Beyond Academic Achievement: A Whole-School Counseling Framework for Well-Being, Global Citizenship, and Sustainability in Primary Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64421/ijels.v2i2.98Keywords:
Primary School Counseling, Student Well-Being, Global Citizenship, Sustainability, Whole-School ApproachAbstract
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have expanded primary education beyond academic achievement toward student well-being, global citizenship, and sustainability. However, primary school counseling remains largely remedial and insufficiently aligned with these priorities. This study developed and validated a Whole-School Counseling Framework (WSCF) using Design and Development Research with an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. The study involved a needs assessment with 35 stakeholders, validation by four experts, and an eight-week pilot involving 12 teachers and 96 Grade V students. Four major counseling needs informed the framework, which integrates Social-Emotional Learning, Global Citizenship Education, Education for Sustainable Development, and the Whole-School Approach. Expert validation demonstrated excellent content validity (S-CVI/Ave = 0.95), while teachers reported very high practicality (M = 4.61/5). Uniquely, the WSCF reframes counseling as a proactive, school-wide system integrating well-being, global citizenship, and sustainability rather than treating them as separate initiatives.
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