The aim of this study was to determine the factors affecting students’ satisfaction with their class community by measuring the contributions of “positive” resources: either the
socio-demographic and
individual characteristics of students, or
common characteristics of the class community. The research was conducted
[...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to determine the factors affecting students’ satisfaction with their class community by measuring the contributions of “positive” resources: either the
socio-demographic and
individual characteristics of students, or
common characteristics of the class community. The research was conducted anonymously using multiple questionnaires on a sample of 267 students attending the higher grades (5th–8th grades) of primary schools from an urban area of the city of Split. It was determined that
social cohesion and
prosocial behaviour within the class community were the strongest determinants and were also the most important positive resources of
satisfaction with the class community.
Individual psychological characteristics (especially
self-esteem and
hope) and the
socio-demographic characteristics of students also played a significant role in explaining
satisfaction with the class community, but their relative contribution was much weaker than
social relations within the class community. The three types of
psychological characteristics of the students were positively related to the degree of
satisfaction with the class community, but this association was at a low level. More than half of the students were not completely satisfied with their class community. Furthermore, based on the five fundamental dimensions of intrinsic (IM) and extrinsic motivation (EM) within PE motivation, four types of students with different motivational characteristics were determined: the
very low type;
moderate type;
very high IM and
low EM type; and
extremely high type. It is recommended that experts continue researching the relationship between psychological and social variables in class communities, as well as investigating the effectiveness of possible interventions aimed at the development and improvement of social relationships in the educational and sports talent development environment.
Full article