Abstract
The existing empirical subject matter testifies to a significant correlation between life satisfaction and positive future expectations among high school students. However, there is a lack of research situating more concretely the role of satisfaction with various aspects of life in relation to positive future expectations. Hence, this research focuses on the importance of satisfaction with various aspects of life among Belgrade high school students for their positive future expectations, with a particular emphasis on examining the role of school satisfaction. This research was conducted during the second semester of the 2021/22 academic year, on a sample of 215 Belgrade high school students. The results indicate that satisfaction with different aspects of life and satisfaction with life in general, have significant positive correlations with positive future expectations. Positive future expectations have the strongest correlation with self-satisfaction, while their lowest correlation is with school satisfaction. Despite its weak correlation with positive future expectations, satisfaction with school has proven to be a significant moderator of the strongest relationship identified - self-satisfaction and positive future expectations. In other words, the findings reached in this research point to the conclusion that activities planned in the context of the development of school satisfaction can compensate for the negative impact of self-satisfaction, prompting more positive future expectations. Considering that empirical endeavors so far have focused mostly on identifying a link with positive developmental outcomes, this research can serve as a starting point for a more detailed understanding of the mechanisms for encouraging positive future expectations among high school students.
Funder
Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia
Publisher
Centre for Evaluation in Education and Science (CEON/CEES)
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