• What drives differences in school belonging, motivation, and engagement between primary and secondary?
Background
Every child and young person, regardless of their background, must be able to achieve and thrive, particularly at school, to develop the knowledge and skills they need for life. Thriving centres on both feeling good (having a high subjective wellbeing and a positive sense of belonging), and doing well (having a positive sense of accomplishment, autonomy, and physical and mental health). Other areas of research interest regarding this pillar of the Opportunity Mission span; attainment; SEND; attendance; health and wellbeing both in and out of school; and enrichment activities and childcare for school- aged children. (For brevity, please read all references to children as encompassing both children and young people where appropriate.)
Full details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-education-areas-of-research-interest
Next steps
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Related UKRI funded projects
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Why might this be relevant?
Partially relevant as it focuses on supporting students' development, but does not specifically address differences between primary and secondary school.
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School Readiness: Connecting Viewpoints on Child and Family Well-being and Identifying Commonalities Across Diverse Groups
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Why might this be relevant?
Fully relevant as it specifically aims to investigate links between children's wellbeing and success in the first years of primary school.
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SWITCH - Targeting Social Well-being to Improve Transitions to School
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Why might this be relevant?
The project focuses on social well-being and its impact on successful school-entry, which directly relates to school belonging, motivation, and engagement differences between primary and secondary.