Wars, pressure to perform, and the climate crisis – the German School Barometer reflects current concerns of students
- According to a representative study by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, a quarter of students rate their own quality of life as low. A fifth feel mentally stressed, and the same number complain about low well-being at school.
- Criticism of the quality of teaching: Students report frequent disruptions in class and lack individual feedback and support from teachers.
- Gaps in the care structure: Some parents do not receive any help with their children's mental health issues
Stuttgart/Berlin, November 20, 2024 – The wars in the world, the pressure to perform at school, the global climate crisis, and fears about their own future are among the issues currently concerning schoolchildren in Germany. This is one of the findings of the German School Barometer published today by the Robert Bosch Stiftung. According to the representative study, which was conducted in cooperation with the University of Leipzig, more than a quarter of the children and adolescents surveyed (27 percent) rate their own quality of life as low. A fifth describe themselves as suffering from mental stress (21 percent, 33 percent from low-income families). The same number complain about low levels of well-being at school (20 percent, 30 percent from low-income families).
"It should be a cause for concern when a quarter of students experience school as stressful, rate their own quality of life as low, and report being exposed to various existential fears," says Dr. Dagmar Wolf, head of the Education program area at Robert Bosch Stiftung. Although the quality of life of children and adolescents has steadily improved since the coronavirus pandemic, it is still far below pre-pandemic levels. "Most children and adolescents spend eight hours a day at school. This is comparable to the workplace for adults, whose health effects are regularly studied. However, there is a major research gap regarding the situation of young people in our society that we need to fill.
Criticism of teaching quality: students lack individual feedback and support from teachers
For the first time, students and their parents were surveyed for the latest edition of the School Barometer. One focus of the study: the connection between teaching and mental health. According to the results of the School Barometer, constructive support from teachers and good classroom management are central to students' well-being at school. However, there is room for improvement: Many students report frequent disruptions in class (83 percent) and that the majority of teachers do not ask students what they have understood and what they have not yet understood (41 percent). Students often do not receive feedback on what they need to learn (37 percent) or how they can improve (28 percent). In addition, one-third (35 percent) rarely have the opportunity to discuss problems in class with the teacher.
“Students need continuous and regular feedback,” says Wolf. ”Teachers should encourage them to master difficult tasks and challenges. A new understanding of teaching that focuses on the learning process is needed to create a culture of individual support. In addition to data-based diagnostics, alternative exam formats and times are also necessary to establish individual learning development as a new standard.”
Gaps in care: Some parents receive no help for their children's mental health problems
The study also sheds light on how parents deal with mental health issues and what help they seek for their child. It shows that up to one-third of parents are not familiar with the support structures at their children's school. When help is sought at school, the classroom teacher is the first point of contact in most cases (70 percent). However, a quarter of parents who sought help did not receive support from the school (23 percent). It is worth noting that children and adolescents wait an average of five months before starting regular therapy.