The purposes of this study were to investigate the relationship among the elementary school students'' life goals, basic psychological needs, well-being and to examine the meditating effects of basic psychological needs in the proess by which the life goals affected well-being.
The Subjects of this study were 418 elementary school students of the 5th, 6th grade(232 male students and 186 female students) who have enrolled in three elementary schools randomly chosen in Daegu metry City. For that, it was to investigate the difference, relationship and influence of children''s perceived life goals, basic psychological needs, well-being between male and female.
To test research hypotheses, the data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson'' correlation analysis and t-Test by SPSS 18.0 program and structure equation modeling techniques steps(including multiple-group analysis) by AMOS 20.0 program.
The result of the study were as follows.
First, it was significant static correlation between subscale of basic psychological needs and subscale of well-being. About life goal scale, it was significant static correlation between intrinsic life goals and subscale of basic psychological needs, social well-being, and psychological well-being in male group. However, it was insignificant static correlation between extrinsic life goals and subscale of basic psychological needs, and subscale of well-being. In female group, it was significant static correlation between intrinsic life goals and subscale of basic psychological needs, and subscale of well-being. However, it was insignificant static correlation between extrinsic life goals and autonomy, and subscale of well-being.
Second, validate the results of structure model, subscale of basic psychological needs had a positive meaningful influence on the intrinsic life goals and competence, relatedness had complete mediation effects on the relationship between intrinsic life goals and well-being. However, subscale of basic psychological needs had unmeaningful influence on the extrinsic life goals and well-being had a negative meaningful influence on the extrinsic life goals. Also, competence and relatedness had complete mediation effects on the relationship between autonomy and well-being.
Third, validate the results of multiple group analysis, subscale of basic psychological needs had a positive meaningful influence on the intrinsic life goals in both groups. Also competence and relatedness had a positive meaningful influence on the autonomy. However, well-being had a negative meaningful influence on the extrinsic life goals in male group but unmeanigful influence was showed in female group. In male group, competence, relatedness had complete mediation effects on the relationship between autonomy and well-being. However, competence had unmeaningful influence on the well-being.
The educational implications of this research are as follows.
The basic psychological needs had complete medation effects on the relationship between intrinsic life goals and well-being. However extrinsic life goals had unmeaningful influence on basic psychological needs and well-being. These result suggest that there is good opportunity to increase children''s basic psychological needs and well-being if teachers and parents help them to pursue intrinsic life goals.