The path least followed: moving into the future of school belonging research and towards clearer interventions

Abstract

As we have seen in this authoritative book, as well as that of the wider literature, school belonging is generally regarded as a student’s sense of affiliation or connection to his or her school. Anyone who has personally navigated the sometimes-difficult terrain of secondary school is able to have some level of direct understanding as to the importance that belonging and identifying with a school holds for most people. Educators and practitioners often work with young people who feel that they do not belong to the school community that they attend. An absence of belonging can manifest itself in mental health concerns, school attrition and risk-taking behaviours. Opportunities for early intervention through fostering school belonging are born from a greater understanding and awareness of what school belonging is and how it is contextualised and fostered. School belonging is perennially important and marks a significant social issue of our time. The aim of this final chapter is to consider the key messages of the foregoing chapters, as well as relating them to the wider literature on school belonging. This book, through 12 chapters, demonstrates that school belonging research isdiverse. This collection of chapters presents a collection of mixed research designs,methodologies, and participants.