Promoting Process of Elementary School Students’ Life Satisfaction by Mealtime Conversation and Attitudes towards Shared Meal at Home and School

Abstract

This study explored how mealtime conversation contributes to elementary school students' life satisfaction through active attitudes towards shared meals. Firstly, factor analyses distinguished mealtime conversation and active attitudes towards shared meals as separate factors. Secondly, path analysis revealed that mealtime conversation with family or classmates promoted life satisfaction via corresponding active attitudes towards shared meals. Lastly, we investigated whether students' Big Five personality traits moderated the effects of mealtime conversation and active attitudes towards shared meals. Results indicated that when eating with family, the effects of mealtime conversation were amplified among students with low agreeableness, while the influence of active attitudes towards shared meals was heightened among those with high conscientiousness. Moreover, when eating with classmates, the effects of active attitudes towards shared meals were strengthened among students with high openness.