School non-attendance affects a growing number of students. Their non-attendance is partly a reflection of school systems that fail to accommodate diversity, yet this systemic lens is neglected in most current responses to school non-attendance. This paper describes a participatory research framework that facilitates the meaningful involvement of students experiencing school non-attendance. We argue that this approach will contribute to a better understanding of what schools should look like from the perspective of the non-attending students, thus developing a more inclusive approach to researching this topic. The method described in this paper outlines the establishment of a Children’s Research Advisory Group (CRAG) composed of young people who advise on the design, implementation and dissemination of the research. Grounded in a rights-based framework that emphasises total communication and inclusive space, the study combines the Lundy Model of Child Participation with the Autistic SPACE Framework to develop the Neuroaffirmative Participation (NAP) Framework. The NAP Framework positions accessibility as the foundation of engagement for all, recognising that meaningful participation depends on environments that accommodate diverse sensory, processing and communication preferences. The method offers a structured yet flexible, replicable framework for international scholars seeking to design inclusive, participatory studies with children and young people experiencing school avoidance and school non-attendance. It has the potential for wider application to other topics critical to education which are not currently understood from the perspective of marginalised groups of students.
In the context of excessive internet use, resilience and digital competence emerge as essential tools for the prevention of addictive behaviours. This study aimed to examine how distinct profiles of school-based resilience relate to problematic video game use, social media addiction and digital competence in adolescents. 618 students ( M = 14.03; SD = 1.34) completed the Youth Resilience Scale (RSS-Y), Gaming Addiction Scale for Adolescents (GASA), Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), and Digital Competence Scale . Results revealed statistically significant correlations between resilience, video game addiction, social media addiction and digital competence. Four latent resilience profiles were identified. MANOVA indicated that the Low Resilience profile had high scores on addictive behaviours, while the Very High Resilience profile demonstrated high scores on digital competence. The findings highlight the protective role of school-based resilience in reducing susceptibility to maladaptive digital behaviours and strengthening adolescents’ digital competence.
School improvement and initiative success relies on the teamwork of teachers and their head teacher. Addressing early career school leader attrition and turnover, this study examines the underexplored topic of teacher influences on novice principal (NP) socialization. To fill gaps in the literature, teachers and NPs were interviewed, with 78 total interviews thematically analyzed. Socialization outcomes were assessed by measuring changes in person–group (P-G) compatibility and congruence. Findings align with literature describing school leadership as fraught with conflicts between teacher demands and system expectations. NPs faced pressure from teachers to maintain the status quo, despite personal desires and systemic expectations for change. Socialization tactics and P-G fit theory were integrated to explain teacher effects, discuss NP outcomes, recommend improvements, and critically reflect on the theories. Contrary to prevailing assumptions, individualized socialization in this context promoted conservatism, while institutionalized socialization unexpectedly fostered innovation. Findings also suggest that fit potential can be gauged early, and that help-seeking can facilitate P-G fit improvement. Finally, leadership theory is updated with an example of when social identity must be cultivated before visionary leadership can succeed.
This article reviews Improving Schools to assess the journal’s distinctive contributions within the school improvement literature and the extent to which its positioning has supported cumulative knowledge development. Using bibliometric and systematic review methods, the study analyzes the journal’s full corpus published between 1998 and 2025. Patterns of authorship, citation distribution, publication type, topical organization, and journal co-citation relationships are examined to evaluate the journal’s intellectual profile and scholarly influence. The findings indicate that Improving Schools has evolved into a broad, practice-oriented forum whose inclusive positioning has not consistently translated into consolidated lines of inquiry. The journal addresses a wide range of educational problems across diverse contexts, yet its citation profile remains modest and less consolidated than that of journals more firmly anchored in established disciplinary and school improvement research traditions. Topical analyses show that the journal is organized around school improvement as a broad, integrative construct rather than around clearly identifiable thematic clusters. Co-word and journal co-citation analyses situate Improving Schools within a diverse and weakly consolidated segment of the education literature, reflecting its bridging role across research- and practice-oriented traditions. The review concludes by reflecting on the implications of these patterns for readers, prospective authors, and editorial strategy as the journal seeks to strengthen integrative linkages within its distinctive improvement-oriented mission.
More than 60% of the world speak two or more languages. Therefore, it is important that classroom environments promote multilingual children’s listening, learning, and wellbeing. The aim of this paper was to understand how the classroom environment impacts listening, learning, and wellbeing for school children who are multilingual, how it can be improved, and identify future research areas. A scoping review centred around the terms of the Listen to Learn for Life Assessment Framework was conducted following the PRISMA-ScR. Fourteen papers met the criteria to be included. The results showed SNRs should be optimised to enhance multilingual children’s listening and learning. Visually, findings were mixed, but it may be beneficial to incorporate visual cues where possible to aid listening. The results were inconclusive on whether multilingual children are at a disadvantage compared to monolingual children, but factors such as differences in the task, chronological age, age of language acquisition, and socio-economic status are likely to contribute to these mixed findings. Future research to improve our understanding of how to make optimal classroom environments for multilingual children to succeed is discussed.
