Exploring primary school students' perceptions of the meaning and feeling of school connectedness and the factors that influence their experiences

School connectedness is a phenomenon that reflects the dynamic and reciprocal interplay between students and the broad group of people within the school environment, including other students, school staff (both teaching and non-teaching) and families. It is intricately linked to students' academic, social, emotional, psychological, and behavioural wellbeing. Research shows school connectedness can improve engagement in learning, relational bonds, self-concept and physical health, while reducing loneliness, depression, bullying, and absenteeism. These issues are profoundly significant in the Australian context, where concern is growing for children's relationships, mental health, exposure to information abundance, and overwhelming educational demands. Despite its importance, primary school students' perceptions have rarely been explored in research. Most studies have collected data from adolescents and adults, limiting the relevance of findings to younger children who have differing needs and contexts. In addition, few studies have investigated students' experiences in Australian schools. This study responds to these gaps by giving New South Wales primary students a voice on the meaning and feeling of school connectedness and the factors that influence their experiences. Participants included 50 students from Years 3 to 6 enrolled in five independent primary schools in NSW. Focus group discussions elicited rich descriptions of children's opinions and experiences. Informed by constructivist and interpretivist paradigms, reflexive thematic analysis guided interpretation of data and development of a shared understanding of the phenomenon. It was a deliberate process using the author’s subjectivity, reflexivity, and repeated engagement with the data to generate critical themes and subthemes. Findings showed that school connectedness is a dynamic process involving the characteristics ('being') and actions ('doing') of both the students and schools, and the differential effect that socialising and reciprocating have on the interplay between them. The process is influenced by the breadth of opportunities and collaborative communities in the child's microsystem and supportive school systems in the macrosystem. Key influences are the availability of extracurricular and curricular activities, special events, and students' representation of the school, as well as relationships with friends and teachers. School philosophies, policies, programs, and practices further influence students' school experiences. These factors have the potential to foster or weaken students' sense of connectedness to school. The study offers a more comprehensive conceptualisation and visual representation of school connectedness than previously found in the literature. It further highlights focus groups as an effective method for capturing children's voice and demonstrates how Ecological Systems Theory and the Process-Person-Context-Time model can be applied. Findings overwhelmingly suggest that schools must be seen not only as places of learning, but also critical environments in which students foster social and reciprocal relationships with friends and teachers. To realise this aim, a whole school approach to designing and implementing context-specific strategies is essential to enhancing school connectedness. Insights from this research can inform school improvement efforts and guide policy-related practices aimed at mitigating students' stressors and strengthening their outcomes.