1. Well-being & the early years curriculum: different meanings
Well-being & the early years curriculum: different meanings
Dr Alyson Lewis Senior Lecturer, Institute for Education 13th June 2017
@AKL2727
@bathspa_ife 1

2. Thought provoking &/or worth considering?
Too many assumptions/taken-for-granted truths are often associated with well-being (Desjardins, 2008).
Far more evidence is needed to investigate well-being and education outcomes especially between diverse groups of children (Morrison Gutman & Vorhaus; 2012; Sabates & Hammond, 2008).
One paper has been published that reports how Scottish policy-makers and teachers understand well-being (Spratt, 2016).
Hicks et al. (2011) state that the UK, in the 2007 UNICEF report, only refers to England.
Morrow & Mayall (2009) suggest that not enough critiques of UNICEF data have taken place and the findings are overused.

4. Philosophical perspectives of well-being…
1: Hedonism/mental states discourse :
Feelings of happiness or pleasure.
Aristippus of Cyrene believed that the ultimate good life consisted of pleasure.
Bentham, a British philosopher, argued that a good society is built on maximising pleasure for the greatest number of people.
2: Eudaimonism/flourishing discourse:
Ideas of human functioning and development, autonomy, self-realisation and fulfilment.
Having a sense of purpose and meaning to life, living an authentic life, being true to oneself and fulfilling your potential.
3: Needs-based/objectivist discourse:
Belief that numerous underlying conditions, or “necessary prerequisites” for well-being to emerge, such as health, income, education, freedom and so on.
(Ryan & Deci, 2001; Gasper, 2010; Dodge et al. 2012)
4: Desire-based/preference satisfaction discourse:
Characterised by people satisfying their wants and desires.
The more someone satisfies their desire their well-being will increase.

5. Different interpretations of well-being in early years curriculum policy
A principle of good early years practice (Wales between 1996 and 2008)
An attribute (Scotland)
A disposition (Australia)
An attitude (New Zealand)
A capability (Scotland)
A skill (New Zealand, Australia and Wales from 2008)
Knowledge (New Zealand and Australia)
An assessed outcome (Scotland and Wales from 2008)

6. Practitioners’ knowledge & understanding of well-being
Hesitations & uncertainties
An unwarranted assumption
“I would go with child’s health. Do you think that’s to do with well-being?”
“What about praise, would that come under that?”
“Is that what you would…?”
“It’s hard isn’t it well-being, there are so many things.”
“I don’t think we see a lot of low well-being.”
“Our children have got good well-being.”
“Luckily for us the vast majority of our children already come to school with high levels of well-being.”
“I’ve always worked in schools where well-being has been high on the agenda in deprived areas. ”
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7. Describing a child’s well-being…
Weak Poor Low
Strong
Good
High
Withdrawn, lack of motivation, depressed, sad
Quiet
Reserved
Limited language
Shy
Afraid or scared
Poor attitude to learning/tasks, don’t try
Distant, just not with it
No confidence
Bad behaviour
Low self-esteem
Cry & whinge
Not good with routines
Tired, exhausted
Dirty appearance
Lethargic because of no breakfast
*Think they are not very good at things
Happy
Bubbliness
Well-rounded
Well-spoken
Interacting happily with others
Independent
Good attainment
Eager to join in
Confident
Well-behaved
Comfortable with surroundings
Secure, content, relaxed, stable
Cope well with routines
Knowing the consequences of their actions
Clean, look smart
Knowing their place in society
Knowledgeable
*Know who they are and who they want to be

8. Contact details: 8

9. References
Desjardins, R Researching the links between education and well-being. European Journal of Education 43(1), pp Dodge, R., Daly, A., Huyton, J. and Sanders, L The challenge of defining wellbeing. International Journal of Wellbeing 2(3), pp Gasper, D Understanding the diversity of conceptions of well-being and quality of life. The Journal of Socio-Economics 39(3), pp Hicks, S., Newton, J., Haynes, J. and Evans, J Measuring Children’s and Young People’s Well-being. Wales: Office for National Statistics. Morrison Gutman, L. and Vorhaus, J The Impact of pupil behaviour and pupil well-being on education outcomes. London: Childhood Well-being Research Centre. Morrow, V. and Mayall, B What is wrong with children’s well-being in the UK? Questions of meaning and measurement. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 31(3), pp Ryan, R. and Deci, E On happiness and human potentials: a review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual Review Psychology 52(1), pp Sabates, R. and Hammond, C The impact of lifelong learning on happiness and well-being. London: NIACE. Spratt, J Childhood wellbeing: what role for education? British Educational Research Journal 42(2), pp 9