School Well-Being in the Digital Era

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 1886

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Education Policy and Leadership, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Interests: teachers’ work and emotions; education leadership; education policy; education governance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
College of Health and Human Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA
Interests: teacher well-being; school leadership; school health; health education

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Although there has been significant scholarly attention on student and educator well-being, much of the current research has focused on individual-level analyses and neglected the critical role of institutional and organizational approaches. This limitation underscores the necessity for a broader perspective called “school well-being”, which views student and educator well-being as fundamentally influenced by the institutional context in which they occur. According to Konu and Rimpela (2002) and Konu and Lintonen (2006), school well-being is not merely about safe and conducive physical environments at schools; it also encompasses supportive and intimate social relationships between stakeholders, equal opportunities for everyone to strive for self-fulfillment, and comprehensive health status. In other words, school well-being requires education policymakers, school leaders, teachers, parents, and even community members to collaboratively construct a positive, healthy, and enabling institutional environment that supports student and educator well-being.

Additionally, the rapid advancement of digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and online learning platforms, has profoundly transformed educational landscapes, creating both new opportunities and challenges for school well-being. For instance, while online collaboration tools can enhance communication and learning experiences, they may also contribute to increased stress and isolation. Despite this, existing theories predominantly overlook the implications of digitalization, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of its impact on well-being.

Therefore, this Special Issue, titled “School Well-Being in the Digital Era”, emphasizes the necessity of fostering school well-being in the digital age. We welcome original submissions, including research articles, reviews, concept papers, and communications, that address any issues and problems related to school well-being and digitalization from diverse theoretical and methodological approaches. Submissions may cover a range of topics including but not limited to the following themes:

  • Policies for school well-being in the digital era;
  • Relationships between educational digitalization and school well-being;
  • Digital leadership and school well-being;
  • School well-being and digital equality;
  • Assessments for school well-being in the digital era;
  • Effective interventions on school well-being in the digital age;
  • Parental engagement, digitalization, and school well-being;
  • Professional development for educators in the digital age for well-being;
  • Innovative teaching and learning for well-being.

References:

Konu, A. I. & Lintonen, T. P. (2006). School well-being in grades 4-12. Health Education Research, 21 (5), 633-642. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyl032

Konu, A. I., & Rimpela, M. (2002). Well-being in schools: A conceptual model. Health Promotion International, 17 (1), 79-87. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/17.1.79 

Dr. Kwok Kuen Tsang
Dr. Ying Zhang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • school well-being
  • digitalization
  • digital equality
  • innovative teaching and learning
  • digital leadership
  • GenAI
  • virtual reality
  • online learning platforms
  • student and educator well-being

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 382 KiB  
Article
Gender Differences in Classroom Sympathy and Antipathy: A Digital Sociometric Study
by Eliacim Mella-Defranchi and Roberto Araya
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(7), 830; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15070830 - 1 Jul 2025
Viewed by 388
Abstract
Socioemotional relationships significantly influence students’ learning, development, and school well-being. This study explored gender differences in sympathy and antipathy based on data originally gathered via a digital platform primarily designed for mathematical learning. The platform administered a sociometric test to a large sample [...] Read more.
Socioemotional relationships significantly influence students’ learning, development, and school well-being. This study explored gender differences in sympathy and antipathy based on data originally gathered via a digital platform primarily designed for mathematical learning. The platform administered a sociometric test to a large sample (3090 of fourth-grade students (mean age = 10.19 years, 47.7% girls) in the Chilean Metropolitan Region. Teachers facilitated the test, allowing students to nominate peers they liked and disliked. The study confirmed a trend of homophily in sympathy, with students preferring same-gender peers. It also revealed a gender disparity in antipathy: girls nominated an average of 5.27 disliked classmates (SD = 7.20), 1.45 more nominations than boys, with a Cohen’s d of 0.22. These findings provide insights to enhance school climate and address the mental health implications of social exclusion, considering gender differences. These results underscore the potential of scalable digital tools to support educators in monitoring peer dynamics and fostering inclusive, emotionally supportive school environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue School Well-Being in the Digital Era)
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35 pages, 728 KiB  
Systematic Review
Digital and Digitized Interventions for Teachers’ Professional Well-Being: A Systematic Review of Work Engagement and Burnout Using the Job Demands–Resources Theory
by Kaja Lillelien and Maria Therese Jensen
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(7), 799; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15070799 - 20 Jun 2025
Viewed by 1032
Abstract
Teachers’ work engagement and burnout are crucial for both teachers and students. Traditional interventions have reduced burnout and increased engagement. However, with the rise in digital interventions and their advantages in scalability, cost-effectiveness, higher reach, and fidelity, we aimed to explore these aspects [...] Read more.
Teachers’ work engagement and burnout are crucial for both teachers and students. Traditional interventions have reduced burnout and increased engagement. However, with the rise in digital interventions and their advantages in scalability, cost-effectiveness, higher reach, and fidelity, we aimed to explore these aspects further. Thus, our research questions were: What are the core components of teachers’ digital and digitized interventions for work engagement and burnout? How are these interventions implemented, focusing on the mode of delivery, support systems, fidelity, and dosage? We examined the core components and implementation factors, including the mode of delivery, support systems, fidelity, and dosage of digital interventions for teachers’ work engagement and burnout. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using Cochrane guidelines and PRISMA reporting. Of 1761 studies, 15 were eligible, and six were included, but none examined work engagement as an outcome variable. Moreover, core components included mindfulness, stress management, emotional intelligence, social–emotional competencies, organizational skills, and technological competence, all targeting personal resource development. These findings align with Domitrovich et al.’s framework and JD-R theory, emphasizing support systems and personal resources. Using the Job-demands resources theory and Domitrovich et al.’s framework, we found that all six studies focused on burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Four reported significantly decreased emotional exhaustion, two increased personal accomplishment, and one decreased depersonalization. Two digital interventions showed no significant changes in the burnout dimension. The small sample size limits conclusions, but the results indicate a fundamental difference between digital and digitized interventions regarding design, and the necessary support systems. Our findings indicate that core components must target teachers’ personal and job resources and job demands. Moreover, fidelity, dosage, and duration measures are crucial, along with facilitated group discussions and technical assistance for successful outcomes on burnout. These findings are relevant for practitioners, researchers, and policymakers, extending beyond education. Future research directions and implications are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue School Well-Being in the Digital Era)
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