What's new

This mixed-methods study examined a four-week residential EOtC pilot programme for Year 9 students (aged 14–15) at an Australian secondary school, which aimed to build belonging, resilience and wellbeing in girls. In Wave 1, 58 girls took part alongside 39 boys. Wave 2 involved 28 girls in a single-sex group. Quantitative data came from pre- and post-programme surveys with students and parents. Measures included the PISA school belonging scale, the Academic Buoyancy Scale and the Adolescent Girls' Resilience Scale. Qualitative data came from student focus groups and interviews with staff and parents. Sense of belonging improved significantly, to levels higher than reported Australian averages for 15-year-olds. Students' mean academic buoyancy scores were more than a point lower than reported baseline scores for Australian high school students, and increased modestly after the programme.

Why it matters in Aotearoa

Extended residential programmes are part of EOTC in some New Zealand secondary schools. This study offers evidence linking them to students' sense of belonging, which schools may weigh up when considering the time and cost involved.

Putting it into practice

If you run a residential or camp programme, use a short validated belonging scale before and after it, together with student and parent feedback, to check what changes for your students.

How strong is the evidence

This mixed-methods study used validated scales and several perspectives, but it covers one school's pilot. The abstract does not mention a comparison group. Results are reported for belonging and buoyancy, while the claims about resilience rest on the authors' conclusion.

What to read

The results on school belonging and academic buoyancy.

Who it's for