Beyond Academic Achievement: A Whole-School Counseling Framework for Well-Being, Global Citizenship, and Sustainability in Primary Education

Zulfikri Zulfikri (State University of Makassar)
Salsabila Nasution (State University of Makassar)
Nurfaidah Ardis (State University of Makassar)

International Journal of Education and Learning Studies
Vol. 2 No. 2 (2026): International Journal of Education and Learning Studies (IJELS)

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.