How do staff members foster a Sense of Belonging in young people who have places within autism Specialist Resource Bases? A Mixed Methods embedded approach.

Gallagher Deeks, Aisling (2023) How do staff members foster a Sense of Belonging in young people who have places within autism Specialist Resource Bases? A Mixed Methods embedded approach. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

Preview

PDF Download (7MB) | Preview

Abstract

Whilst the psychological and physiological benefits of sense of belonging (SOB) are well known for adolescents, it remains unclear how SOB is fostered, especially for children and young people (YP) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). With increasing numbers of YP being identified with SEND, it is crucial that research look into how SOB can be fostered to support inclusion. To meet the increasing demand, Local Authorities are placing YP with SEND in mainstream settings with the addition of a Specialist Resource Base (SRB) which provides extra support to enable YP to attend classes. For YP on the autism spectrum, school is often associated with many difficulties, from changes of routine, loud noises to miscommunications in social interactions. Autism SRBs can provide a safe place for these individuals to get extra support. The current study used an embedded approach collecting both qualitative and quantitative data to support further understanding of levels of SOB for YP in the autism SRB and to gain an understanding of teachers’ perspectives on ways to foster SOB for these YP. Descriptive statistics revealed varying levels of SOB with no meaningful difference between SOB to the mainstream school and SOB to the SRB. Thematic Analysis of the SRB staff’s interviews identified an overarching theme of ‘Factors that Foster or Impede Sense of Belonging for YP in Autism SRBs’ with the following four core themes; equal opportunities, meaningful relationships, communication and understanding of autism as well as whole-school policies. The findings of this study contributed to the development of a useful tool with practical strategies for SRBs to foster SOB in the mainstream and in the SRB setting. Contributions of this study to the existing literature are considered as well as future implications for both research in this area and the EP practice.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Education and Lifelong Learning
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	28 Sep 2023 08:21
Last Modified:	28 Sep 2023 08:21
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/93116
DOI:

Downloads

Actions (login required)

View Item