Citation

Anderson DL, Graham AP, Simmons C, Thomas NP. Int. J. Educ. Res. (Oxford) 2022; 111: e101896.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ijer.2021.101896

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Recent years have seen increased attention paid to both student participation and wellbeing at school. Little research to date has investigated the extent to which participation is associated with wellbeing, let alone which specific elements of participation may predict wellbeing. This paper reports the quantitative phase of a mixed-methods study investigating these associations. Students (N = 1,435) from Government and Catholic high schools in New South Wales, Australia, completed an online survey. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that having a say with influential people, having choice, having influence, and working together significantly and positively predicted wellbeing. Simply having 'voice' did not significantly predict wellbeing. Mediation analyses showed that student participation fostered recognition - giving and receiving care, respect and valuing others - which in turn fostered wellbeing. The results suggest schools endeavouring to strengthen student wellbeing would benefit from identifying whether and how participation initiatives create the conditions for recognition to occur.

Language: en

Keywords

Recognition; Relationships; Student participation; Student voice; Student wellbeing; Student-centred schools