Student-centered teaching boosts grades and mental health, Swedish study finds
A study of 4,500 Swedish teenagers reveals that student-centered teaching improves both academic performance and reduces mental health complaints, while traditional teacher-led instruction achieves grades at a mental health cost. The findings suggest schools face a false choice between achievement and student wellbeing—and could reshape education policy priorities.
Originaltitel: Beyond academics: Links from teaching practices in Swedish schools to students’ achievements and mental health complaints
<p>Background: Despite extensive research on the relationship between teaching practices and learning outcomes,limited attention has been given to their potential links with students’ mental health. Aims: This study investigates the relationships between three teaching practice types – teacher-centered, student-centered, and student-dominated – and both student mental health complaints and academic achievement. It furthers explores variations in these associations based on students’ socioeconomic status (SES). Sample: The analysis includes 4573 grade 9 students (aged 15–16 years) in the Swedish comprehensive schoolsystem. Methods: Employing structural equation modelling techniques, we analyze a dataset comprising students’cognitive test scores, their perceptions of classroom processes, self-reported mental health complaints, as well as register data on teacher-assigned grades and parental education. Results: Teacher-centered practices are positively associated with academic achievements but lack robust links with mental health complaints. Conversely, student-centered practices are positively associated with academic achievements and correlate with lower mental health complaint frequencies. However, student dominated practices demonstrate poor relationships with both mental health and academic achievements. Limited variations based on students’ social background reveal only two differing associations between low and high SES students: teacher-centered teaching shows stronger academic achievement associations for low SES students, while student-dominated teaching is more adversely linked to low SES students’ mental health. Conclusions: The results affirm the benefits of both teacher- and student-centered teaching practices for academic achievement while cautioning against excessive self-directed teaching. Importantly, the study highlights the role of instructional approaches in shaping not only academic outcomes but also students’ mental health.</p>