Psychological needs and support systems among junior high school students: Bases for a school mentoring program

https://doi.org/10.70228/ JHER2024025

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ABSTRACT

Mentoring, a relationship where an experienced adult guides a younger individual, is known to promote socio-emotional well-being. This study investigated the psychological needs of 463 junior high school students, focusing on autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and how these needs vary based on family structure and socio-economic status. It also explored existing support systems and their effectiveness, informing a proposed mentoring program. A descriptive quantitative design was used, employing surveys and semi-structured interviews with administrators and students. Questionnaires were administered to identify students' level of agreement with statements referring to psychological needs. Results showed that students reported a moderately high level of psychological needs overall (M=3.07), with relatedness being the highest (M=3.38), followed by autonomy (M=2.93), and then competence (M=2.91). No significant differences in psychological needs were found across family structures, but socioeconomic status significantly impacted relatedness. While schools offer some support systems, such as mentoring programs, the study indicates that students' socio-emotional needs require further attention. These findings suggest that a structured mentoring program fostering individual student-adult relationships could effectively address these needs, potentially enhancing autonomy, promoting competence, and strengthening relatedness to improve socio-emotional well-being. This approach could provide tailored support, addressing the diverse psychological needs of students and contributing to improved academic engagement and overall well-being.

Keywords: psychological needs, junior high school students, support systems, mentoring program