Wellbeing, motivation and emotions are increasingly important and considered gatekeepers of learning (Bradshaw, Martorano, Natali, & de Neubourg, 2013; Dumont, Istance, & Benavides, 2010). Earlier research states a reciprocal and positive continuity between educational achievement and student wellbeing (‘the good circle’) (Van Petegem, Creemers, Aelterman, & Rosseel, 2008). Students’ motivation and wellbeing has an influence on academic success, which in turn exerts a prominent influence on students’ life as a major indicator of satisfaction (Salmela-Aro & Tynkkynen, 2010; Van Petegem et al., 2008). In line with the latter, student wellbeing can be seen as an important condition for a successful educational process and educational effectiveness (Engels, Aelterman, Van Petegem, & Schepens, 2004; Van Petegem et al., 2008).

Based on the results of international large-scale comparative research on childrens’ wellbeing, Belgian children show one of the highest scores on school wellbeing but a more moderate score for subjective wellbeing (Bradshaw et al., 2013; Engels et al., 2004; Unicef, 2013); both considered important intertwined components of overall wellbeing (Tuominen-Soini, Salmela-Aro, & Niemivirta, 2008). Noble and Wyatt (2008, p. 21) define students’ overall wellbeing as “a sustainable state of positive mood and attitude, resilience, and satisfaction with self, relationships and experiences at school. A student’s level of wellbeing is indicated by the degree to which the student demonstrates effective academic, social and emotional functioning and appropriate behaviour at school”. Subjective well-being refers to childrens’ satisfaction with their life as well as their experienced sense of meaning and purpose in life. School wellbeing focuses more on the satisfaction of the students with their school and education (Bradshaw et al., 2013; Dumont et al., 2010).

Next to wellbeing and motivation, self-regulated learning and lifelong learning are nowadays emphasized in the (European) educational policy (Dumont et al., 2010). As stated above, motivation is an important factor in educational success, but it is also a crucial subcomponent of self-regulated learning (SRL) (Pintrich, 1999; Zimmerman, 2002). Whereas the concepts of SRL and wellbeing are at first sight not strongly related, this independent, academically effective way of learning involving high degrees of metacognition, motivation and strategic action has been found increasingly important through positively influencing students’ academic achievement, social competence, well-being and the engagement in lifelong learning (LLL) (Zimmerman, 2002). Dispose of a repertoire of effective self-regulatory learning strategies has a positive impact on students’ wellbeing and ultimately on academic success (Kaplan & Maehr, 1999; Noble & Wyatt, 2008). Consequently, these self-regulatory skills prevent students from developing negative and academically ineffective learning habits, beliefs and even drop-out (Kaplan & Maehr, 1999; Noble & Wyatt, 2008). Schools thus play an important role in laying the cornerstones for LLL by fostering an internally driven motivation to learn (‘will to learn’) and self-initiated and self-regulated learning (‘skill to learn’) (Lüftenegger, Schober, van de Schoot, Wagner, Finsterwald, & Spiel, 2012).

Baring in mind the importance of the intertwined concepts, student wellbeing and SRL, and their relevance for LLL, this study investigates the relationship between subjective and school wellbeing and students’ self-regulated learning skills in Flemish Secondary education. The following research questions were addressed:

1)    How well do Flemish students feel overall and especially at school?

2)    What is the relationship between the subjective wellbeing and school wellbeing of students?

3)    How are students’ wellbeing and self-regulated learning related?

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