Wellbeing of primary-aged boarding students in Australia

Boarding represents an important part of the educational landscape in Australia providing educational access for students from rural and remote areas of Australia. The residential education of students aged 9-12 years, forms an essential part of this provision of access to an adequate education.

The goal of this study is to fill an important gap in educational knowledge in an under-researched area of social science and educational psychology. This research explores the impact of boarding on the wellbeing of students aged 9-12 years in Australia and the degree to which a residential education meets their needs. It investigates how their experience of boarding impacts on their engagement with their boarding school and the factors which influence their successful experience of boarding. This takes into consideration that primary boarders have very different social- emotional needs than secondary boarders and that wellbeing is linked to engagement through the dimensions of adaptive coping, belonging, life satisfaction and positive emotions.

A mixed methodology was adopted for this study. The main sample comprised of 32 full and part-time boarders in the setting of the two major institutions in Australia which take in primary-aged students. A survey assessing student engagement and wellbeing was administered to students at both sites. Boarding staff and students were interviewed, and other data included an imaginary letter on their ideal boarding school written by students, photographs of boarding spaces as well as observational notes. The survey was analysed using a descriptive-analytical approach for indicators of adaptive coping and life satisfaction, positive emotions and belonging through school engagement. The analysis of the qualitative data was guided by the research questions and a theoretical framework derived from Upadyaya and Salmela-Aro’s (2013) model of school engagement. The analysis of the quantitative data raised additional questions for exploration in the analysis of the qualitative data.

Findings from both the quantitative and qualitative analysis indicated that the majority of the students had high levels of wellbeing and engagement with their boarding school. While some experienced homesickness, this was generally associated with the lived experiences within the process of their transition into boarding. However, they had overcome their feelings of homesickness by the end of the year. Factors impacting on the successful experience of boarding included friendships, relationships with parents, peers and staff, a small and intimate boarding environment, extra- curricular activities and the students’ personal characteristics. A key finding of the study, which is rarely touched on in the boarding literature, was the tension evident between pastoral care and reinforcement of discipline in the context of residential care in primary boarding.

These findings led to recommendations about the provision of genuine and enacted levels of individual care central to the wellbeing of children aged 9-12 years at primary boarding school. Such individualised care also involves the development of a small and intimate home-away-from-home in the primary boarding house environment.

Given the limited knowledge about care for and the wellbeing of boarding students aged 9-12 years, these are important findings because this group of boarders has very different welfare-related needs than adolescent boarders which leads to likely different experiences in boarding. Furthermore, successful experiences of boarding also influence students’ engagement with their schooling.

The results of this study are important to consider for primary-aged boarding and day students and the stakeholders involved in their education. These include current and future parents, boarding providers and staff, professional organisations as well as future researchers interested in wellbeing linked to engagement and students’ experiences in primary schooling. It is concluded that, due to the scarcity in research in these fields, this original research provides a solid basis for further and more comprehensive research into residential and non-residential education at primary level.