How can schools foster participation and belonging for all students?
Anne Graham, Tess Boylea, Antonia Canosa, Catharine Simmons, Donnah Anderson and Lyn GardonCentre for Children and Young People, Southern Cross University, Bilinga, Australia; bSchool of Psychology, Charles Sturt University, Port Macquarie, Australia; New South Wales Department of Education, Sydney, Australia ABSTRACTBackground: Despite ongoing policy and intervention efforts,many Western education systems face the persistent issue ofyoung people disengaging from school. Young people possessvaluable insights into their lived experiences of school, particularlyregarding what fosters or inhibits their participation and belonging.However, their perspectives – especially those of students whostruggle with school – are rarely solicited or compared with thoseof staff in efforts to improve educational practice.Purpose: This study explored student and staff perspectives onparticipation and belonging practices across ten high schools inNew South Wales (NSW), Australia. It investigated how participationpractices (e.g. having a…