Active Student Participation in Western Line Activities: A Comprehensive Review
Abstract
This review explores whole-school interventions designed to improve the school environment by promoting active student participation (ASP) in activities and decision-making. The goals are to describe the selected programs, assess their methodological quality, and analyze the activities that encourage ASP. From an initial pool of 205 publications identified through a literature search in PsycINFO and Education Research Complete, 22 reports met the criteria for inclusion. These reports covered 13 different whole-school programs. The implemented activities were categorized on a 5-point scale of ASP levels, ranging from Very high ASP (students involved in decision-making) to Very low ASP (students as passive recipients of content). This review introduces an organizing structure based on ASP levels, offering clarity and a framework for future research on student participation.
Introduction
Research in educational psychology consistently demonstrates that the quality of the school environment significantly impacts student well-being. A supportive school context positively influences academic achievement and relationships among students and between students and staff. Conversely, a poor learning environment can lead to negative outcomes like substance use and bullying. Schools must implement interventions that improve the learning environment by fostering positive behaviors and reducing negative outcomes. One promising approach involves adopting whole-school strategies that focus on overall school systems rather than specific problems.
The literature on whole-school interventions is extensive, but it has two significant gaps. First, it primarily focuses on programs for elementary schools, with fewer studies on high school populations. Second, despite recognizing the importance of student involvement, few reviews have specifically examined the degree and characteristics of student participation in these interventions. This article presents a systematic literature review of whole-school interventions in secondary schools, focusing on programs that involve active student participation. Active student participation (ASP) includes the variety of ways in which students are given the opportunity to participate actively in school activities and decisions that will shape their own lives and those of their peers.
Whole-School Interventions for Improving the Learning Environment
Several reviews and meta-analyses have critically synthesized studies on school interventions aimed at improving the learning environment. These programs address various outcomes, from general school climate dimensions (e.g., relational aspects, institutional organization, and safety) to specific issues like bullying, violence, or substance use. However, the effectiveness of these programs remains a subject of debate. While some meta-analyses suggest positive results from bullying prevention programs, others indicate only modest evidence.
More positive outcomes have been reported for programs using a whole-school approach. These interventions generally show some evidence of improvement in reducing bullying and victimization. However, studies using a whole-school approach in secondary education are scarce. One well-established framework, primarily implemented in middle schools, is the School-Wide Positive Behavior Support program, which engages students, school staff, and families to deliver evidence-based behavioral support tailored to students’ needs. The study results within this framework are promising, suggesting a connection between such programs and school improvement, although the evidence is generally moderate and only regards a few of the considered outcome measures.
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The mixed results reported in these reviews highlight the need for further exploration of the characteristics of whole-school interventions. A major limitation in the literature is the lack of in-depth analysis of the types of activities proposed to students, particularly regarding their direct involvement. Given the importance of student engagement in school life, this area of inquiry can inform researchers and practitioners in designing and conducting whole-school interventions that call for student involvement.
Student Involvement in School Intervention
The significance of students’ involvement and participation is grounded in self-determination theory, which posits that individuals who are self-determined perceive themselves as causal agents in life experiences, being proactive and engaged in their social environment. Studies have supported the relevance of self-determination for quality of life, identity development, and as a mediator in the relationship between stress and school engagement during adolescence.
Educational and school psychologists have engaged in scientific and professional discussions about how schools can create favorable conditions for students to feel active and co-responsible for their educational and academic paths. These discussions have generally agreed that school change and improvement are best achieved through intervention programs that offer students opportunities to actively participate in school life. To achieve this goal, educational agencies are encouraged to promote interventions that support activities requiring student involvement and participation.
The importance of students’ active participation in the school environment has also been confirmed by research investigating the association between high student involvement and positive learning environments. Studies have shown that school climate is related to the extent of student participation and interaction during school life, and that student opportunities for school involvement are related to satisfactory outcomes. Student interaction within a school appears to be a significant climate variable. Programs characterized by high student involvement have demonstrated that this leads to students taking responsibility for building an effective learning environment and positive climate. More recent studies have confirmed that democratic school practices, such as student participation in decision-making, play a significant role in the development of a sense of community at individual, class, and school levels. Student classroom participation affects school climate and academic achievement.
Providing space for student voices in decision-making and school change is a powerful strategy for improving school environments and ensuring the success of programs. The concept of student agency, which refers to students’ willingness and skill to act on activities and circumstances in their school lives, aligns well with this approach. Agency is fostered by school environments capable of soliciting and valuing students’ active participation in educational practices and school decisions, encouraging them to feel co-responsible with teachers and staff for their school lives. Research has confirmed the value of agency, showing its positive associations with motivation, the fulfillment of basic psychological needs, and the perception of supportive teaching.
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Despite the agreement that student participation is crucial for the success of programs aimed at improving students’ school life, previous literature reviews on school interventions have not specifically focused on the extent and way in which students are given a voice and are involved in the programs. This work aims to search the existing literature for interventions specifically based on activities in which students were not just the recipients of activities but rather took on an active and decision-making role. The notion of active student participation (ASP) includes the variety of ways in which students are given the opportunity to participate actively in school activities and decisions that will shape their own lives and those of their peers.
Review’s Aims
Previous reviews have extensively described whole-school interventions aimed at improving school environments or reducing school problems, suggesting their effectiveness. Furthermore, a growing body of literature has found that students’ active involvement in their school life is a critical factor for improvement. This review goes further by conducting an in-depth examination of existing whole-school interventions based on activities promoting ASP in secondary schools, providing a reasoned synthesis of their characteristics and implementation. The focus on secondary schools is driven by the evidence that this developmental stage has so far received less attention in whole-school intervention research.
Given the heterogeneity of existing intervention programs, both in terms of participants (specific subgroups vs. general student population) and targets of improvement (specific abilities vs. general school environment), it was essential to set clear boundaries for the study selection. This review focuses on whole-school interventions directed to the overall student population and aimed at improving the school climate as a whole. This allows for the selection of a reasonably homogeneous sample of studies.
The review aims to:
- Describe the selected programs based on their focus, country, duration, age of participants, and research design.
- Assess the soundness of the research design and methodologies adopted in each study to provide evidence of the methodological quality of the selected programs.
- Differentiate among various levels of ASP in the program’s activities and, for each of these levels, describe methods and activities carried out in the programs.
Method
This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 updated statement (PRISMA 2020). The term "study" refers to every investigation that includes a well-defined group of participants and one or more interventions and outcomes, "report" refers to every document supplying information about a particular study (a single study might have multiple reports), and "record" refers to the title and/or abstract of a report indexed in a database. The term "program" refers to an implemented whole-school intervention that has specific characteristics and is usually named, since more than one study may be conducted with the same program.
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Eligibility Criteria
Studies were eligible for inclusion in the review if they were:
- Written in English.
- Published in peer-reviewed academic journals.
- Aimed at assessing psychological effects of whole-school interventions that solicit ASP in secondary schools; thus, studies in which students were involved solely as recipients of activities delivered by adults were excluded.
Studies were excluded from the review if they were:
- Focused on specific subgroups of students (e.g., ethnical minorities or LGBTQ students).
- Solely aimed at improving specific skills (e.g., literacy or mathematics).
- Solely focused on physical health (e.g., nutrition or physical activity).
tags: #active #student #western #line #activities
