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School Belonging: A Review of the History, Current Trends, and Future Directions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2016

Christopher D. Slaten ,
Jonathan K. Ferguson ,
Kelly-Ann Allen ,
Dianne-Vella Brodrick  and
Lea Waters
Christopher D. Slaten*
Affiliation:
Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri-Columbia, USA
Jonathan K. Ferguson
Affiliation:
Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri-Columbia, USA
Kelly-Ann Allen
Affiliation:
The Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Australia
Dianne-Vella Brodrick
Affiliation:
The Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Australia
Lea Waters
Affiliation:
The Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Australia
*
Address for correspondence: Christopher D. Slaten, Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri-Columbia, 18 Hill Hall, Columbia, MO, 652011. Email: slatenc@missouri.edu
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Abstract

School belonging, at both a school and university level, has been well documented as a predictor of academic and psychosocial success. The construct has been examined by scholars in a variety of different professional disciplines (e.g., education, psychology, sociology) and continues to be consistently researched. Although significant contributions have been made in the field, there are still additional areas of investigation needed, as well as interventions that need to be designed and explored. The current article was designed to review the theoretical foundations of belonging, conceptualise school belonging with respect to how it is presented in the literature, discuss the key variables related to school belonging, present a summary of the predictors of school belonging, discuss school belonging in a university setting, and posit future directions for research.

Keywords

belongingschool belonginguniversity belonging
Type
Articles
Information
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist , Volume 33 , Special Issue 1: School Belonging , July 2016 , pp. 1 - 15
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Psychological Society Ltd 2016 

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