17081 Student-Teacher Relationships and Subjective Well-Being among Preschool Children In Indonesia A Child-Centered Perspective

Abstract

Subjective well-being (SWB) is a key indicator of a child's emotional and psychological health, reflecting their perceived happiness, life satisfaction, and sense of security. While family factors are often emphasized in early childhood well-being, the role of student-teacher relationships especially from the child’s perspective has received comparatively less attention, particularly in the Indonesian context. This study aims to examine the effect of student-teacher relationships on  preschool children's subjective well-being. This study involved 200 preschool children aged 4–6 years from kindergartens in West Jakarta, Indonesia, selected via incidental sampling. Data were collected using two validated instruments, the Young Children’s Appraisals of Teacher Support (Y-CATS) and the Subjective Well-Being Scale for preschool children aged 4–6 Years. Based on a simple linear regression analysis, it was found that student-teacher relationships had a significant contribution of 14,9 % (R2=0,149; p=0.00) to preschool children's subjective well-being. Children who perceived their teachers as warm, supportive, and non-conflictual reported higher levels of well-being. The study emphasizes the importance of creating emotionally supportive relationships for preschool children to promote early well-being. Moreover, it demonstrates the value of incorporating young children’s voices into research design, reinforcing the need for participatory methodologies that respect children as active informants in understanding their own experiences.