The World Health Organisation has developed a concept of ecological health- a notion that health, using a broad definition, is a product of the societies and environments in which we live. It is the aim of the WHO to achieve "Health for All by the Year 2000." This reform agenda incorporates education as a tool for social change. This study investigates the role of education in social change, with local and global health as an objective. The background to the development of this concept is outlined, as are the social issues that make this such an important perspective. Theories of social formation and the role of the school in relation to society are discussed, and the research that confirms that schools do "make a difference" reported. Definitions of change, factors affecting social change and models of change are described. Factors relating specifically to educational change are outlined and related to examples of educational change, designed to promote social change, in Australia. Case studies, composed of descriptions of schools written by staff members to illustrate the process of working towards becoming "Healthy School Communities" and transcripts of interviews, are analysed to determine the extent and type of change that is taking place within each school, and how the changes are happening. Schools reported changes to attitude, understanding, policies and practice. The analysis is then discussed, and the conclusion reached that this construct of education has some useful conceptual frameworks, for the cultural changes that are occurring in Australia and other Western cultures.

South African schools face many challenges as they are inundated with dysfunctional behaviour. The research on South African schools indicates that behavioural challenges such as disobedience, swearing, truancy violence and bullying are evident in many school contexts. From a reductionist, individualist approach, the focus when addressing these challenges is often on causal factors and dysfunctional individuals rather than on ways in which people relate and interact in schools. It is however evident from a social ecological perspective, that in order to facilitate social change, we need to understand people’s experiences of social interaction in schools as an important context for the enhancement of wellbeing. The first phase of the PhD project is a base‐line exploration of the learners’, educators’ and parents’ experiences of relating and interacting in school communities. A qualitative phenomenological investigation was applied in combination with a cross‐sectional descriptive survey design. 1170 learners, ages ranging from 11 to 18 years, 150 parents and 85 educators, from 12 South African schools, participated in the research. The participants completed written assignments that were analysed through the application of global analysis followed by thematic analysis. The findings indicated that enabling ways of relating and interacting were patterned by active engagement and acknowledgement of people. Disenabling social interaction was patterned by disengagement and disregard for people. The findings indicated that both enabling and disenabling ways of relating and interacting, play a crucial role in the enhancement of mental wellbeing in schools, and suggest that schools need to focus more seriously on the ways in which people in schools relate and interact on the everyday micro‐levels of social interaction, as suggested by complexity theory. The second phase of the study comprised a more in‐depth investigation into nurturing and restraining relationships between parents, learners and educators in a school community. A single instrumental case study design was applied to gain an indepth understanding of the complex dynamic interactions between the members of the school community. All the learners and educators in the school were involved during the work sessions. Nominal group technique was applied to obtain information about their perceptions of relationships in the school community. The work sessions were followed by focus group interviews with 18 educators, 40 learners, the management team, six members of the administrative and terrain staff and two parents. A thematic analysis of the data indicated that nurturing relationships could be understood with reference to connectedness: respect, care and transparent communication; whilst restrained relationships could be understood with reference to limited connectedness between people: abuse of power, shifting of responsibility and disrespect for one another. The findings indicated the need for a sensitive, empathic and non‐patronising approach to people in school communities that acknowledge that restrained relationships are inevitably part of the human interaction and understand schools in terms of inter‐subjective recursive processes that pattern the relationships between the members of the school community. In the third phase, the findings of the first two stages of the study were integrated with theoretical perspectives and critical reflections on the findings to conceptualise a relationship‐focused approach to the co‐construction of an enabling school community. The approach encompasses the facilitation of continuous conversations using identified facets of interrelatedness as focal points for the understanding of being together in school communities on a meta‐level. It is recommended that the implementation of a relationship‐focused approach conceptualised in this study, should be considered as an alternative approach for dealing with the challenges associated with human behaviour that currently prevail in schools. Further research on the implementation of the approach in schools is recommended. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

South African schools face many challenges as they are inundated with dysfunctional behaviour. The research on South African schools indicates that behavioural challenges such as disobedience, swearing, truancy violence and bullying are evident in many school contexts. From a reductionist, individualist approach, the focus when addressing these challenges is often on causal factors and dysfunctional individuals rather than on ways in which people relate and interact in schools. It is however evident from a social ecological perspective, that in order to facilitate social change, we need to understand people’s experiences of social interaction in schools as an important context for the enhancement of wellbeing. The first phase of the PhD project is a base‐line exploration of the learners’, educators’ and parents’ experiences of relating and interacting in school communities. A qualitative phenomenological investigation was applied in combination with a cross‐sectional descriptive survey design. 1170 learners, ages ranging from 11 to 18 years, 150 parents and 85 educators, from 12 South African schools, participated in the research. The participants completed written assignments that were analysed through the application of global analysis followed by thematic analysis. The findings indicated that enabling ways of relating and interacting were patterned by active engagement and acknowledgement of people. Disenabling social interaction was patterned by disengagement and disregard for people. The findings indicated that both enabling and disenabling ways of relating and interacting, play a crucial role in the enhancement of mental wellbeing in schools, and suggest that schools need to focus more seriously on the ways in which people in schools relate and interact on the everyday micro‐levels of social interaction, as suggested by complexity theory. The second phase of the study comprised a more in‐depth investigation into nurturing and restraining relationships between parents, learners and educators in a school community. A single instrumental case study design was applied to gain an indepth understanding of the complex dynamic interactions between the members of the school community. All the learners and educators in the school were involved during the work sessions. Nominal group technique was applied to obtain information about their perceptions of relationships in the school community. The work sessions were followed by focus group interviews with 18 educators, 40 learners, the management team, six members of the administrative and terrain staff and two parents. A thematic analysis of the data indicated that nurturing relationships could be understood with reference to connectedness: respect, care and transparent communication; whilst restrained relationships could be understood with reference to limited connectedness between people: abuse of power, shifting of responsibility and disrespect for one another. The findings indicated the need for a sensitive, empathic and non‐patronising approach to people in school communities that acknowledge that restrained relationships are inevitably part of the human interaction and understand schools in terms of inter‐subjective recursive processes that pattern the relationships between the members of the school community. In the third phase, the findings of the first two stages of the study were integrated with theoretical perspectives and critical reflections on the findings to conceptualise a relationship‐focused approach to the co‐construction of an enabling school community. The approach encompasses the facilitation of continuous conversations using identified facets of interrelatedness as focal points for the understanding of being together in school communities on a meta‐level. It is recommended that the implementation of a relationship‐focused approach conceptualised in this study, should be considered as an alternative approach for dealing with the challenges associated with human behaviour that currently prevail in schools. Further research on the implementation of the approach in schools is recommended. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

Relationships, according to national and international research, play a crucial role in the promotion of holistic well-being in school communities. However, the central role of relationships in school communities is not fully appreciated in the South African context. Concurrently, a gap in research on the promotion of relational well-being in South African school communities exists. The importance of addressing this shortcoming is especially evident when viewing recent research literature and media reports on dysfunctional behaviour in school communities, such as violence, bullying, child abuse, inappropriate sexual behaviour, and alcohol and substance abuse. These dysfunctional behaviours indicate the extent to which relational well-being is currently compromised in South African school communities. This study intends to address the abovementioned gap in knowledge regarding the promotion of relational well-being in school communities. The aim was obtained by involving a group of postgraduate students, enrolled for a Master’s or Doctoral programme with a focus on relational well-being, and who work in school environments in various capacities and contexts. The research was informed by a combination of theoretical lenses that offer a holistic, multi-dimensional, strength-based approach to the understanding of relational well-being, and acknowledge the complexity of relationships. A qualitative phenomenological research design was applied using the World Café method, to facilitate a space within which these students could reflect on the promotion of relational well-being in school communities. A total of 29 participants, selected by means of purposive and convenience sampling, were involved in a World Café event, and twenty of these participants completed an open-ended questionnaire, developed with the aim of crystallising the data obtained from the World Café. Thematic analysis of the data was conducted and four main themes were identified: Firstly, the participants reflected on the complex, integrated nature of the process of promoting relational well-being, from an eco-systemic perspective. Based on this understanding, they viewed members of the school community as inseparably integrated and bi-directionally influencing one another, as also indicated by complex dynamic interactive systems theorists. They also mentioned that certain environmental influences could impair relational well-being. Secondly, they reflected on the promotion of relational well-being as a collaborative and inclusive process that involves all the members of the school community and requires all of them to take responsibility. The teachers’ and school managements’ role as leaders in facilitating the process was specifically highlighted, although the parents/caretakers were also seen as bearing a responsibility in this regard. Therefore, home-school collaboration was emphasised. Thirdly, they reflected on the challenges relating to the promotion of relational well-being in school communities. These challenges encompassed the need to equip and support teachers and parents to be able to promote relational well-being, addressing the imbalanced focus on academics and achievement in schools at the expense of relationships, and the need to promote relational well-being more proactively by addressing the way in which limited time and large class sizes jeopardise relational well-being. Lastly, perceived key elements of interrelatedness for the promotion of relational well-being in school communities were highlighted. These key elements include respectful engagements, acceptance of one another, positive communication based on trust, a sense of belonging or connectedness, and care and support. In view of the findings of the study, recommendations are made to the Department of Education as well as to school management teams. Finally, recommendations regarding future research are offered. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Globally there seems to be an increase in psychosocial problems in school communities. This tendency can largely be contributed to the increasing complexity of modern society. Research studies indicate that for an organisation like a school to survive and improve the wellbeing of its members, it should become more flexible and adjustable to all sociological changes. In this study, it is reasoned that the complexity of human behaviour as well as the complex nature of a school community are not always fully realised. Leadership is thus not always able to make adjustments to enable the school to adjust to an ever-changing complex modern society. Internationally, most governments address this problem by the implementation of programmes and policies that acknowledge the necessity to view a school community as being part of broader eco-systems. The introduction of whole-school approaches in schools addresses this interaction and the dependency between systems. The reasoning is that change is more likely to occur when the whole community shares a collective vision about their plans, aspirations, and goals. Despite policies that support multi-dimensional interactive approaches, it is unfortunately plagued by systemic problems due to a lack to fully accommodate an understanding of complexity of human behaviour and systems. Although the holistic and collective principles are implicated in policies, the importance of the dynamic nature of relationships does not always receive the necessary attention. This purpose of this study is to focus on the potential of dynamic relationships in order to create a more humanised school community by utilizing dynamic interactive relational processes in the promotion of relational wellbeing. The emphasis is therefore on the role that school leaders can play to promote relational wellbeing by utilising this dynamic nature of relationships as a means to influence and change rigid authoritative leadership control by adopting a more transformative leadership style. Unless school leaders of the future become more sophisticated in their understanding of the complexity and the dynamic relational processes of human behaviour, it is unlikely that relational wellbeing in schools will be promoted. The researcher found it necessary to focus primarily on the current perceptions of leaders at all levels in a secondary school community. The challenge was an attempt to gain a better understanding of their experiences and thoughts about the restraining factors that affected the promotion of relational wellbeing can be addressed and challenged. Accordingly, a single qualitative research case study, consisting of an appreciative inquiry (AI), which was followed-up by a working session, was conducted at this school. In view of the findings of study, several recommendations were made for practice and policy development. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The importance of promoting the health and wellbeing of children in educational contexts are recognised in national and international policy developments. However, according to international and local research, many challenges regarding the promotion of relational wellbeing prevail, despite various efforts to improve relationships within school communities. The continuous media and research reports on the escalation of violence in schools suggest that there are certain vices that act as barriers to the promotion of relational wellbeing in school communities, restraining relationships between all those involved in the school community. However, challenges relating to relational wellbeing are often construed as a matter to be addressed by professionals either in the service of the government or in private practice, who are expected to work with individuals who experience relational problems. Limited attention is given to barriers that might arise within the everyday interactions between the members of the school communities. The need to understand what hinders the promotion of wellbeing in school communities as interactive spaces was therefore evident. The aim of this study, therefore, was to explore perceived barriers to the promotion of relational wellbeing of children in South African school communities. In order to explore such barriers to the promotion of relational wellbeing, a group of postgraduate students, enrolled for a master’s or doctoral programme in Psychology and who work in various school contexts, was involved in a World Café event with a focus on relational wellbeing in school contexts. A combination of theoretical perspectives was applied as a basis for understanding the educational context in which the study was situated. In order to secure the capturing of the complex nature of relationships and relational wellbeing, a qualitative, interpretive descriptive research design was applied. The application of the World Café method created a context suitable to the interpretive and descriptive nature of the research and granted participants the opportunity to render rich and vigorous descriptions of how they perceived the relational wellbeing of children in South African school communities. Twelve postgraduate students were selected through purposive and convenience sampling to take part in the World Café event, hosted in collaboration with a senior research professor on campus. The data gathered during the World Café event was used as the main data source. In addition, three semi-structured Skype interviews were conducted, following the thematic analysis of the data gathered during the World Café event. In order to ensure that the data was trustworthy, crystallization was applied throughout the data collection process. Thematic analysis was conducted and three main themes with subthemes were identified. Firstly, the participants identified a predominant focus on academics. They perceived this uncontested focus on academic results within the school community as a barrier to the enhancement of relational wellbeing in their places of work. The main concern was that this unequivocal focus on academic results held certain consequences for both teachers and learners. One of the consequences of this focus on academics is the stress that it creates for teachers. The participants indicated that the most attention in their school environments was paid to delivering good academic results and that the development of other needs of learners, such as emotional needs, were not deemed important. In addition, the participants indicated that they were most often appraised and rewarded according to the academic performance of their learners and to the extent to which they reached predetermined departmental goals within their schools. In addition to academic pressures to perform, teachers are often over-burdened with additional duties which leave them emotionally drained. As a result of their tapped emotional energy, teachers felt that they could not invest in connecting and caring for learners as they would like to, due to the overwhelming amount of other responsibilities. Furthermore, the participants indicated that, in addition to too little time to connect and care for learners and develop healthy relationships, they also experienced little collegial support. The participants also indicated that, in addition to the stress caused by the predominant focus on academic achievement, the consequence of this stance created the following: limited capacity to develop learners’ social-emotional skills; situations where harm to learners’ self-concept was experienced; and a general problem-focused approach in addressing challenges experienced by learners. Secondly, adults seemed to have a limited capacity to promote relational wellbeing. The participants indicated that, in the contexts and places where they worked, adults, such as teachers and parents, who were mainly responsible to guide and equip learners to create, develop, and maintain healthy and meaningful relationships, were perceived to lack the necessary skills themselves in order to engage in meaningful relationships with one another. With regard to parents’ capacities, the participants argued that the lack of social skills displayed by children in their classrooms might be ascribed to the home environment and the specific contextual challenges that parents and caregivers have to face, in addition to a general limited ability of parents to equip their children with the necessary social and emotional skills to be able to establish healthy and meaningful relationships. Concerning teachers’ capacities, the participants indicated that some teachers were not equipped with adequate knowledge to develop healthy relationships with children and therefore lacked skills to promote relational wellbeing of children in general. In addition to inadequate knowledge, the participants felt that teachers’ attitudes about relationships also played a role in the lack of promoting healthy relationships. Although inadequate knowledge and negative attitudes by teachers were perceived to compromise the development of healthy relationships, participants indicated that, even if teachers had the desire to develop healthy relationships, there were few or no opportunities created for them by their schools to focus on developing healthy relationships; there was also little opportunity to be models of healthy relational beings, due to a lack of time or system-related support, as well as personal contextual restraints. Thirdly, the perception of the participants was that unresolved conflict between role-players often created a barrier to the promotion of healthy relationships. The participants indicated that the conflict between role-players in the school communities were often excessive and remained unresolved, and that the conflict existed on all levels of interrelatedness. The unresolved conflict was perceived as a serious barrier to the promotion of relational wellbeing within their school environments; this conflict was mainly experienced between teachers and learners, teachers and staff, as well as between parents and teachers. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

School communities are supposed to be safe places for children where they can build healthy and positive relationships; protected places where children not only gain knowledge, but also learn about themselves. However, research indicates an increase in violent behaviour within school communities. The serious nature of violence in South African schools is evident in reports of physical and sexual abuse, gang-related activities and children bringing and using weapons at schools. The violence is not limited to violence between children but also involves interschool rivalries where gang conflicts have become part of the problem. Despite the measures taken by the DoE, violence in schools is still escalating and educators in some schools can spend more time on solving issues relating to violence than being involved in the process of effective teaching. Consequently violence in schools might become a threat to the provision of effective education for children. Current South African research on bullying behaviour tends to follow a linear, individualistic approach as a means to understanding the phenomenon of bullying. Research conducted within the South African context tends to focus on the individual behaviour of children involved in bullying incidents with the need to address the aggressive behaviour of the bully, the need to protect the victim and describing concerns for the bystanders. The concern of such a linear approach is that research does not place enough emphasis on the relationships of members in school communities and the contexts in which bullying behaviour occurs. To address this gap in the knowledge regarding our understanding of bullying behaviour from a relational perspective, the researcher explored the relational experiences of secondary school children who were involved in bullying incidents in three secondary school communities in South Africa. A systemic developmental approach developed by Cairns and Cairns (1991) and adopted by Atlas and Pepler (1998) as well as a complex interactive dynamics systems approach informed this study. The purpose of this study is to contribute to efforts to find solutions to the escalation of bullying behaviour by exploring the relational experiences of children who were involved in bullying incidents in the context of secondary school communities in South Africa. It is anticipated that an exploration of the relational experiences of these children might facilitate a deeper understanding of the dynamics that emerge in the interactions between the various members in school communities and an understanding of how these interactions contribute toward the escalation in bullying behaviour. In order to obtain a deeper understanding regarding the phenomenon of bullying, a qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to explore the relational experiences of children involved in bullying incidents within three secondary school communities. Within the first phase of data collection thirty three participants (between grade 8-11), who were purposely selected, completed a written assignment. The written assignment included a short essay based on their experience of a bullying incident and twenty incomplete sentences that were open-ended in nature. In the second phase of data collection the researcher conducted semi- structured interviews with six of the participants who participated in the first phase of data collection. The semi-structured interviews allowed the researcher to ask further questions to obtain a deeper understanding regarding their relational experiences of bullying incidents in their school community. Based on the responses of the participants, three themes were identified: (1) Relational experiences of interactions between teachers and children based on the experiences of children where they spoke about interactions that suggested reciprocal disrespect between children and teachers, incongruence between teachers and learners, teachers attempting to control the behaviour of children and lack of interest displayed in children by their teachers; (2) Relational experiences of interactions between children that included subthemes of assertion of power to obtain status amongst peers, exclusion based on group membership, competiveness amongst groups and violating the trust of friends; (3) Relational experiences of interactions in conflict situations where participants described their bullying experiences and suggested that teachers display apathy in these forms of conflict situations. The participants also reported that children tend to instigate and reinforce conflict. Learners also often choose to remain silent out of fear for retaliation and that teacher-parent disputes exist regarding the managing of conflict situations between children. The relational experiences of the children assisted to inform our understanding of the interactive dynamics that underpin bullying behaviour. In view of the findings of the study, recommendations are made for practice, policy development and suggestions for future research are also offered. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Relationships, according to national and international research, play a crucial role in the promotion of holistic well-being in school communities. However, the central role of relationships in school communities is not fully appreciated in the South African context. Concurrently, a gap in research on the promotion of relational well-being in South African school communities exists. The importance of addressing this shortcoming is especially evident when viewing recent research literature and media reports on dysfunctional behaviour in school communities, such as violence, bullying, child abuse, inappropriate sexual behaviour, and alcohol and substance abuse. These dysfunctional behaviours indicate the extent to which relational well-being is currently compromised in South African school communities. This study intends to address the abovementioned gap in knowledge regarding the promotion of relational well-being in school communities. The aim was obtained by involving a group of postgraduate students, enrolled for a Master’s or Doctoral programme with a focus on relational well-being, and who work in school environments in various capacities and contexts. The research was informed by a combination of theoretical lenses that offer a holistic, multi-dimensional, strength-based approach to the understanding of relational well-being, and acknowledge the complexity of relationships. A qualitative phenomenological research design was applied using the World Café method, to facilitate a space within which these students could reflect on the promotion of relational well-being in school communities. A total of 29 participants, selected by means of purposive and convenience sampling, were involved in a World Café event, and twenty of these participants completed an open-ended questionnaire, developed with the aim of crystallising the data obtained from the World Café. Thematic analysis of the data was conducted and four main themes were identified: Firstly, the participants reflected on the complex, integrated nature of the process of promoting relational well-being, from an eco-systemic perspective. Based on this understanding, they viewed members of the school community as inseparably integrated and bi-directionally influencing one another, as also indicated by complex dynamic interactive systems theorists. They also mentioned that certain environmental influences could impair relational well-being. Secondly, they reflected on the promotion of relational well-being as a collaborative and inclusive process that involves all the members of the school community and requires all of them to take responsibility. The teachers’ and school managements’ role as leaders in facilitating the process was specifically highlighted, although the parents/caretakers were also seen as bearing a responsibility in this regard. Therefore, home-school collaboration was emphasised. Thirdly, they reflected on the challenges relating to the promotion of relational well-being in school communities. These challenges encompassed the need to equip and support teachers and parents to be able to promote relational well-being, addressing the imbalanced focus on academics and achievement in schools at the expense of relationships, and the need to promote relational well-being more proactively by addressing the way in which limited time and large class sizes jeopardise relational well-being. Lastly, perceived key elements of interrelatedness for the promotion of relational well-being in school communities were highlighted. These key elements include respectful engagements, acceptance of one another, positive communication based on trust, a sense of belonging or connectedness, and care and support. In view of the findings of the study, recommendations are made to the Department of Education as well as to school management teams. Finally, recommendations regarding future research are offered. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Globally there seems to be an increase in psychosocial problems in school communities. This tendency can largely be contributed to the increasing complexity of modern society. Research studies indicate that for an organisation like a school to survive and improve the wellbeing of its members, it should become more flexible and adjustable to all sociological changes. In this study, it is reasoned that the complexity of human behaviour as well as the complex nature of a school community are not always fully realised. Leadership is thus not always able to make adjustments to enable the school to adjust to an ever-changing complex modern society. Internationally, most governments address this problem by the implementation of programmes and policies that acknowledge the necessity to view a school community as being part of broader eco-systems. The introduction of whole-school approaches in schools addresses this interaction and the dependency between systems. The reasoning is that change is more likely to occur when the whole community shares a collective vision about their plans, aspirations, and goals. Despite policies that support multi-dimensional interactive approaches, it is unfortunately plagued by systemic problems due to a lack to fully accommodate an understanding of complexity of human behaviour and systems. Although the holistic and collective principles are implicated in policies, the importance of the dynamic nature of relationships does not always receive the necessary attention. This purpose of this study is to focus on the potential of dynamic relationships in order to create a more humanised school community by utilizing dynamic interactive relational processes in the promotion of relational wellbeing. The emphasis is therefore on the role that school leaders can play to promote relational wellbeing by utilising this dynamic nature of relationships as a means to influence and change rigid authoritative leadership control by adopting a more transformative leadership style. Unless school leaders of the future become more sophisticated in their understanding of the complexity and the dynamic relational processes of human behaviour, it is unlikely that relational wellbeing in schools will be promoted. The researcher found it necessary to focus primarily on the current perceptions of leaders at all levels in a secondary school community. The challenge was an attempt to gain a better understanding of their experiences and thoughts about the restraining factors that affected the promotion of relational wellbeing can be addressed and challenged. Accordingly, a single qualitative research case study, consisting of an appreciative inquiry (AI), which was followed-up by a working session, was conducted at this school. In view of the findings of study, several recommendations were made for practice and policy development. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The importance of promoting the health and wellbeing of children in educational contexts are recognised in national and international policy developments. However, according to international and local research, many challenges regarding the promotion of relational wellbeing prevail, despite various efforts to improve relationships within school communities. The continuous media and research reports on the escalation of violence in schools suggest that there are certain vices that act as barriers to the promotion of relational wellbeing in school communities, restraining relationships between all those involved in the school community. However, challenges relating to relational wellbeing are often construed as a matter to be addressed by professionals either in the service of the government or in private practice, who are expected to work with individuals who experience relational problems. Limited attention is given to barriers that might arise within the everyday interactions between the members of the school communities. The need to understand what hinders the promotion of wellbeing in school communities as interactive spaces was therefore evident. The aim of this study, therefore, was to explore perceived barriers to the promotion of relational wellbeing of children in South African school communities. In order to explore such barriers to the promotion of relational wellbeing, a group of postgraduate students, enrolled for a master’s or doctoral programme in Psychology and who work in various school contexts, was involved in a World Café event with a focus on relational wellbeing in school contexts. A combination of theoretical perspectives was applied as a basis for understanding the educational context in which the study was situated. In order to secure the capturing of the complex nature of relationships and relational wellbeing, a qualitative, interpretive descriptive research design was applied. The application of the World Café method created a context suitable to the interpretive and descriptive nature of the research and granted participants the opportunity to render rich and vigorous descriptions of how they perceived the relational wellbeing of children in South African school communities. Twelve postgraduate students were selected through purposive and convenience sampling to take part in the World Café event, hosted in collaboration with a senior research professor on campus. The data gathered during the World Café event was used as the main data source. In addition, three semi-structured Skype interviews were conducted, following the thematic analysis of the data gathered during the World Café event. In order to ensure that the data was trustworthy, crystallization was applied throughout the data collection process. Thematic analysis was conducted and three main themes with subthemes were identified. Firstly, the participants identified a predominant focus on academics. They perceived this uncontested focus on academic results within the school community as a barrier to the enhancement of relational wellbeing in their places of work. The main concern was that this unequivocal focus on academic results held certain consequences for both teachers and learners. One of the consequences of this focus on academics is the stress that it creates for teachers. The participants indicated that the most attention in their school environments was paid to delivering good academic results and that the development of other needs of learners, such as emotional needs, were not deemed important. In addition, the participants indicated that they were most often appraised and rewarded according to the academic performance of their learners and to the extent to which they reached predetermined departmental goals within their schools. In addition to academic pressures to perform, teachers are often over-burdened with additional duties which leave them emotionally drained. As a result of their tapped emotional energy, teachers felt that they could not invest in connecting and caring for learners as they would like to, due to the overwhelming amount of other responsibilities. Furthermore, the participants indicated that, in addition to too little time to connect and care for learners and develop healthy relationships, they also experienced little collegial support. The participants also indicated that, in addition to the stress caused by the predominant focus on academic achievement, the consequence of this stance created the following: limited capacity to develop learners’ social-emotional skills; situations where harm to learners’ self-concept was experienced; and a general problem-focused approach in addressing challenges experienced by learners. Secondly, adults seemed to have a limited capacity to promote relational wellbeing. The participants indicated that, in the contexts and places where they worked, adults, such as teachers and parents, who were mainly responsible to guide and equip learners to create, develop, and maintain healthy and meaningful relationships, were perceived to lack the necessary skills themselves in order to engage in meaningful relationships with one another. With regard to parents’ capacities, the participants argued that the lack of social skills displayed by children in their classrooms might be ascribed to the home environment and the specific contextual challenges that parents and caregivers have to face, in addition to a general limited ability of parents to equip their children with the necessary social and emotional skills to be able to establish healthy and meaningful relationships. Concerning teachers’ capacities, the participants indicated that some teachers were not equipped with adequate knowledge to develop healthy relationships with children and therefore lacked skills to promote relational wellbeing of children in general. In addition to inadequate knowledge, the participants felt that teachers’ attitudes about relationships also played a role in the lack of promoting healthy relationships. Although inadequate knowledge and negative attitudes by teachers were perceived to compromise the development of healthy relationships, participants indicated that, even if teachers had the desire to develop healthy relationships, there were few or no opportunities created for them by their schools to focus on developing healthy relationships; there was also little opportunity to be models of healthy relational beings, due to a lack of time or system-related support, as well as personal contextual restraints. Thirdly, the perception of the participants was that unresolved conflict between role-players often created a barrier to the promotion of healthy relationships. The participants indicated that the conflict between role-players in the school communities were often excessive and remained unresolved, and that the conflict existed on all levels of interrelatedness. The unresolved conflict was perceived as a serious barrier to the promotion of relational wellbeing within their school environments; this conflict was mainly experienced between teachers and learners, teachers and staff, as well as between parents and teachers. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015