The Power of Social Sources on Students’ Well-being in Primary School. The Role of Teachers and Peers in Classroom Positive Emotions and Perceptions of Future School Success

The present study examined the role of positive classroom relationships with teachers and peers in students’ adaptation. Fifty-five students in the final year of an Italian primary school (5th grade) participated in the study. The findings indicated that the quality of the teacher-student relationship was significantly associated with students’ well-being, as reflected by the frequency of positive emotions in the classroom and students’ self-efficacy beliefs regarding their ability to successfully transition to lower secondary school. In contrast, after accounting for the quality of the teacher-student relationship, classroom cohesion was not associated with the outcomes considered. These results highlight the crucial role of teachers in shaping students’ school experiences. They also underscore the multidimensional nature of the teaching-learning process, which is essential not only for promoting knowledge acquisition and ensuring academic learning but also for providing students with the emotional support necessary for their overall development.