‘How do I know that I belong?’ Exploring secondary aged pupils’ views on what it means to belong to their school

Abstract

Aim(s)To explore secondary aged pupils’ perceptions of school belonging across the age range using a mixed-methods, quantitative and qualitative approach, with emphasis on the latter.RationaleMuch research has been from adults’ construction of sense of school belonging, rather than pupils’ perspectives. The intention of this research was to address that gap.MethodPupils’ views were obtained through the Psychological Sense of School Membership (PSSM) Scale and semi-structured interviews in small, tutor-based groups. Thematic analysis was applied to the group interview data, and information from the PSSM was analysed to look for patterns across year groups and across two schools.FindingsThe average PSSM scores were surprisingly homogeneous (between 3.7 and 4.0) within the statistical limits. A thematic analysis of the semi-structured interviews revealed themes of familiarity, identification with others and with the school, and reciprocity of relationships. While definitions of school belonging appeared to be homogeneous, across the year groups, there were slight differences in focus on what it meant to belong.LimitationsThe study was relatively small, cross sectional rather than longitudinal, and the data collection process meant that thematic analysis was only possible on transcripts from the larger school.ConclusionsThe findings generally aligned with the existing literature on school belonging, highlighted the similarities in definitions across year groups, and reaffirmed the value of listening to young people’s views. Because of the numbers, any quantitative differences between pupil responses are at the margins of statistical viability. However, slight qualitative differences in focus from year to year were in evidence.