Associate Professor and Educational and Developmental Psychologist
Dr Kelly-Ann Allen
Books
Allen, K. & Kern, P. (2019)
Boosting School Belonging in Adolescents: Interventions for teachers and mental health professionals. Abingdon,
UK: Routledge
Designed for teachers, psychologists and counsellors, this book presents evidence-based strategies and concepts that help foster a sense of school belonging amongst students. Feeling a sense of school belonging has been linked to better mental health outcomes in adolescents, increased school performance and greater retention rates. Comprised of six modules that explore connecting to parents, teachers, friends, self, learning and help, it can be used in an individual or group context, and also as a therapeutic tool or a prevention tool. Each module has an introductory section outlining how the module may be adapted to different contexts to ensure young people connect with and stay at school.
Allen, K. (2021)
.jpg)
The Psychology of Belonging
UK: Routledge
Can a sense of belonging increase life satisfaction? Why do we sometimes feel lonely? How can we sustain lasting human connections?
The Psychology of Belonging explores why feeling like we belong is so important throughout our lives, from childhood to old age, irrespective of culture, race, or geography. With its virtues and shortcomings, belonging to groups such as families, social groups, schools, workplaces, and communities, is fundamental to our identity and wellbeing, even in a time where technology has changed the way we connect with each other.
In a world where loneliness and social isolation is on the rise, The Psychology of Belonging shows how meaningful connections can build a sense of belonging for all of us.
Allen, K. & Kern, P. (2019)
Boosting School Belonging in Adolescents: Interventions for teachers and mental health professionals. Abingdon,
UK: Routledge
Designed for teachers, psychologists and counsellors, this book presents evidence-based strategies and concepts that help foster a sense of school belonging amongst students. Feeling a sense of school belonging has been linked to better mental health outcomes in adolescents, increased school performance and greater retention rates. Comprised of six modules that explore connecting to parents, teachers, friends, self, learning and help, it can be used in an individual or group context, and also as a therapeutic tool or a prevention tool. Each module has an introductory section outlining how the module may be adapted to different contexts to ensure young people connect with and stay at school.
Allen, K. (2020)
The Psychology of Belonging
UK: Routledge
Can a sense of belonging increase life satisfaction? Why do we sometimes feel lonely? How can we sustain lasting human connections?
The Psychology of Belonging explores why feeling like we belong is so important throughout our lives, from childhood to old age, irrespective of culture, race, or geography. With its virtues and shortcomings, belonging to groups such as families, social groups, schools, workplaces, and communities, is fundamental to our identity and wellbeing, even in a time where technology has changed the way we connect with each other.
In a world where loneliness and social isolation is on the rise, The Psychology of Belonging shows how meaningful connections can build a sense of belonging for all of us.
Click here for a full list of publications
Allen, K., Reupert A., & Oades, L (2021)
Building Better Schools with Evidence-based Policy
Adaptable Policy for Teachers and School Leaders
UK: Routledge
Building Better Schools with Evidence-based Policy: Adaptable Policy for Teachers and School Leaders provides an extensive set of free-to-use policies for building better schools.
The policies included in this book cover a broad range of popular topics for schools that are not readily accessible, and each policy is built on theory, driven by research, and created by and experts. Each policy is based on substantial evidence and this is ensured through the inclusion of contributors who are active and highly reputable in their respective field. Most schools are obliged to write and maintain policy and not all school leaders have the required skills, time or expertise to do this effectively. Building Better Schools with Evidence-based Policy: Adaptable Policy for Teachers and School Leaders is a time-saving resource for schools. It aims to address the reported research to practice gap in education by delivering accessible evidence-based practice in a ready-to-use adaptable format. All policies within this book are designed to be adapted and tailored to the unique diversity and needs of each school as reflected by the context and the people that make up the school community.
This book is relevant to every person who works in a school - worldwide. Users of this book can rest assured that each policy has been carefully formulated from the current understandings of best practice. This is a practical innovation and an example of how schools can use research-evidence in their day-to-day practices.
Allen, K. & Kern, M. L. (2017)
School Belonging in Adolescents: Theory, research, and practice
Singapore: Springer Social Sciences
ISBN: 978-981-10-5996-4
Free to download from most University Libraries.
This book explores the concept of school belonging in adolescents from a socio-ecological perspective, acknowledging that young people are uniquely connected to a broad network of groups and systems within a school system. Using a socio-ecological framework, it positions belonging as an essential aspect of psychological functioning for which schools offer unique opportunities to improve. It also offers insights into the factors that influence school belonging at the student level during adolescence in educational settings.
Taking a socio-ecological perspective and drawing from innovative research methods, the book encourages researchers interested in school leadership to foster students’ sense of belonging by developing their qualities and by changing school systems and processes.
Allen, K-A. & Boyle, C. (Eds.) (2018)
Pathways to Belonging: Contemporary research in school belonging
The Netherlands: BRILL | Sense
ISBN: 978-90-04-38657-0 (Paperback)
ISBN: 978-90-04-38659-4 (Hardback)
E -ISBN: 978-90-04-38696-9
School belonging should be a priority across every facet of education. The research on school belonging for positive student outcomes has been widely accepted and findings demonstrating its role as a protective factor against mental ill health and youth suicide are too compelling to ignore. In an age where it has been argued that academic achievement is prioritised over wellbeing, the editors bring the importance of school belonging back to the fore in educational policy and planning.
This book is the most comprehensive compendium of its kind on the topic of school belonging. A foreword by Professor John Hattie of The University of Melbourne sets the scene for an engaging look at how school belonging is quintessential in contemporary schooling.
Contributors are: Kelly-Ann Allen, Christopher Boyle, Jonathan Cohen, Crystal Coker, Erin Dowdy, Clemence Due, Jonathan K. Ferguson, Sebastian Franke, Michael Furlong, Annie Gowing, Alun Jackson, Divya Jindal-Snape, Andrew Martinez, Daniel Mays, Vicki McKenzie, Susan Dvorak McMahon, Franka Metzner, Kathryn Moffa, Silke Pawils, Damien W. Riggs, Sue Roffey, Lisa Schneider, Bini Sebastian, Christopher D. Slaten, Jessica Smead, Amrit Thapa, Dianne Vella-Brodrick, Lea Waters, Michelle Wichmann, and Holger Zielemanns.
Frydenberg, E. Deans, J. & Allen, K. (2012)
