Towards a more universal understanding of school belonging experiences and strategies: a cross-country synthesis of students’ perspectives from Australia, Greece, Iran, and Qatar

Despite clear evidence detailing the academic and psychosocial benefits resulting from a sense of school belonging, there is currently no consistent global consensus about the strategies that can be employed to promote school belonging. In addition, existing research is primarily derived from democratic and developed countries. The current study sought to explore if students in Australia, Greece, Iran, and Qatar differed in their experience of school belonging and to establish common and unique practices students voiced as improving their sense of belonging. Cross-country responses from 698 secondary school students (from Australia, Greece, Iran, and Qatar) were analysed using both quantitative (ANOVA) and qualitative (thematic analysis) methods. Iranian students reported significantly higher school belonging than their Australian, Greek, and Qatari counterparts, while Qatari students also scored higher than those from Australia and Greece. Common teacher- and school-level belonging practices were established from the student responses, and cross-country differences are discussed. The study underscores the importance of cultural sensitivity and student involvement in crafting context-specific strategies to enhance school belonging for optimal student wellbeing and success. Implications for cross-country belonging practices are discussed and considered within the context of the study’s limitations.