Associations of temperament types and gender of early adolescents and teachers with adolescents’ school well‐being

Abstract

This study examined the role of temperament type and gender of adolescents and teachers in adolescents’ well‐being in school. The sample consisted of 677 Finnish students and 56 classroom teachers. Parents rated adolescent temperament and teachers rated their own temperament in autumn of Grade 6. Self‐reports of school well‐being among adolescents were obtained in autumn and the fall of Grade 6. The results showed that being a girl and having resilient temperament type predicted higher school well‐being. In turn, boys with undercontrolled temperament, who were otherwise at risk for decreased school well‐being, particularly benefited from having a female teacher with resilient temperament. Overall, the results suggest that both adolescent temperament type and gender play important roles in adolescents’ well‐being in school.