Self-esteem and Well-being of Students during a Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: The coronavirus pandemic as a sudden, surprising event, evoking strong emotions and disorganizing life should be analyzed as a crisis event. How young people experience a crisis depends on how they give meaning and importance to the event (positive–negative–ambivalent, important–unimportant) and their subjective level of mental strain.

Research goal: This article presents the authors’ own research on the levels of self-esteem and school well-being in students during the COVID-19 pandemic and the relationship between these variables. The research was conducted online among seventh and eighth-grade students of primary schools and first-grade students of secondary schools in the Lubelskie Voivodeship.

Method: A diagnostic survey was used in the research.

Results: The vast majority of the surveyed students have high and medium levels of self-esteem. Gender, age, and grade significantly differentiated self-esteem. As a result of over year-long social isolation caused by the coronavirus epidemic, the well-being of the surveyed students gradually deteriorated. The obtained results indicate there is a relationship between the surveyed students’ self-esteem and their well-being at school before and during the pandemic.

Conclusions: It is necessary to provide psychological and pedagogical support to all students, regardless of their current mental condition. In addition, systemic solutions should be introduced, which, on the one hand, will prepare educational institutions and entities responsible for this process during remote and hybrid work in the best possible way, and on the other hand, they will help to maintain the balance between teaching and upbringing supported by prevention.