Improving wellbeing through student participation at school: Phase 3, Scale development: Developing a reliable and valid measure of participation at school

This document reports the findings from Phase 3 of an Australian Research Council (ARC) funded study (LP140100540) entitled, ‘Improving wellbeing through student participation at school.’ The overall research project aimed to systematically investigate how student participation at school is understood, experienced and practised in NSW schools. A key interest of the research is to improve knowledge about whether and how different approaches to participation at school improve student wellbeing. The research draws on Honneth’s ‘modes of recognition’ (1995; 2001; 2004) to explore the relationship between participation and wellbeing. The study utilised a mixed method approach to advance scholarship and evidence in the fields of education, children’s rights and child wellbeing. The research aimed to strengthen knowledge, policy and practice concerning student participation at school by identifying whether and how such participation improves students’ social and emotional wellbeing.