Students’ school-related well-being and parental involvement over time: Trajectories and interrelations in the context of the first year in secondary school

Students’ school-related well-being is highly relevant for scholastic outcomes. However, current research is still in the early stages of understanding the development of students’ school-related well-being during shorter periods (e.g., the first year in secondary school), and in combination with time-variant aspects outside of school (e.g., parental involvement). This study aims to investigate trajectories of students’ school-related well-being and of parental involvement. Based on a sample of 803 students in German medium and high track secondary schools, who were surveyed three times (at the beginning and in the middle of the first grade, and at the beginning of the second grade), latent change score models reveal no decrease in students’ school-related well-being or in parental involvement over the first year in secondary education, in spite of correlated change scores in both constructs. Students’ educational track appears to positively influence the initial level of school-related well-being, while immigration background and parental involvement are associated with the changes in school-related well-being.