An Urgent Need for School Belonging: Meta-Analyses & Participatory Action

About

What helps one student feel they belong at school may differ from what helps another. This project brings together original data from individual students across multiple studies through an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis. Analysing these data together allows a closer examination of the factors associated with school belonging and how these associations may differ between students. This can help distinguish factors that are broadly relevant from those that may be particularly important for specific groups of students.

The project combines this analysis with a synthesis of qualitative research, drawing on students’ accounts of their experiences of belonging at school. Together, these findings will inform participatory action research with students, educators and parents to develop practical strategies and resources. Connecting these methods allows the project to draw on patterns across studies while attending to individual experiences and the practical realities of schools.