6 research outputs found
Leaving home: Investigating transitioning challenges faced by boarding students and their families
Transitioning to boarding school during the middle years of childhood impacts upon the social, emotional and academic wellbeing of young people (Bramston & Patrick, 2007; Connell & Wellborn, 1991; Deci, Vallerand, Pelletier, & Ryan, 1991; Earls & Carlson, 2001). Students who live at school as boarders, may experience greater transitional changes in all three components of wellbeing due to the extent of change experienced during this transition. While research addressing transitioning to school has indicated the importance of connectedness to school, bonding, friendships and a sense of autonomy (Eccles et al., 1993), there is limited research addressing the transitioning experiences of boarding students and their families.
This mixed methodology study sought to understand how boarding students experience transitioning into boarding school, its possible association with connectedness to the boarding house, reported levels of staff support, loneliness, homesickness and help-seeking for homesickness. Focus groups and interviews were used to better understand how parents experience the transitioning of their children into boarding school.
This thesis used data collected from a Healthway funded Starter Grant. The research was cross-sectional by design involving a purposeful sample of 267 students, 59% male and 41% female, aged 12 - 15 years, who lived in one of eight metropolitan and regional boarding settings in Western Australia (WA) in 2011, and 37 of their parents. Data for this project were collected from October, 2010 to September, 2011
The first research question used qualitative data to explore the experiences of boarding parents. Findings suggested parents appeared to be more affected by their children leaving home than did the majority of boarding students. The following strategies were suggested as helpful to support positive transitions: preparing both parents and their children effectively for the move; making contact with other boarding parents at least six months prior to the transition; having meaningful connections with the staff caring for their children communicating and visiting their children regularly; co-developing with their children communication and visiting plans; and, keeping busy.
Research questions two to five analysed quantitative data collected through a student survey. The following transitioning activities were found to be either very helpful and / or associated with other benefits (as listed above): tour of the boarding house; sleepover with or without parents; separate information targeting students and parents sent or given to boarding families, up to date information on the Internet; Orientation Day; peer mentors; staff telephoning students prior to transition; and, boarding staff meeting with each family individually on or following Orientation Day.
Homesickness was most commonly experienced during the first two weeks of boarding and when students returned after their holidays. Girls, younger students and International students reported experiencing more homesickness. Three factors: psychosomatic symptoms; separation distress; and, grief and loss, best explained how students in this study experienced homesickness.
Help-seeking behaviours comprised the factors contacting parents, keeping busy and conversing with staff and students. A number of activities were associated with reductions in both psychosomatic symptoms and separation distress; however, for those students who experienced grief and loss, going on leave with their parents and knowing when their parents would next be visiting or taking them on leave appeared to be the only activities that reduced studentsâ grief response.
Help-seeking was most evident for students who experienced psychosomatic symptoms or feelings of separation distress. Students who experienced grief and loss were less likely to report seeking help. Girls and younger students reported utilising the most help-seeking strategies.
The findings of this study and the subsequent recommendations will assist families and staff to better understand the experiences of boarding students and their families as students transition into boarding
If itâs about me, why do it without me? : genuine student engagement in school cyberbullying education
This study reports on a three-year group randomized controlled trial, the Cyber Friendly
Schools Project (CFSP), aimed to reduce cyberbullying among grade 8 students during
2010-2012. In each year, 14-15 year old student âcyberâ leaders acted as catalysts to
develop and implement whole-school activities to reduce cyberbullying-related harms.
This paper examines studentsâ leadership experiences and the effectiveness of their
training and intervention efforts. A mixed methods research design comprising
interviews and questionnaires was used to collect data from 225 grade 10 students at the
end of their leadership years (2010 & 2011). Four to six cyber leaders were recruited
from each of the 19 intervention schools involved in each year of the study. The cyber
leaders reported high self-efficacy post-training, felt their intervention efforts made a
difference, and experienced a sense of agency, belonging and competence when given
opportunities for authentic leadership. They identified key barriers and enablers to
achieving desired outcomes. Students greatly valued having their voices heard. Their
engagement in the development and delivery of whole-school strategies allowed them to
contribute to and enhance efforts to promote their peersâ mental health and wellbeing.
However, a lack of support from school staff limits studentsâ effectiveness as changeenablers.peer-reviewe
Cyber-friendly schools
This chapter describes a whole-school cyberbullying intervention developed and evaluated in Western Australia with secondary school students aged 13â18 years old. The Cyber-Friendly Schools (CFS) program has three components, designed for (1) the whole-school community, (2) students, and (3) parents. Each component provides teaching and learning resources, access to an online website resource, and training. The program also involves the recruitment and training of students to act as âcyber leadersâ for their school community. In a randomized controlled trial, over 3000 Grade 8 students received the intervention and were tracked for 2 years. The intervention reduced the likelihood of new cases of cybervictimization and cyberperpetration by Grade 9, but these declines did not persist in the following year. School staff struggled to find time to fit the intervention into their usual teaching program, which may have attenuated the interventionâs effectiveness. Schools need support and training to implement evidence-based whole-school strategies and engage with student leaders to prevent and address cyberbullying