Conceptions and understandings of well-being in Chilean education policies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5027/psicoperspectivas-Vol25-Issue1-fulltext-3613Keywords:
educational policies, emotional management, school, well-beingAbstract
The study of well-being has gained international relevance, calling on schools to promote its development. Chile is no stranger to this reality, with numerous recent regulations promoting this approach. This study aims to understand the meanings and conceptions of well-being in Chilean educational policies since the pandemic. A qualitative design was used to analyse a documentary corpus composed of educational policies from the Chilean Ministry of Education. The results show that well-being is mainly linked to students' emotional management, with the aim of optimising their academic performance. Two key metaphors emerge: that of production, which emphasises the individual management of emotions to improve academic performance, and that of cultivation, which focuses on strengthening socio-emotional skills for personal development. These metaphors reflect different approaches to how well-being is conceived and sought. Thus, a tension emerges between an individualistic perspective, which holds students responsible for their own well-being, and another that highlights the role of the school in enhancing these skills. The effects of these perspectives on school functioning are discussed, emphasizing the need to conceive of well-being as a socially situated and constructed phenomenon
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Copyright (c) 2026 Lorena Ramírez-Casas del Valle, Diego Palacios Díaz, Enrique Baleriola Escudero, Nigel Manchini, Teresa Báez Oyanedel (Autor)
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