Character, meaning in life, and well-being of students from teachers' perspective

Abstract

Previous studies have revealed the benefits of character and meaning in life for individual well-being. However, little research has been conducted on elementary and junior high school teachers who teach students between the ages of 10-15 years (late childhood and early adolescence) in Indonesia. This study aims to explore teachers’ perceptions about character, meaning in life, and well-being. Interviews were conducted among 20 teachers. Our findings revealed that according to the teachers, the lessons and assessments in character education are well designed. However, coordination within the school community and with parents as well as specific roles between teachers and parents in building students’ character, meaning, and well-being needs to be improved. What teachers understood about meaning in life corresponds with the results of previous studies. Teachers’ understanding of well-being concept is still limited. They acknowledged family background, socioeconomic status, popularity, and academic achievement as important factors in students’ well-being.