes being implemented.
3. Well-being in Hong Kong Education
Hong Kong has championed itself as Asia’s World City (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, 2018) and is a hub of finance and trade for the Pearl River Delta and Asia. Despite the high economic success, the well-being of Hong Kong’s people is low, and declining (Cigna, 2017). Its unique position and context mean that it has many residents who are not inhabitants (Gruenewalde, 2003). These residents experience and contribute to a lack of continuity, a key stressor in well-being. Another factor is the ‘helper’ culture of Hong Kong where the primary caregiver is often changed after a number of years, and family members can be absent from home for longer periods (Union Bank of Switzerland, 2015). Other research suggests continuity of family time is important for well-being ‘a flexible rather than rigid or chaotic commitment to carrying out meal-times, and continuity as evidenced by repetition of roles appear to be associated with children’s well-being’ (Fiese, 2006). The absence of family members due to long working hours and work commitments results in the lack of continuity of positive routines and can become a stressor for well-being issues.
There is also a cultural element of Eastern and Confucian philosophy where well-being is not traditionally an issue discussed. This is often reflected in the ‘tiger parent’ culture that Asia has become known for in the recent decade (South China Morning Post, 2015). These factors of transience, ‘helper’ culture and ‘Eastern’ philosophy create a unique environment. The Legislative Council of Hong Kong is aware of the decrease in well-being amongst school students (Legislative Council, 2018). A recent government report indicates that the ‘Mental health problem of children and adolescents warrants our particular attention’ (Mental Health Review Report, 2018, p. 3) Public opinion also reflects this attitude with a recent comparative study by Civic Exchange showing only 32% of people saw Hong Kong as a good place for children to grow up (DeGolyer & Lai, 2016).
3.1. Well-being Programmes in Hong Kong Government Schools
The Legislative Council of Hong Kong is aware of the rising problem of well-being deterioration in young people. Data from 2018 shows a decrease in well-being and other factors such as the sleep habits of school students (see Figure 2, and Legislative Council of Hong Kong, 2018).
Figure 2. Actual and recommended sleeping hours for children in Hong Kong. Source: Legislative Council of Hong Kong, 2018.
The main programme for Hong Kong public schools is the Healthy School policy from the Education Bureau (2003), which gives guidance to principals to evaluate a school and implement next steps. Public sector schools focus on well-being with no strong distinction of mental well-being. They take a holistic approach without a specific definition or use of terminology associated with mental well-being. Some reference is made to emotions and self-esteem (see Figure 2) in theHealth Promoting Schools and School Curriculum (HKSAR, 2013) documents.
Figure 3. Major Health Education Concepts in the School Curriculum. Health Promoting Schools and School Curriculum (HKSAR, 2013).
Well-being is categorised with the environment, individual and community approaches. This encompasses a large range and would cater well for student needs if properly implemented.
3.2. Well-being Programmes in Hong Kong Private Schools
The programmes for well-being are varied in Hong Kong private schools: there is a mix of in-house and external programmes offered. The English Schools Foundation use an external programme Assessing Well-being in Education in a number of their schools to measure well-being and help students rate themselves and find strategies to cope. Nord Anglia International School has no specific well-being programme but encourages healthy eating and relies on their trained staff to guide students. Yew Chung International School has a We Care programme which interviews students 1-to-1 with tutors to check stressors and problems; the school has a team of 2-3 counsellors for approximately 950 students (as of June 2018). Hong Kong International School has well-being guidelines and uses qualitative and quantitative data to meet student needs; the school has a team of 18 counsellors catering for all age levels. German Swiss International School has no specific programme for well-being. The school has well-being week to promote awareness of stressors and coping mechanisms for students; the school has a team of 3 counsellors for approximately 800 students (as of Dec 2018). The approaches used in these settings all differ from one another. There may be an advantage to compare the effectiveness of programmes by seeking cross-school collaboration sessions.
3.3. Well-being Programmes with School and Non- Governmental Organisations
Hong Kong has a number of NGOs working to help the well-being of students. Some of the most prominent are Mind HK, The Weez Project, The Hong Kong Youth Association, and KELY support group.
Mind HK has been running workshops to raise awareness and has been heavily involved in the Hong Kong Mental Health Conference. This was opened by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Ms. Carrie Lam, and shows the increasing effort in raising awareness and in joining separate NGOs together so there might be one cohesive approach in finding solutions (Mind HK, 2018). Hong Kong University has also been aware of this issue with respect to students in higher education and have run seminars on the topic of mental well-being (Hong Kong University Flyer, Nov 2018). Civic Exchange seeks to gauge the well-being of the whole population and evaluate through comparison with similar economic and geographical areas. Their recent comparison shows that Hong Kong is not viewed as favourably when compared with similar countries (DeGolyer & Lai, 2016).
4. Discussion and Recommendations
There are attempts to raise awareness in Hong Kong about mental well-being and some Chief Executive policy deals directly with some stressors, the main one being housing. The Chief Executive’s address in 2018 mentioned only one reference to mental well-being, ‘The Government will commission universities to conduct territory-wide mental health prevalence surveys covering children, adolescents and the elderly’ (Policy Address, 2018). There is increased collaboration between NGOs in Hong Kong to create initiatives that include parents, students, and educators in the well-being programmes available for students. Mind HK seeks to take international best practice and localise it in the Hong Kong context. Further dialogue between the different parties and having a shared platform used across schools could be beneficial. One issue is not having a shared vocabulary to properly voice issues and problems. If students are given specific vocabulary, it could facilitate cross school dialogue and an increased presence for normalising mental health issues. Some schools are trying to do this by using media to assist students: a film screening of ANGST and a film screening of SCREENAGERS show this in action.
The shared vocabulary would also allow a clearer distinction to be drawn between mental well-being and other forms of well-being. Whilst they complement each other, they have different signs and manifestations: there may be no physical signs to issues of mental well-being whereas physical well-being may be more obvious. If students are better able to self-identify problems by having available vocabulary, it has the potential to lessen the stigma and allow people to support each other.
5. Conclusion
There is greater global recognition of the importance of well-being and how it underpins stable global citizens and members of society. The majority of well-being material is focused on well-being in general and less on mental well-being. It is unclear whether this lack of distinction is limiting in the fight against mental health stigmas that have existed in previous generations. It appears this is slowly changing in some countries. Some of the best practices identified and used in Hong Kong have come from the UK. This may be a limiting factor as the UK (educationally Wales and England) are not high-achieving in international tables and may not be the best models of practice to emulate. The problems in Hong Kong often stem from the high expectations and the cultural context, as Hong Kong does very well in international league tables (See Figure 4).
Figure 4. Average performance United Kingdom and Hong Kong. Source: PISA, 2015.
Similarly, the cultural differences of British approaches and those of Hong Kong and Chinese mentalities may create a disconnect in the conversion of practices. Any localisation of material must be meticulously done with a variety of stakeholders consulted. There is also a disconnect in parental understanding and student experience. The ‘Tiger parent’ culture existing in Hong Kong and the wider Asian locale needs to be addressed to increase the importance of well-being education and to get all parties (students, school staff, parents) sharing understanding.
6. References
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7. Key Terms and Definitions
Resident: Someone who lives in a location for financial reasons and does not learn the local language or customs to assimilate to the culture (Gruenewalde, 2003).
Inhabitant: someone who lives and participates in their local area. Someone who integrates with local customs and traditions (Gruenewalde, 2003).
Well-being: a state of agreement between an individual’s material living conditions, quality of life, and sustainability of these (OECD, 2011).
Mental well-being: a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community (WHO, 2004).
8. About the Author
Brendan Ghazavi-Gill
MEd Student, The University of Hong Kong.
Email: mrbrendangill@gmail.com