A comparative analysis of collaborative and individualistic approaches to supporting children’s wellbeing in secondary schools

The University of Bath is inviting applications for the following funded PhD project commencing in September 2026 under the supervision of Prof Ceri Brown (Department of Education), Dr Pamela Jacobsen and Prof Sarah Halligan (Department of Psychology).

Overview of the Research:

Children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing have become a major policy and practice concern in England and internationally. Over the past decade, schools have increasingly been positioned on the frontline of mental health prevention, tasked with promoting wellbeing across whole-school communities through what is known as a ‘salutogenic’ approach that emphasises the cultivation of positive mental health rather than the treatment of disorder.

However, emerging research and policy analysis reveal that schools adopt markedly different approaches to supporting wellbeing. The dominant model promoted through English education policy has tended to emphasise individualistic approaches, focusing on the development of children’s personal skills and competencies such as resilience, self-regulation, and emotional literacy, alongside universal moral values. While these approaches aim to empower children, research suggests they may inadvertently place responsibility for wellbeing onto the individual child, encouraging children to conflate mental health with performance, behaviour, or educational achievement.

In contrast, more recent scholarship and practice have foregrounded collaborative, relational, and collectivist approaches to wellbeing. These approaches emphasise relationships, peer connection, recognition of identity, and children’s sense of belonging within school communities. Evidence increasingly suggests that such approaches are more closely aligned with children’s own accounts of what supports their wellbeing, particularly for those from marginalised or disadvantaged backgrounds.

Drawing on the Connected Belonging research programme, this PhD will undertake a comparative analysis of individualistic and collaborative approaches to wellbeing in secondary schools, examining their implications for children’s wellbeing, sense of belonging, and everyday school experiences.

Project Aims

The project has three core aims:

1.     To examine children’s wellbeing and sense of belonging across secondary school settings, with particular attention to how these are shaped by differing whole-school wellbeing approaches.

2.     To develop and validate a child-appropriate survey instrument, in collaboration with the Connected Belonging research team, capable of capturing secondary-aged children’s experiences of wellbeing and belonging in school.

3.     To conduct in-depth comparative case studies of two secondary schools: one operating a predominantly individualistic wellbeing approach and one adopting a collaborative or collectivist approach, exploring how wellbeing is enacted, experienced, and understood at multiple levels within the school community.

The PhD will adopt a mixed-methods design.

Training and Development Opportunities

In addressing these aims, the student will develop a strong and transferable skill set relevant to careers in academia, education, psychology, policy, and mental health research, including:

• Quantitative survey design and analysis
• Qualitative and child-centred research methods
• Ethical research with children and schools
• Interdisciplinary approaches to wellbeing and belonging
• Experience working within a collaborative research programme

The student will be based primarily in the Department of Education and will also be embedded within the Bath Mental Health Research Group, joining a vibrant interdisciplinary community of researchers and PhD students. There will be opportunities for training, collaboration, and networking across the Departments of Education and Psychology, and with external partners connected to the Connected Belonging programme. The student will also have additional support from MHRG partners at the Universities of Exeter and Bristol, widening the range of expertise and mentorship available to them.