Semarang — The research team from the Faculty of Education and Psychology (FIPP), Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES), continues to expand its international academic network through research on wellbeing literacy among primary school children in marginalised urban communities. The study, entitled “Wellbeing Literacy in Urban Marginalised Primary Schools: An Ecological Mixed-Methods Study,” is part of FIPP UNNES’s efforts to strengthen research in education, child well-being, and innovative research methodologies that place children’s voices at the centre.
During an academic engagement at the Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne, Hasna’ Pratiwi Kuswardani had the opportunity to present the progress of the study to colleagues from the Centre for Wellbeing Science (CWS). The discussion was also attended online from Indonesia by Muhammad Nazil Iqdami and Rina Nuraeni. The meeting provided an important platform for exchanging ideas, receiving academic feedback, and strengthening cross-national research collaboration in the field of wellbeing science.
The study is grounded in a fundamental question: What does well-being mean when children are given the opportunity to define it themselves? Through this question, the research team seeks to understand how primary school children living in marginalised urban environments perceive well-being, express emotions, seek support, and talk about their lived experiences in relation to their families, schools, peers, and surrounding social environments.
One of the key strengths of the study lies in its ecological and participatory approach. Children are not merely positioned as research subjects but are given opportunities to express their experiences and understandings of well-being through their own language, expressions, and perspectives. The methods include photovoice, discussions, and interviews, enabling the research team to generate data that are closely connected to children’s lived realities and the socio-cultural contexts that shape their experiences.
Substantively, the study is also relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Research on children’s wellbeing literacy contributes to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, particularly through efforts to understand children’s mental health, emotional well-being, social relationships, and environmental support. The study also supports SDG 4: Quality Education by seeking to generate knowledge that can strengthen safe, inclusive, and responsive learning environments. Its focus on children in marginalised urban communities is also aligned with SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, as the research gives attention to children whose voices are often underrepresented in educational decision-making and well-being policies.
For the Centre for Wellbeing Science, the visit and academic discussion represent an important example of how well-being research can be advanced through collegial relationships between universities across different cultural and social contexts. During the engagement, Muhammad Nazil Iqdami also highlighted that the collaboration with CWS has provided valuable opportunities for the UNNES team to strengthen research capacity, exchange academic perspectives, and explore further collaboration in the future. This collaboration also reflects the spirit of SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, through knowledge exchange across countries, cultures, and academic disciplines in support of sustainable development.
The academic relationship between the UNNES research team and CWS has developed progressively. Previously, Fatma Kusuma Mahanani, together with colleagues from UNNES, collaborated with Dr. Jacqui Francis of CWS, one of the editors of the recently published book Wellbeing Literacy, through a chapter contribution on wellbeing literacy among Javanese university students. The contribution provides an important perspective on how wellbeing literacy is understood, expressed, and practised within the Indonesian socio-cultural context.
Through this engagement, FIPP UNNES reaffirms its commitment to developing impactful, context-sensitive educational research that places student well-being at its core. The collaboration with the University of Melbourne is expected to further strengthen knowledge exchange across countries, cultures, and disciplines, while supporting the development of innovative research that advocates for children, marginalised communities, and the broader Sustainable Development Goals agenda.
