I study belonging across the human lifespan, following how it develops and is sustained from childhood through to adulthood, in work, family, and life.

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ARTICLES ABOUT BELONGING

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Examining factors influencing belonging amongst immigrant adolescents: A scoping review. Children and Youth Services Review, 180, 108675.
Jain, R., Allen, K. A., Grove, C., & Melzak, E. (2026).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth

Defining school belonging: A cross-cultural investigation of student-led conceptualisations. Educational Psychology in Practice.
Allen, K.-A., Mullholand, N., Berger, E., Warton, W., & Reupert, A. (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.70290

Variations in Belonging Across 22 Countries in the Global Flourishing Study. The Journal of Positive Psychology.
Counted, V., Allen, K.-A., Johnson, B. R., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2025.2569083

Belonging beyond crisis: Predictors are stable in higher education, despite a pandemic. Higher Education.
Allen, K.-A., Crawford, J., Sanders, T., Bozorg, B., & Saunders, C. (in press).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-025-01549-2

The Roots of Belonging: Childhood Predictors of Belonging in 22 Countries. Scientific Reports.
Counted, V., Allen, K.-A., Johnson, B. R., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14410-4

Starting school in Australia: What gives young children a sense of school belonging? Early Childhood Education Journal.
Hudson, C., Allen, K. A., & Bozorg, B. (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-025-01979-8

School Belonging: Evidence, Experts, and Everyday Gaps. Educational Psychology Review.
Allen, K.-A. (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10055

A scoping review of the factors contributing to a sense of belonging in early career teachers. Educational Research Review.
Melzak, E., Allen, K.-A., Jain, R., & Pruyn, M. (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2025.100700

Love of place: Conceptual framework and template for measuring the contributory and unitive affection towards the environment. International Journal of Intercultural Relations.
Counted, V., Lee, M. T., Lomas, T., Cowden, R., Allen, K.-A., Basu, J., Laidler, D., Routledge, C., Seaman, D., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2025).

Individual and Contextual Factors Determining School Belonging of Adolescents in the UK: Evidence from PISA. School Mental Health.
Palikara, O., Bonneville-Roussy, A., & Allen, K. A. (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-024-09725-y

Belonging in their words: exploring early childhood perspectives using the draw, write, tell method. Australian Journal of Psychology, 77(1).
Allen, K. A., Berger, E., McLean, L., Leif, E., Warton, W., Tuck, D., … Fleer, M. (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2025.2463949

What facilitates a sense of belonging amongst Australian teachers? Australian Journal of Psychology.
Allen, K. A., Longmuir, F., Thorn, M. G., Melzak, E., Berger, E., Gallo Cordonba, B., Philips, M., & Reupert, A. (2025).
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00049530.2025.2459190

Adolescent school belonging and substance use in young adulthood: Findings from a multi-wave prospective cohort study. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.
Allen, K. A., Greenwood, C. J., Berger, E., Reupert, A., Wurf, G., Rajendran, N., Warton, W., O'Connor, M., Sanson, A., Olsson, C. A., & Letcher, P. (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-024-01427-5

Belonging and enjoyment as cornerstones of communication in young English as a foreign language learners. Current Psychology.
Allen, K.-A., Rajaee Pitehnoee, M., Arslan, G., Boyle, C., McGlinchey, C., & Arabmofrad, A. (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-025-07292-2

Towards a more universal understanding of school belonging: A cross-country synthesis of students’ perspectives from Australia, Greece, Iran, and Qatar. European Journal of Education.
Allen, K. A., Osborne, E., D’Argenio, E., Berger, E., Warton, W., Pitenhoee, M. R., Wurf, G., Pahlevan Sharif, S., & Reupert, A. (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-024-00931-5

Students’ perspectives on fostering a sense of school belonging in Greece: Moving beyond COVID-19. Journal of School Health.
Tate, L., Allen, K. A., Berger, E., Grove, C., May, F., Patlamazoglou, L., Gamble, N., Wurf, G., Warton, W., & Reupert, A. (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.13529

Improving sense of school belonging in Indian schools: Student perspectives. Psychology in the Schools.
Gunathilake, T. J., Allen, K. A., Berger, E., May, F., Grove, C., Patlamazoglou, L., Wurf, G., Gamble, N., Warton, W., & Reupert, A. (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.23338

Expressions of gratitude in education: An analysis of the #ThankYourTeacher campaign. International Journal for Educational Integrity.
Allen, K. A., Grove, C., May, F. S., Gamble, N., Lai, R., & Saunders, J. M. (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-024-00159-2

Navigating school belonging in Qatari schools: A mixed-methods study of student perspectives. European Journal of Education.
Allen, K. A., McCarthy, S., Sawalhi, R., Berger, E., May, F., Patlamazoglou, L., Gamble, N., Grove, C., Wurf, G., Arango, E. J., Warton, W., & Reupert, A. (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12704

Australian teachers’ perceptions of safety, violence and limited support in their workplaces. Journal of School Violence.
Longmuir, F., McKay, A., Gallo Cordoba, B., Allen, K. A., & Phillips, M. (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2024.2385893

Belonging in higher education: A twenty year systematic review. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 21(5).
Allen, K. A., Slaten, C., Hong, S., Lan, M., Craig, H., May, F., & Counted, V. (2024).
https://doi.org/10.53761/s2he6n66

When artificial intelligence substitutes humans in higher education: The cost of loneliness, student success, and retention. Studies in Higher Education, 49(5), 883-897.

Crawford, J., Allen, K. A., Pani, B, & Cowling, M. (2024).

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Do intercultural education and attitudes promote student wellbeing and social outcomes? An examination across PISA countries. Learning and Instruction, 91, Article 101879.

Basarkod, G., Dicke, T., Allen, K. A., Parker, P. D., Ryan, M., Marsh, H. W., Carrick, Z. T., & Guo, J. (2024).

 

Adolescent school belonging and mental health outcomes in young adulthood: Findings from a multi-wave prospective cohort study. School Mental Health, 16(1), 149-160. 

Allen, K. A., Greenwood, C. J., Berger, E., Patlamazoglou, L., Reupert, A., Wurf, G., May, F., O’Connor, M., Sanson, A., Olsson, C. A., & Letcher, P. (2024).

Sense of belonging in higher education students: An Australian longitudinal study from 2013 to 2019. Studies in Higher Education.

Crawford, J, Allen, K. A., Sanders, T., Baumeister, R., Parker, P., Saunders, C., & Tice, D. (2024).

 

Where does culture belong at school? Exploring the role of individualism and power distance in school belonging across cultures. Current Psychology.

Allen, K. A., Johnson, R., & Cordoba, B. G. (2023).

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Sense of belonging in higher education students: An Australian longitudinal study from 2013 to 2019. Studies in Higher Education.

Crawford, J, Allen, K. A., Sanders, T., Baumeister, R., Parker, P., Saunders, C., & Tice, D. (2023).

Student-identified practices for improving belonging in Australian secondary schools: Moving beyond COVID-19. School Mental Health.

Allen, K. A., Berger, E., Reupert, A., Grove, C.. May, F., Patlamazoglou, L., Gamble, N., Wurf, G., & Warton, W. (2023).

Online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: Does social connectedness and learning community predict self-determined needs and course satisfaction? Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 20(1), Article 13.

Geary, E., Allen, K. A., Gamble, N., & Pahlevansharif, S. (2023).

Examining the relationship between student attributional style, perceived teacher fairness, and sense of school belonging. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 71, Article 102113.

Wong D., Allen, K. A., & Cordoba, B. G. (2022).

A systematic review of school-based positive psychology interventions to foster teacher well-being. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 28(8), 964-999.

Vo, D. & Allen, K. A. (2022).

Strength-based parenting and academic motivation in adolescents returning to school after COVID-19 school closure: Exploring the effect of school belonging and strength use. Psychological Reports.

Arslan, G., Allen, K. A., & Waters, L. (2022).

 

Examining predictors of school belonging using a socio-ecological perspective.  Journal of Child and Family Studies.

Allen, K. A., Cordoba, B. G., Ryan, T., Arslan, G., Slaten, C. D., Ferguson, J. K., Bozoğlan, B., Abdollahi, FA., & Vella-Brodrick, D. (2022).

 

Does socioeconomic status moderate the relationship between school belonging and school-related factors in Australia? Child Indicators Research.

Allen, K. A., Cordoba, B. G., Parks, A., & Arslan, G. (2022).

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School belonging predicts whether an emerging adult will be not in education, employment, or training (NEET) after school. Journal of Educational Psychology.

Parker, P., Allen, K. A., Parker, R., Guo, J., Marsh, H. W., Basarkod, G., & Dicke, T. (2022).

 

Introducing a dual continuum model of belonging and loneliness. Australian Journal of Psychology

Lim, M. H., Allen, K. A., Furlong, M. J., Craig, H., & Smith, D. C. (2021).

 

Strength-based parenting and stress-related growth in adolescents: Exploring the role of positive reappraisal, school belonging, and emotional processing during the pandemic. Journal of Adolescence, 94(2), 176-190.

Allen, K. A., Waters, L., Arslan, G., & Prentice, M. (2022).

 

Information communication technology use and school belonging in Australian high school students. Psychology in the Schools, ​​58(12), 2392-2403.

McCahey, A., Allen, K. A., & Arslan, G. (2021).

 

The need to belong: A deep dive into the origins, implications, and future of a foundational construct. Educational Psychology Review. 

Allen, K. A., Gray, D. L., Baumeister, R. F., & Leary., M. R. (2021)

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Stress-related growth in adolescents returning to school after COVID-19 school closure. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 643443.

Waters, L. Allen, K. A., & Arslan, G. (2021). 

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Testing the social-ecological factors of school belonging in native-born, first-generation, and second-generation Australian students: A comparison study. Social Psychology of Education, 24(3), 835-856. 

Allen, K. A., Fortune, K. C., & Arslan, G. (2021). 

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The psychometric evaluation of the Sense of Belonging Instrument (SOBI) with Iranian older adults. BMC Geriatrics, 21(1), 1-8. 

Allen, K. A., Arslan, G., Craig, H., Arefi, S., Yaghoobzadeh, A., & Nia, H. S. (2021). 

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School victimization, school belongingness, psychological well-being, and emotional problems in adolescents. Child Indicators Research, 14(4), 1501-1517. 

Arslan, G., & Allen, K. A. (2021). 

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Belonging: A review of conceptual issues, an integrative framework, and directions for future research. Australian Journal of Psychology, 73(1), 87-102. 

Allen, K. A., Kern, M. L., Rozek, C. S., McInerney, D. M., & Slavich, G. M. (2021).

Climate change, a critical new role for educational and developmental psychologists. The Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 1-3

Allen, K. A. (2020)

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Complete Mental Health in Elementary School Children: Understanding general school functioning and adjustment in youth. Current Psychology.

Arslan, G., & Allen, K. A. (2020)

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Academic hardiness as a mediator for the relationship between school belonging and academic stress. Psychology in the Schools.

Abdollahi, A., Panahipour, S., Tafti, M. A., & Allen, K. A. (2020)

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Complete Mental Health in Elementary School Children: Understanding general school functioning and adjustment in youth. Current Psychology.

Arslan, G., & Allen, K. A. (2020)

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Academic hardiness as a mediator for the relationship between school belonging and academic stress. Psychology in the Schools.

Abdollahi, A., Panahipour, S., Tafti, M. A., & Allen, K. A. (2020)

 

Commentary of Lim, M., Eres, R., Gleeson, J., Long, K., Penn, D., Rodebaugh, T. (2019). A pilot digital intervention targeting loneliness in youth mental health. Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Allen, K. A. (2020)

 

Creating a culture of belonging in a school context. Educational and Child Psychology, special issue school belonging. Educational and Child Psychology, 36(4), 5-7.

Allen, K. A., Boyle, C., & Roffey, S. (2019)

 

School belonging - Why are our students longing to belong to school? Educational and Child Psychology, 36(2), 6-8.

Roffey, S., Boyle, C., & Allen, K. A. (2019)

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Understanding the priorities of Australian secondary schools through an analysis of their mission and vision statements. Educational Administration Quarterly, 54(2), 249-274

Allen, K. A., Kern, P., Vella-Brodrick, D., & Waters, L. (2018)

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What Schools Need to Know about Belonging: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 30(1), 1-34.

Allen, K. A., Kern, P., Vella-Brodrick, D., & Hattie, J. & Waters, L., (2018)

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School Values: A comparison of academic motivation, mental health promotion, and school belonging with student achievement. Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 34(1), 31-47.

Allen, K. A., Kern, P. Vella-Brodrick, D., & Waters, L. (2017) School Values

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How Social Are Social Media? A Review of Online Social Behaviour and Connectedness. Journal of Relationships Research, e 8, e8, 1–8.

Ryan, T., Allen, K. A., Gray, D. L., & McInerney, D. M. (2017)

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Pathways to Belonging. Editorial for the special issue on School Belonging for the Educational and Developmental Psychologist. 33(1), 01-21.

Allen, K. A. & Boyle, B. (Eds) (2016)

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Fostering School Belonging in Secondary Schools Using a Socio-Ecological Framework. The Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 33(1), 97-121

Allen, K. A., Vella-Brodrick, D., & Waters, L. (2016)

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School Belonging: A Review of the History, Current Trends, and Future Directions. The Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 33(1), 1-15.

Slaten, C., Ferguson, J., Allen, K. A., Brodrick, D., & Waters, L. (2016)

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Adolescent Mental Health in an Australian Context and Future Interventions . Special Issue on Mental Health in Australia for the International Journal of Mental Health. 44, 80-93.​

Allen, K. A. & McKenzie, V. (2015)

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Social Media Use and Social Connectedness in Adolescents: The Positives and the Potential Pitfalls. The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 31(1), 18-31.

Allen, K. A., Ryan, T., Gray, D., McInerney, D., & Waters, L. (2014)

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Belonging as a Guiding Principle in the Education of Adolescents.  Australian Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology. 12, 108-119. 

Allen, K. A. & Bowles, T. (2013)

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The Importance of Belonging for Adolescents in Secondary School Settings. The European Journal of Social & Behavioural Sciences. 5(2), 976-984. 

O'Brien, K. A., Vincent, T., & Bowles, T. (2013)

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CREATING A (MORE) POSITIVE CULTURE IN UNIVERSITIES

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Move beyond ‘publish or perish’ by measuring behaviours that benefit academia
Allen, K.-A.
https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00563-9

The gentle academic: Reimagining the contemporary university culture with principles of community, leadership, and care
Grove, C., & Allen, K.-A. (Eds.)
https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00563-9

Academia needs more gentle academics
Grove, C., Marinucci, A., & Allen, K.-A.
https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00563-9

Principle 11: Collaboration over competition—Enacting academic method writing through collaborative authorship
Allen, K.-A., Alokuzay, R., Al Maqbali, S., Alsaadi, N., Boyle, C., Bozorg, B., Collier, A., Counted, V., Dudda, S., Hofmann, J., Kuschel, S. G., Ofei-Ferri, S., Pitzer, A.-L., Porta, T., Vannini, N., von Hagen, A., & Winkler, P.
https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00563-9

Towards a future of gentle academics: Policy, practice and patiences
Lai, R., Allen, K.-A., & Grove, C.
https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00563-9

Work like a girl: Redressing gender inequity in academia through systemic solutions. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 18(3), Article 03. 

Allen, K. A., Butler-Henderson, K., Reupert, A., Longmuir, F., Finefter-Rosenbluh, I., Berger, E., Grove, C., Heffernan, A., Freeman, N., Kewalramani, S., Krebs, S., Dsouza, L., Mackie, G., Chapman, D., & Fleer, M. (2021). 

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Addressing academic rejection: Recommendations for reform. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 17(5), Article 19. 

Allen, K. A., Donoghue, G. M., Pahlevansharif, S., Jimerson, S. R., & Hattie, J. A. C. (2020). 

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What is the actual impact of measuring academic notions of impact? 
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 36(2), 33-34. (2019) 

Allen, K. A.

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Student evaluations and the impact on academic mental health.  In M. S. Edwards, A. J. Martin, N. M. Ashkanasay, & L. E. Cox (Eds.), Research handbook of academic mental health (pp. 225-240). Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN: 9781803925073

Heffernan, T. & Allen, K. A. (2024)

Empowering university leaders, staff, and graduates for mental health action in higher education. In M. S. Edwards, A. J. Martin, N. M. Ashkanasay, & L. E. Cox (Eds.), Research handbook of academic mental health (pp. 436-450). Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN: 9781803925073

Grove, C., Skues, J., Allen, K. A., Marinucci, A., Butler-Henderson, K., &Arabi, S. (2024).

Creating a sense of belonging in academia: Challenges, facilitators, and implications for university leaders, staff and graduate students. In M. S. Edwards, A. J. Martin, N. M. Ashkanasay, & L. E. Cox (Eds.), Research handbook of academic mental health (pp. 451-473). Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN: 9781803925073

Allen, K. A., Kern, M. L., Reardon, J., Crawford, J., Slaten, C. D., Heffernan, T., Ma, L., Grove, C., & Roberts, S. (2024).

Australian higher education in perpetual crisis? A narrative of crisis leadership in universities. In J. Rudolph, J. Crawford, C. Y. Sam, & S. Tan (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of crisis leadership in higher education (pp. 193-213). Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN: 9783031545085, eISBN: 9783031545092

Crawford, J., Allen, K. A., & Cowling, M. (2024)

Humanising peer review with artificial intelligence: Paradox or panacea? Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 21(1). Journal Impact Factor: 1.6, Q rating: 2, SNIP: .854

Crawford, J., Allen, K. A., & Lodge, J. (2024). ​