The subjective well-being of academically gifted students in the Chinese cultural context

Abstract

This study examined the subjective well-being, as reflected as their satisfaction with life, of academically gifted secondary school students in China, under the framework of the broaden-and-build theory. A total number of 351 academically gifted secondary students participated in the study. Multiple scales were used to measure these academically gifted students’ satisfaction with life and other relevant constructs. The results indicated that girls had significantly higher satisfaction with life than boys. Consistent with the broaden-and-build theory, the study showed that positive emotions and some variables from the broadened mindset and four building resources aspects of the theory were significantly interrelated for these academically gifted students. Based on the hierarchical regression results, positive affect, agency hope, parents’ trust, general health, and social functioning were found to be contributing factors to the subjective well-being, while negative affect, peers alienation, depression, anxiety, were found to be negatively related to their life satisfaction.