Life satisfaction and basic needs satisfaction in secondary school students of Hong Kong

Abstract

Concern about human well-being and life satisfaction has aroused the interest of researchers in education and psychology. In particular, life satisfaction is deemed essential to attainment of positive well-being in people. Despite the fact that much research has been undertaken in the domain of well-being, there remains a gap in our knowledge. This is particularly the case with respect to information regarding well-being of adolescents in the context of Hong Kong. While adolescent life satisfaction has already drawn attention of parents, school professionals and counsellors, there remains limited knowledge of what students perceive to be satisfaction in their own lives and whether they are having their needs met. To obtain information on these and related matters, it is necessary to have suitable data-collection instruments—but such instruments specifically designed for Asian contexts are scarce. This study adapted appropriate instruments to explore life satisfaction and basic needs satisfaction in a sample of Chinese students studying in secondary schools in Hong Kong. A particular focus was the relationship between variables of students’ perceived life satisfaction and their need to feel competent, autonomous and related. Two studies were conducted. Study One evaluated psychometric properties of two measurement instruments, one assessing life satisfaction and the other pertaining to basic needs satisfaction. Study Two utilized survey data from students to examine the relationship between life satisfaction and psychological needs satisfaction. The first step was to contact local schools and provide information on the scope and purpose of the proposed study. Next, consent was obtained from the students, and for Study One, 315 senior secondary school students (90 boys: 28.57%; 225 girls: 71.43%) participated. Each student completed a questionnaire containing items about life satisfaction and psychological needs satisfaction. Some items in the questionnaire were adopted from a Chinese version of Multidimensional Students Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) and the Basic Needs Satisfaction in General Scale (BNSG). Data were later analyzed using statistical software. Instrument reliability and structural validity were determined using reliability analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Results indicated that the MSLSS possessed good reliability and validity. Only one item was removed to enhance the scale. BNSG was found to have acceptable scale reliability. In Study Two, a total of 732 students from local secondary schools (353 boys: 48.69%; and 372 girls: 51.31%; 7 students did not indicate gender) participated by completing a quantitative survey. The obtained data were subjected to statistical analyses and results showed that senioryear students had at least moderate levels of perceived life satisfaction. Regression analyses revealed that students’ life satisfaction was predicted significantly by satisfaction of their need to feel competent, autonomous and related. No significant moderating effect was found for gender on the relationship between life satisfaction and basic needs satisfaction. Results obtained from path analysis provided partial support for a hypothesized model. Significance and implications of the findings were addressed with regard to their relevance to the local research context as well as educational and counselling practice. Limitations in the studies are identified and suggestions for future research provided.