Sense of school belonging: Exploring the views of secondary aged black pupils

Pupils who feel like they belong and feel a connection to their school experience more positive mental health, well-being and educational outcomes

Research has explored the sense of school belonging for middle school, high school and college students.

A gap in the literature exists with regards to the sense of school belonging for pupils educated within the UK education system.

Specifically, the area of black pupils' sense of school belonging is currently under-researched.

The systematic literature review examines whether there is a positive relationship between sense of school belonging and teacher-student relationships.

A systematic review of the literature was conducted, yielding ten studies that met inclusion criteria. All studies included in the review were correlational in design.

The studies were reviewed according to Gough's (2007) Weight of Evidence and Thompson, Diamond, McWilliam, Snyder and Snyder's (2005) guidance for correlational research.

Studies were rated based on their methodological quality, methodological relevance and topic relevance, with an overall weight of evidence assigned.

The majority of studies reported medium or large effect sizes.

Implications for future research and Educational Psychology practice are discussed.

The empirical paper employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods design to exploe black pupils' views of their sense of school belonging.

Twenty five secondary aged students completed the Psychological Sense of School Membership Scale and eleven students participated in semi structured interviews.

Thematic analysis identified four core themes (shared identity, teacher-student relationship, teachers' approach to teaching and learning, school ethos) relevant to the sense of school belonging for these pupils.

Strengths and limitations of the study are considered. Implications for professional practice and future research are discussed.

The thesis concludes with the dissemination and impact paper.

Dissemination pathways, process of dissemination, potential beneficiaries and implications for Educational Psychology practice are discussed.